Remembering legend Josh Gifford
Horseracing’s iconic figure, Josh Gifford, passed away at the age of 70 this year. He was one of the most adored persons in the sport and will be missed by millions of his fans worldwide.
The former jockey and trainer had health problems for quite some time. He was sent to the hospital and made some recovery at the start of this year, after which the doctors felt he was in good shape and could return home.
However, the legendary trainer suffered a heart attack on Friday, February 10, 2012, which resulted in his death.
Amongst many other people, veteran jockey, Bob Champion was sad at the demise of Gifford and said it was a big loss to horseracing.
Champion had teamed up with Gifford in the 1981 Grand National, riding his runner, Aldaniti. The combination proved to be one of the most successful ones in the history of the sport.
Gifford offered great support to Champion, as the latter suffered from testicular cancer and his career was doubtful. However, he was given a lot of confidence by the late trainer, once he returned to the sport after making a recovery.
This confidence proved to be vital for Champion, who enjoyed a lot of success afterwards, especially partnering Aldaniti. He said that he would always remember the contribution of Gifford towards his career and horseracing.
Although, Gifford enjoyed a very good time as a trainer, yet his performances as a jockey cannot be underestimated.
Bob Davies, who rode against Gifford in the late 1960s, stated, “What people forget is that he was only 28 when he quit to take over from Ryan Price training his jumpers and he'd already been champion four times by then. He'd started off on the Flat and
been a very good apprentice too, winning big races.”
On the other hand, Declan Murphy, one of the stable jockeys for Gifford also paid tribute to the legend saying, “When you were on the schooling grounds watching work, you could see the pride in his eye. I've never seen another trainer exude such pride in
his horses. People used to joke that he would come to tears easily but that was just the passion he had for racing.”
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are solely of the writer’s and do not reflect bettor.com’s official editorial policy.
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