BBC's voice of equestrian sport and ROR trustee Mike Tucker dies at 73

Racing lost a good friend on Wednesday with the death at 73 of Mike Tucker, the BBC's lead equestrian commentator from 1992 to 2017.

Tucker was a racecourse steward at Chepstow and Bath from 1999 to 2015 and also served as a trustee of Retraining of Racehorses, showing himself to be a fantastic promoter of the thoroughbred's versatility.

ROR chief executive Di Arbuthnot said: "On behalf of ROR and the trustees, we are deeply shocked and saddened by the news.

"Mike was a wonderful supporter of ROR, right from the beginning and even more so when he became a trustee.

"He was respected and liked by all who knew him and few could match his knowledge, experience and enthusiasm for all equestrian sports and activities."