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Very sad news.
I’ve read reams about his ability but the fact that Mr Stoute had the confidence to let him ride his first ever Derby at the age of 19 on an odds-on fav tells you all you need to know.
They talk of his great hands. You won’t see a better example than on Shergar in the Derby. He comes into Tattenham Corner as though cantering at home with Swinburn sitting upright, motionless, hands on withers, and he comes out of it just the same. The horse must only have realised he was at the races when Walter finally shook the reins, and he must stop riding a full half furlong out.
some lovely words and tributes on here all i can add is
RIP Walter gone far to earlyHowever, his Derby win on Shahrastani five years later, kinda blew my head off for all the wrong reasons.
Funny how for the past 30yrs 6months,2 weeks and 1 day, but who’s counting? I have blamed Greville Starkey for what is without question the worse ride ever in the history of the world of horseracing and yet I have to say as Sir Michael Stoute lamented Walters positional sense in a race won him more than he lost is personified in the 86 Derby on ‘Shahrastani’,he did everything right that Greville did wrong that day.
Still stunned at the news. Far too young to go. It seems an overused tribute but genuinely seemed that no one ever had a bad word to say about him.
Sad news
A gentle peter pan laden with a fusty old-timers name: nice
His win in the Melrose Stakes at York in 1996, shortly after his comeback from serious injury, sticks in the mind. The ‘3yo Ebor’ tends to test the stamina of the fittest jockey so it was something of a re-baptism of fire for Swinburn. His legs went shortly before the winning post; and with a stirrup lost and balance gone just managed to cling on past the post
“I think I will be a bit sore tomorrow. You think you are fit but there is just no substitute for race riding and I’m going to restrict myself to two or three a day for the time being”Late-onset epilepsy due to head injury tends to have a poor prognosis
<p abp=”419″>Very sad news, made worse perhaps by his choirboy features always making him seem younger than he was
<p abp=”420″>I think part of the problems for jockeys is finding ways to fill the time, it’s not so bad if you’re a racecourse trainer because then you can pretty much train until you die, but what does a retired jockey do with his days? And maybe that’s why the temptation of the drink becomes overwhelming for some
Well, he had been training up to 2011 and had 250 winners in that time according to the RP.
Condolences to his family and friends.
RIP Walter Swinburn, who of cause was one of the most admired (along with Steve Cauthen) for a lot of apprentice’ starting out in the 1980’ties (herself included).
Best Wishes
SilkFrom the Guardian obituary:
His life might have been free of significant troubles if he had also been granted ready control of his weight, but that gift was denied him. By the mid-80s he was secretly throwing up immediately after meals. It seemed a necessary but shameful habit to him and he blamed it for leading to another self-harming crutch – alcohol.
Hey ho
<p abp=”419″>Very sad news, made worse perhaps by his choirboy features always making him seem younger than he was
<p abp=”420″>I think part of the problems for jockeys is finding ways to fill the time, it’s not so bad if you’re a racecourse trainer because then you can pretty much train until you die, but what does a retired jockey do with his days? And maybe that’s why the temptation of the drink becomes overwhelming for some
Well, he had been training up to 2011 and had 250 winners in that time according to the RP.
Condolences to his family and friends.
True but he didn’t have many big winners and the training career didn’t last that long
RIP Walter Swinburn, gone way too soon. We’ll never forget Shergar at Epsom, one of the all time great performances.
I always remember the name of a fairly obscure horse through him, Perfect Circle, as it was his 1000th winner and rather aptly named.
Good interview here from 2004 with Donald McRae.
https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2004/nov/01/horseracing.donaldmcrae
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