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It was with great sadness today that I heard of the passing of my great buddy Eddie Hide. Eddie Hide was quite simply one of the very the best flat jockeys I have ever seen. He was wonderful. In my career I have been fortunate to put up two of the finest jockeys. Sadly 2023 has seen the passing of both Eddie and also my former stable jockey, Terry Lucas. Captain Charles Elsey brought the 17-year-old Eddie Hide to Malton in 1954, and he knew he'd found a rare talent. His first big wins came two years later when he rode Precious Heather to win the 1956 Ayr Gold Cup and then Prelone to victory in the Cesarewitch. Eddie later went on to become stable jockey for the great Sir Gordon Richards, and his long list of winners included Morston in the 1973 Derby. |
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Eddie Hide won 115 races for the stable. The first was Steal A March in the Monkton Handicap at Ripon in 1961 and 22 years later he rode his last winner for me when Chapel Cottage breezed home in the 1983 Cherry Hinton Stakes at Newmarket. In the 1970s I'd put Eddie up when I had a runner in any of the big races and he never let me down once. Eddie had it all. He was an intelligent man and he knew the form book inside out. He'd study it from every angle and when he got on a horse he made sure that he knew everything about it. You could get rich quite quickly backing Eddie on my horses, because he only rode them when he knew they were going to win. |
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The highlight was of course Mrs McArdy who won the 1977 1000 Guineas. However, the horse I associated with him above all was with Lochnager. In 1976, the year he was Champion Sprinter, Eddie rode Lochnager to victory in the Temple Stakes, the King's Stand Stakes, the July Cup and the William Hill Sprint Trophy (now the Nunthorpe) at York. In our 22-year association Eddie rode six doubles and two trebles for the stable. On the 4th of November 1976 he won on Tudor Jig, Estate Agent and Chartered Course for me at Teesside Park and went one better himself by recording a 1,842-1 four-timer. |
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Eddie was a kind and gentle man. He would never give a horse too hard a race and he'd never beat one up, it just wasn't in his nature. When a horse came back to the yard from the racecourse after Eddie had ridden then that horse would always eat up. Eddie would look after them on the track and that way he'd get the very best out of every horse he rode. I've never liked to see horses given hard races because it's so easy to ruin them and turn them sour, and once you get to that point it takes a lot of time to get the horse right again. Sometimes that's it and they don't come back at all. |
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If you put Eddie up on a young horse then you knew that the horse would return with his mind in one piece and his education one step further. Eddie also knew about money. He knew it was hard earned and he appreciated every single penny. Eddie liked his money and he didn't waste it. He was grateful for what he had. Back in the day jockeys would often get a present rather than a commission for riding. Before he got on he'd always remind me. "Don't forget the money," he'd say. "You will remember won't you?" Eddie could live on nothing. He lived on fresh air. I don't know what he did with his money but he certainly didn't spend it. I'd not be surprised if he's going to take it with him and if he is then I'll be down there. I owe a great deal to Eddie Hide. He rode the biggest winners of my career and he helped put the stable on the map in the 1970s. Rest In Peace Eddie Hide. One of the greatest jockeys I have ever seen. |
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