Premier Information: Adrian Maguire - Career profile

Article reproduced courtesy of Racing Post.

ADRIAN MAGUIRE rode the winners of some of the biggest races in the jumps calendar and was among the best jockeys never to have been champion.

Born in County Meath on April 29, 1971, he was already a champion in pony racing and point-to-pointing in Ireland when he first sprung to prominence as an amateur riding the Martin Pipe-trained Omerta, on whom he looked every inch a professional with dashing rides to land both the Fulke Walwyn/Kim Muir Chase at Cheltenham and the Irish Grand National at Fairyhouse in the spring of 1991.

His talents were nurtured by Toby Balding, with whom he was champion conditional in 1991-92, and at that season's Cheltenham Festival he landed a dramatic win in the Cheltenham Gold Cup on Balding's 25-1 chance Cool Ground, who beat The Fellow by a short head.

Despite missing four festivals in eight years through injury or bereavement, Maguire rode five more winners there, notably on Viking Flagship in the Queen Mother Champion Chase and Mysilv in the Triumph Hurdle on successive days in 1994, both for David Nicholson, whom he joined from Balding.

That same season he won the King George VI Chase on Nicholson's Barton Bank and finished with 194 winners, just losing to Richard Dunwoody (197) in an epic title duel that went to the last day of the season.

His unseating from Barton Bank at the final fence with the 1994 King George VI Chase at his mercy was a career-low, but he won the race again in 2001 on the Willie Mullins-trained spare ride Florida Pearl, who was his last Grade 1 winner.

Maguire, an uncle to Grand National-winning jockey Jason Maguire, retired in October 2002, having broken his neck at Warwick that March in a fall on Luzcadao that doctors told him could have left him paralysed. He had ridden 1,024 winners over jumps in Britain and more than 59 in Ireland.

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Premier Information: Former champion jockey Biddlecombe dies at 72

ARTICLE COURTESY OF THE RACING POST

TERRY BIDDLECOMBE, three-time champion jump jockey and husband of former trainer Henrietta Knight, has died aged 72.

Biddlecombe won over 900 races as a jockey including the Cheltenham Gold Cup on Woodland Venture in 1967. He was champion jockey in the 1964-65 season, in 1965-66 and 1968-69 and rode a total of nine winners at the Cheltenham Festival.

Other big-race victories included the 1963 Irish Champion Hurdle (Honour Bound), the 1969 and 1971 Mackeson Gold Cup (Gay Trip), and 1970 Welsh National (French Excuse). He also finished second in the 1972 Grand National with Gay Trip.

Born in Gloucester on February 2, 1941, Biddlecombe's interest in horses was fostered by his father, Walter, a keen show-jumping and point-to-point enthusiast, before he embarked on his riding career at the age of 17.

He partnered his first winner in March 1958 on Burnella in a novices Hurdle March at Wincanton when beating Fred Winter a head on the runner-up.

He married trainer Henrietta Knight in 1995 and together they enjoyed many memorable achievements in racing including three victories in the Cheltenham Gold Cup with Best Mate.

Biddlecombe suffered a stroke in October 2012, and although he recovered, his health problems continued with Knight announcing her retirement in May 2012 to spend more time with him.

An update on Henrietta Knight's Facebook page said: "Sadly, Terry died peacefully after breakfast this morning with Henrietta by his side."

Champion jockey Tony McCoy, who rode big race wins for Knight and Biddlecombe on board Best Mate and Edredon Bleu tweeted: "Very sad news that former champion jockey and the legend that was Terry Biddlecombe has passed away. Thoughts with Hen and his family RIP."

Former champion jockey Peter Scudamore also paid tribute. He Tweeted: "Sorry to hear of the death of Terry a real hero who walked with kings and filled the unforgiving minute."

Biddlecombe is survived by Knight and his five children Laura and Elizabeth from his first marriage to Bridget Biddlecombe and James, Robert and Lucy from his second marriage to Ann Biddlecombe

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Premier Information: Commentator turns Jockey

Channel 4 racing presenter Rishi Persad has agreed to take part in a charity race at Cheltenham.

The article below is reproduced by Premier Information courtesy of the Racing Post.

BROADCASTER Rishi Persad will have a starring role at the Cheltenham Festival after it was announced he will be one of 12 riders to take part in the St Patrick's Derby charity race on Thursday, March 13.

It is the fifth running of the 1m5f Flat race, which has raised more than £800,000 for Cancer Research UK.

Persad, a presenter for Channel 4, Racing UK and the BBC, will be joined by Nigel Roddis, development director at Great British Racing and Lucy Bridgwater, wife of trainer David.

Sophia Brudenell, communications manager at Cheltenham, said: "We had a huge number of entries for next year's St Patrick's Derby and it was therefore really difficult to pick the 12 chosen riders.

"We wanted to ensure that we have a mix of people riding from both the racing industry and those who ride either as a hobby or in another equine sport. People of all ages are participating and both sides of the Irish Sea are well represented.

"I really hope that next year's race will push the total amount of money raised by Cheltenham for Cancer Research UK to over £1 million, which would be an amazing feat in the five years of the partnership."

Frances Milner, director of supporter-led fundraising for Cancer Research UK, added: "We don't receive any government funding, so every step towards beating cancer relies on every pound donated. We wish all of the participants the best of luck and we look forward to welcoming them over the finish line."

The line-up is completed by Morgan Stanley banker Kieran Ryan, Dubai-based Sheikh Samir Mirdad, Emma Cook who works at Cheltenham, Michelle Turner, a director at Pertemps, point-to-point enthusiast Heather Kemp, Wexford trainer Bernadette Murphy, County Meath businessman Douglas Taylor, student Tom O'Neill and Cheltenham businesswoman Alexia Buckwell