Racing legend Lord Oaksey dies aged 83
Lord Oaksey, racing journalist, H&H reporter, former amateur jockey and founder of the Injured Jockeys Fund, has died aged 83.
He died this morning (Wednesday 5 September) at home following a long illness.
A well-respected journalist and broadcaster Lord Oaksey wrote for many years as “Audax” in Horse & Hound.
Lord Oaksey was also a successful amateur jockey – he rode more than 200 winners and had 11 Grand National rides between 1961-1975.
He famously won the Whitbread Gold Cup and Hennessy Gold Cup – both on Taxidermist in 1958.
As an owner he recorded an emotional success last November when his homebred chaser Carruthers won the Hennessy at Newbury, ridden by Mattie Bachelor and trained by his son-in-law Mark Bradstock.
In 1964 Lord Oaksey founded the Injured Jockeys Fund, and remained president until he died. The charity has done vital work and has since helped more than 1,000 jockeys and their families. And in 2009 Oaksey House, a rehabilitation centre for jockeys was opened in Lambourn.
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A graduate of Exeter University, Amy joined our news team from Redpin Publishing in 2008 as news writer. She was promoted to deputy news editor in May 2013 and became news editor in April 2015. She left Horse & Hound in March 2016 to take up an editorial position in Dubai.