MOST people would agree that Lester was the greatest jockey of them all. He was a wonderful judge of pace, had great balance and was so strong in a finish. He was fearless too.

He knew the form of every horse in every race and knew their pedigrees too, which gave him an advantage.

I got to know him first when I was a kid in Newmarket and he was champion jockey. Then I got to know him better when he started coming to Ireland.

In 1990, five years after he retired from riding, I invited Lester to ride in a charity race in Tipperary, alongside Jonjo O’Neill and others. Jonjo won it and Lester was second.

He stayed with me that night and on the way home he asked me ‘What did my riding look like?’ I replied it was if he had never retired, the same Lester.

The following morning after breakfast Lester went over to see ‘M.V’ for a chat and that’s what led to him applying for his licence again. It was barely two weeks later that he rode Royal Academy to win the Breeders’ Cup Mile, which was one of the greatest rides of all time, and he was 54 at that time.

Lester was a thorough gentleman with a great sense of humour. Sometimes, after dinner, he would open up about the old days and tell us the most interesting and hilarious stories. You could stay listening to him all night.

He was a great man and will be sadly missed. My thoughts are with Susan, Tracy, Maureen, Jamie and Barbara. I feel very sad for them especially.