'The world was the richer for his place within it' - Joe Saumarez Smith is celebrated in service filled with warm tributes

Friends and admirers from around the racing world came together in London's Fleet Street on Monday for a memorial service in which former BHA chair Joe Saumarez Smith was remembered as a great servant of racing and an exceptional man.

Joining family members and many of those who worked with Saumarez Smith at the BHA were numerous prominent figures from racing in Britain, Ireland, France and Japan. They assembled in St Bride's Church for a celebration filled with warm words and glorious music.

Saumarez Smith died aged 53 in February having served the majority of his time as British racing's senior leader with lung cancer, a disease that ultimately brought to a premature end a life in which the one-time journalist proved himself to be a successful entrepreneur, punter and leader.

Saumarez Smith's brother George, former BHA chief executive Julie Harrington and John Gosden all gave readings during a service that the Revd Canon Dr Alison Joyce opened by telling the congregation that Saumarez Smith had been "a wonderful and extraordinary man".

John Gosden gives a reading at St Bride's Church during the memorial service for Joe Saumarez SmithCredit: Dan Abraham (focusonracing.com)

That was confirmed in an address given by close friend and gaming business partner Michael Brady.

"Joe could move effortlessly between worlds," said Brady. "He was just as comfortable walking around a smoke-filled Chinese bookmakers in Toronto as he was hosting the King and Queen at Royal Ascot. He didn't change to fit a room. The room adjusted to him.

"Beneath all the charm and wit, Joe was a man of real integrity. He believed in fairness, tolerance and kindness. They weren't just ideas, they were how he lived. He supported knife crime charities and prison reform, quietly helping countless individuals. He treated everyone with respect, regardless of background or title."

Saumarez Smith would certainly have loved The Choir of St Bride's, whose powerful rendition of Waterloo Sunset brought applause to the church, while three members of the choir combined racing and music in their rendition of I Got The Horse Right Here from Guys And Dolls.

Ascot chairman Sir Francis Brooke delivers an address on behalf of racing at Joe Saumarez Smith's memorial serviceCredit: Dan Abraham (focusonracing.com)

Honouring Saumarez Smith on behalf of racing was Ascot chairman Sir Francis Brooke, who praised the long-time racehorse owner for his attempts to improve the sport.

Brooke said: "His life experience represented a rare example of someone who felt equally comfortable in the worlds of racing and betting. The symbiotic relationship that exists between the two is crucial to the long-term health of racing and will always be so. If that can evolve from what are too often adversarial positions to a partnership that can be genuinely constructive and collaborative, what a wonderful tribute that would be to Joe, who did everything he could in life to achieve that."

Recalling that life and the man who lived it, Joyce summed up her subject to perfection, stating: "Joe Saumarez Smith was phenomenal, a man of unlimited energy, enthusiasm and intellect, fearless, stylish, gregarious and wise. 

"The world was undoubtedly the richer for his place within it and those whose lives he touched were undoubtedly the richer for having known him."

The BHA's acting CEO Brant Dunshea arrives at St Bride's ChurchCredit: Dan Abraham (focusonracing.com)

John Gosden and Julian Richmond-Watson arrive at Joe Saumarez Smith's memorial serviceCredit: Dan Abraham (focusonracing.com)

Masayuki Goto (right) and Keiju Shiobara of the JRA were in attendance along with the BHA's George CoombsCredit: Dan Abraham (focusonracing.com)

Read more:

Joe Saumarez Smith, British racing's senior leader as BHA chair until last month, has died aged 53 

'I could go on for hours about him, he had an amazing life' - Neil Channing remembers his friend Joe Saumarez Smith 

'His bravery and selfless dedication was incomparable' - John Gosden among many to pay tribute to Joe Saumarez Smith