The death at 86 of Lester Piggott feels like not just the passing of a sporting icon, but of an era.
Piggott was 12 years old when riding his first winner, The Chase, at Haydock Park in August 1948 and was 15 when taking his first mount, 13th home Zucchero, in the 1951 Derby.
The numbers come from another age – the British Horseracing Authority wouldn’t grant a riding licence to a pre-teen any more than children are sent to work down mines.
