Success well worth the weight
JIMMY Lindley survived several wartime bombings to become one of the country’s best jockeys and a popular commentator for the BBC.
His heyday was in 1963 when he rode 71 winners, including victory on Only For Life in the 2,000 Guineas, an English classic.
However not every ride went according to the plan. In 1957 at Sandown his horse Aggressor jumped into the bandstand.
“The music stopped and the conductor demanded an explanation as to what I was doing there,” he said at the time. “Then whoosh… the horse jumped out, over the rockery.”
Born in Wembley, north London, his father Fred owned a garage and restaurant.The family moved to Eastbourne, where their home was destroyed during a SecondWorld War bombing raid. He was stuck in rubble for eight hours but survived.
He had a further narrow escape when staying with his grandmother in Kent.A bomb landed in the
BORN MAY 16, 1935 – DIED MARCH 23, 2022, AGED 86
garden but he escaped injury. Riding a pony on a milk cart stirred an interest in the sport of kings.At the age of 14 he was an apprentice to the trainer Tom Masson at Lewes, East Sussex. Lindley rode his first winner at Brighton in 1952.
Despite a constant weight battle, he rode 882 winners on the flat as well as 25 in the National Hunt.
When he retired in 1974, BBC commentator JulianWilson persuaded him to become the man in the paddock.With his deep knowledge of horses and racing, he was a natural broadcaster and viewers enjoyed his words of wisdom.Willie Carson recalled:
“He enjoyed going out for lunches and was a raconteur and an all-round nice guy.”
He lived in Newbury with his wife Pat, who survives him along with their two sons.