How many times did Lester Piggott win the St Leger?

The late Lester Piggott, who died peacefully in Switzerland on May 29, 2022, aged 86, was, without question, the outstanding jockey of the postwar era and, arguably, the finest jockey ever to ride on British turf. Born in Wantage, Oxfordshire on November 5, 1935, he rode his first winner, The Chase, trained by his father, Keith, at Haydock Park in 1948, aged 12, and his last, Palacegate Jack, trained by Jack Berry, at the same venue in 1994, aged 58.

In between times, “The Long Fellow”, as Piggott was popularly known, rode a total of 4,491 winners on British soil and was champion jockey 11 times between 1960 and 1982. His 47-year career also included a record 30 British Classic winners, starting with Never Say Die in the Derby in 1954 and finishing with Rodrigo De Triano in the 2,000 Guineas in 1992. Indeed, Piggott remains the most successful jockey in the history of the Derby, with nine wins to his name, while his Classic haul also included the St Leger eight times, the Oaks six times, the 2,000 Guineas five times and the 1,000 Guineas twice.

Piggott is not, in fact, the most successful jockey in the history of the oldest Classic. His career total of eight wins is only good enough for joint-second in the all-time list, alongside John Jackson, a leading Northern jockey around the run of the turn of the nineteenth century. Both trail another nineteenth century jockey, William “Glorious Bill” Scott, by one.