“The hissing-swishing melody of his breathing and whip action operating in perfect harmony composed a symphony which came to be admired and feared by his colleagues for the best part of 40 years.” Michael Tanner, Great Jockeys of The Flat

THE death was announced early in the week of Joe Mercer, one of the most universally admired jockeys produced in England in the past century.

Mercer was the younger brother of the brilliant but ill-fated Manny Mercer, and was just 12 years old when Manny won the Lincoln on the 100/1 shot Jockey Treble in 1947.

Encouraged by his brother’s early success, Joe became indentured to Major Fred Sneyd at Sparsholt, and rode his first domestic winner aboard Eldoret at Bath in September 1950 for Lambourn trainer Bill Payne, and the last of 2,810 on Bold Rex in the 1985 November Handicap at Doncaster.

Mercer won the first of eight British classics while still an apprentice, riding Ambiguity for Jack Colling in the 1953 Oaks in the colours of Lord Astor.

Although only 18 years of age at the time, he proved more than a match for champion jockey Gordon Richards on the runner-up.

It was fitting, given his loyalty, that Joe rode his final classic winner for Lord Astor’s brother, Sir John Astor, when Cut Above beat a field including Shergar in the 1981 St Leger.

Despite wins in most of the big races in a riding career spanning three and a half decades, Mercer never won the Derby in 30 attempts.

He will forever be associated with the great Brigadier Gerard, whom he rode in all that colt’s races, winning 17 times, and enduring defeat just once.

That this defeat - beaten by the Derby winner in the Benson & Hedges Gold Cup at York - was deemed one of the great upsets of the game tells just how invincible ‘the Brigadier’ and Joe were deemed to be.

Brigadier Gerard was a relative failure at stud, but it gave Joe great satisfaction that he rode the Brigadier’s son, Light Cavalry, to take the St Leger in 1980, the same year he was presented with the OBE for his services to racing.

Having been twice crowned champion apprentice, Mercer remained loyal to the West Ilsley yard of Jack Colling, which was taken over by Dick Hern in 1963.

Barren times

He enjoyed great success with Hern, but stoically endured barren times when the yard was ravaged by a recurring virus in the late 1960s. Neither did he complain when it was publicly announced that he would be replaced by Willie Carson by the yard’s owners, Arnold Weinstock (later Lord Weinstock) and Sir Michael Sobell, during the 1976 season.

The public nature and timing of his sacking were deplorable, but Mercer simply carried on as normal, gaining his first century of winners in over a decade for a stable that astoundingly saw him as surplus to requirements.

He took the job of first jockey to newly crowned champion trainer Henry Cecil in 1977, and the pair enjoyed big-race glory with the likes of Le Moss, One In A Million, Buckskin, Kris and Light Cavalry in a four-year association which ended with Joe replacing Pat Eddery at Peter Walwyn’s Seven Barrows yard, while Eddery replaced Lester Piggott at Ballydoyle, and Piggott replaced Mercer at Warren Place.

Walwyn’s yard

Joe had ridden Walwyn’s first big winner, Mabel, in the 1965 Yorkshire Oaks and, while the dreaded virus saw that powerful yard decimated, the pair enjoyed some big race success in the few years they had together, notably with Cesarewitch winner Halsbury and Stalker, who won both the Gimcrack and Middle Park Stakes in 1985, Joe’s retirement year.

Joe was renowned for his perfect balance on horseback, and his impeccable timing on and off a horse.

Bruce Raymond took over the job of racing manager for Sheikh Maktoum Al Maktoum when Joe retired from professional life, and revealed in a tribute that he used to get a call from his friend of over 50 years at 9am on the dot every Saturday.

Joe was never tardy, and nor was he late in the parade ring throughout his long career, leading his fellow riders by example.

He never forgot the example taught to him by the formidable Major Sneyd, who also produced the brothers Eph and Doug Smith.

Like his brother, Joe was notably keen to encourage younger riders; his habit of puffing on a pipe between races earned him the soubriquet “Smokin’ Joe”, but to several generations of apprentices, he was Uncle Joe, always available to lend his expertise and encouragement.