Walter Swinburn Dies at 55

Former jockey Walter Swinburn, who won three Epsom Derbies during a glittering career in the saddle, died aged 55 on Monday. Swinburn–who had been suffering from epilepsy– passed away peacefully at his home in London.

Swinburn is best remembered for partnering the subsequently kidnapped Shergar (GB) (Great Nephew {GB}) to win the Derby by 10 lengths in 1981 at age 19 for trainer Sir Michael Stoute. He other wins in the blue riband came aboard Shahrastani (Nijinsky) in 1986 and Lammtarra (Nijinsky) in 1995.

Swinburn, who was nicknamed the Choirboy for his boyish looks, won eight British Classics in addition to wins in such prestigious prizes as the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, King George VI and Queen Elizabeth S., Irish Derby, Juddmonte International, St James's Palace S., Ascot Gold Cup, Eclipse S. and Champion S. Some of his more famed mounts, in addition to his Derby winners, included All Along (GB) (Mill Reef), Green Desert (Danzig), Hatoof (Irish River {Fr}), Shadeed (Nijinsky) and Zilzal (Nureyev).

Swinburn experienced the lows of life in the saddle in addition to the highs. In 1996 he nearly lost his life in a spill in Hong Kong that left him in a coma for four days with a punctured lung and a broken collarbone, shoulder blade and ribs. Swinburn remarkably returned to the saddle in six months, and recorded one of the most memorable stories in Breeders' Cup history when partnering Pilsudski (Ire) (Polish Precedent) to win the turf that same year for Shergar's trainer Sir Michael Stoute.

Swinburn also endured a constant battle with his weight, and ultimately hung up his tack in 2000. Four years later he took over a training license from his father-in-law Peter Harris. He trained until 2011, a career highlight coming when Julienas won Royal Ascot's Royal Hunt Cup in his final year of training. He conditioned more than 250 winners.

After his riding days were over, Swinburn spent a stint as part of the Channel 4 Racing team, working with former National Hunt great John Francome among others. Francome told At The Races, “I spoke to him a couple of months ago and he seemed in really good form. It's absolutely shocking he should die aged 55. No age at all.”

“He was an absolutely gifted rider, you never saw any horse pulling with him or having their head in the air,” Francome added. “He was a little bit of a troubled soul in some ways; he had weight problems, which probably affected him a lot more than other people, but that said that seemed to be a long time ago and he seemed to all intents and purposes fine, but obviously he wasn't.”

Francome continued, “He could ride a race. He had a really good feel for what was going on underneath him. What the horse was doing–he must have been a fantastic jockey to have riding for you. He'd give great feedback and come back in and tell you everything you needed to know. He probably knew everything he needed to know by the time he got down to the start. He was a very sensitive person, both on and off a horse.”