Death of Josh Gifford

The death has taken place of former champion jockey and leading trainer Josh Gifford. The 70-year-old suffered a heart attack, and died in the early hours this Thursday morning.

Gifford was champion jockey four times in a career that produced 642 winners, and he enjoyed great success as a trainer notably winning the 1981 Grand National with Aldaniti.

Among his 1500 plus winners as a trainer were the likes of 1993 Queen Mother Champion Chase victor Deep Sensation, and other top chasers like dual Mackeson Gold Cup winner Bradbury Star and the Sun Alliance Chase winner Brief Gale.

He retired in 2003 to hand over the reins of his Findon yard to son Nick, while his daughter Kristina was a bronze medalist in eventing at both team and individual level at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

Gifford had only recently returned home from hospital after suffering from septicaemia, and his son Nick said, "He'd been back home for about three weeks but he took a turn for the worse yesterday evening.

"By the early hours he was in a really bad way and in the end it was a heart attack."

Bob Champion, who rode Aldaniti to that memorable National win, led the tributes saying, "He was a great jockey, a great trainer and a great man. He was so loyal to his jockeys."

Former stable jockey Richard Rowe also paid tribute on At The Races saying, "He always had a smile on his face, and packed alot into his years.

"My time there was the best for both of our careers, he was a great man to work for.

"Some of the horses I rode for him were top-class. Kybo was the best, it was just unfortunate that he broke a leg before the Gold Cup. I was only talking about him with Josh last week.

"When you look at the others like Door Latch, Royal Judgement, Deep Sensation and Bradbury Star that I rode in their early days, and I won a Schweppes on Deep Sensation.

"The reason my dad was so keen for me to join Josh was that he'd been a great jockey and he said there'd be no-one better to learn off - he was right.

"And so it's been with my training, I often think 'what would Josh do now' and try to copy him. I couldn't have wished for a better teacher. He was a gentleman."

Rowe also gave an insight into his culinary taste when adding, "He was a real connoisseur of fish and chips. There wasn't a good fish and chip shop that he didn't know about!"