Jockeys Walter Swinburn and Garrett Gomez pass on
Garrett Gomez during a past race. The 44 year-old two-time Eclipse Award winner and father of four, who rode his last race October 2013, has died. PHOTO | AGENCIES
What you need to know:
- Swinburn had to battle epilepsy for the last dozen years, following a horrific riding accident in 1996.
- Eve the great Sir Gordon Richards, had to wait until nearly 50, before landing his Blue Riband in 1953.
- Swinburn's first strike came on Paddy’s Luck, at Kempton in 1978.
- Known as The Choirboy because of his youthful looks, Swinburn’s second Derby victory came via Shahrastani in 1984.
The life of Walter Swinburn that came to a premature end aged 55, stereotypically marks a gifted sportsman triumphing young, but then remaining on ice.
That would be too glib an analysis of Swinburn, however, as he had to battle epilepsy for the last dozen years, following a horrific riding accident in 1996.
He did so with courage and candour. Clare Pelham, chief executive of Epilepsy Society, said: “Walter was extra loyal, sharing his own maladies to raise money supporting research.” Many top jockeys never win a Derby.
Eve the great Sir Gordon Richards, had to wait until nearly 50, before landing his Blue Riband in 1953. Swinburn, rode into legend with Shergar in the 1981 Derby, by ten lengths. It is still the biggest winning distance of this race.
Born the son of Wally Swinburn who was twice Irish Flat champion jockey and first man to ride 100 winners in Ireland. Educated at Rockwell College Swinburn was always destined to become a jockey, apprenticing in England to trainer's, Frenchie Nicholson and then Reg Hollinshead.
Swinburn's first strike came on Paddy’s Luck, at Kempton in 1978. He immediately got swiped up by Sir Michael Stoute, accessing a conveyor belt of class horses - the greatest of which was Shergar. The jockey blamed himself for Shergar only finishing fourth in the 1981 St Leger.
Imagine how heartbroken Swinburn felt when Shergar was kidnapped from his stud in Ireland and killed, apparently by the IRA, after a botched extortion plot.
GAINED THE RIDE
One of Swinburn’s finest performances was in the 1983 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe captaining All Along. He only gained the ride because Lester Piggott plumped for another horse. Swinburn went for an audacious move up the inside rail before switching out to beat Sun Princess by a length.
Known as The Choirboy because of his youthful looks, Swinburn’s second Derby victory came via Shahrastani in 1984. The many tributes that have been paid to Swinburn emphasised a natural flair for horsemanship.
Unfortunately, being tall, Swinburn had to fight against his weight, causing him to become seriously bulimic. Trying to keep below nine stone (57kgs), caused a heap of problems for him, but, disaster followed in a different vein.
Walter Swinburn after a past race. The jockey has died at 55. PHOTO | AGENCIES
At the Hong Kong Sha Tin racecourse in 1996, he was thrown badly, and catapulted into the railings. Suffering severe head injuries, other fractures, comatosed for four days and placed in ICU for several weeks, meant months of recuperation before being allowed to sit on a horse again.
Typically, he won on his comeback ride, before going on to win the Breeders Cup Turf in Canada with Pilsudski. Forced to retire in 2000, Swinburn sent out more than 250 winners as a trainer, from the privately owned yard of multi-millionaire, Peter Harris, whose daughter, Alison, became Swinburn’s wife. They had two children, Claudia and Millie.
Swinburn commented on his career so poignantly: “For what riding gave me, I would go through it all again. I was only truly happy as an equestrian."
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Cool but troubled jockey Garrett Gomez, 44, a two-time Eclipse Award winner and father of four who rode his last race October 2013, has died. It is unclear as to what happened.
Ron Anderson, agent to Gomez when he won Eclipse Awards as outstanding jockey in 2008 and 2009, plus, the nation's leading money-winner for four consecutive years, said Gomez was found on Native American casino property in the Tucson area.
Gomez won back-to-back Eclipse Awards in 2008-09.
BATTLE WITH ALCOHOL
Gomez, son of jockey Louie Gomez, began his career at Santa Fe Downs in New Mexico, winning on Furlong Circle. He moved his tack to the Midwest but soon began a battle with alcohol and substance abuse that plagued him for much of his adult life.
Gomez had numerous suspensions and served 40 days in jail for possession of a controlled substance, missing most of 2003-04. After relocating to Southern California, he become one of the circuit's best, snatching back-to-back sessions of the Pacific Classic at Del Mar in 2000-01.
Recovery from addiction became an inspirational and widely told story as he began to pile up even more big race blitzes. Gomez broke Jerry Bailey's record, won 13 Breeders' Cup races, and, was commanding Blame for his stab over Zenyatta in the 2010 Classic at Churchill Downs.
From 21,639 career mounts, he won 3,769 races clipping $205,224,899. Among those victories were 83 in Grade 1 races aboard the likes of Beholder, Blind Luck, Marketing Mix, Looking at Lucky, Blame, Gio Ponti, Pioneer of the Nile Rags to Riches, Any Given Saturday, and, English Channel.
He was voted the George Woolf Memorial Jockey Award by his peers in 2011. Gomez told the world on Facebook: Thank you horse racing for all you gave me. Best sport on earth!
