Newmarket legend and Queen's jockey Willie Snaith dies aged 91

Willie Snaith MBE, who rode a Group 1 winner for the Queen and became one of Newmarket's best-loved characters, died on Friday aged 91.

Born in Newcastle-upon-Tyne in 1928, Snaith started out with Sam Armstrong in Middleham but soon moved south to headquarters and rode his first winner at Newmarket in 1946 before becoming champion apprentice three years later.

Snaith, who has a road named after him in Newmarket, rode for both Captain Boyd-Rochfort and Noel Murless in the 1950s and landed his most memorable win on Landau in the Group 1 Sussex Stakes at Goodwood for the Queen in 1954.

He rode Alcide to win the Chester Vase and Bebe Grande to be placed in the 2,000 Guineas and 1,000 Guineas. He also won the July Cup, Nunthorpe (twice) and Dewhurst Stakes.

Snaith rode more than 700 winners in his career, which ended in 1971, before becoming a much respected work-rider for Murless and later for Sir Henry Cecil at Warren Place.

His cheerful personality made him a popular Newmarket tour guide, taking visitors to the races, the gallops, the museum, National Stud and British Racing School.

In the 2004 Queen's birthday honours list he was appointed MBE "for services to horseracing and to the community in Newmarket". At the investiture he saw the Queen for the first time since 1954.

Willie Snaith Road: a busy thoroughfare named in honour of the royal rider

Snaith's wife Silvia died in 2012, and the couple leave two sons John and Derek, both of whom followed their father into racing, and daughter Helen.

John Snaith said yesterday: "Dad passed away last night in West Suffolk Hospital. He'd had cancer and they operated on him, but we lost him.

"We've lost an icon really. He was the sort of man who would speak the same to a person if they had a pound in their pocket or ten million.

"The girls in Tesco and Waitrose loved him as he would tell them the old stories and it would take him four hours to come back from the shops with a pint of milk and a loaf of bread!"

He added: "He loved the fact that Tesco was on the road named after him and he opened both stores that have been on that site. They offered him £3,000 to open the last one and he gave half of it to the Red Cross and the other half to the Injured Jockeys Fund."

Among the many paying tribute, trainer John Gosden said: "Willie was a great enthusiast, a great man and did a massive amount for Newmarket.

"He was very engaging and was incredibly popular as a tour guide in his later years.

"I first met him when I was a four-year-old when he came down to Lewes to ride out for my father with Jimmy Lindley and Manny Mercer.

"I was on a regime of cod liver oil and malt at the time which was supposed to be good for you and I asked him if he should take some to help him grow as he was a small jockey. Thankfully he roared with laughter."

William Jarvis: paid tribute to Willie SnaithCredit: Patrick McCann (racingpost.com/photos)

William Jarvis was assistant at Warren Place when Snaith was a work-rider. He said: "Willie was a great work-rider and a pretty good jockey. He was always very cheerful and as nice a person as you could wish to meet. He always had a smile on his face and a twinkle in his eye."

Mike Marshall, who is now assistant to Ismail Mohammed, said: "Willie was one of the first people I met when I came to Newmarket in 2000. He was a gentleman and made me feel very welcome. He much enjoyed telling people about the little shop on his road – it turned out to be Tesco."

Sir Mark Prescott added: "Not many people have a road named after them in their lifetime and I knew it was a great thrill for Willie. He was just at the end of his riding days when I first knew him and he was always a great character. He rode work for Noel Murless and Henry Cecil and continued the link to Warren Place with his tours."

Willie Snaith CV

Full name William Snaith

Born Newcastle-upon-Tyne, May 23, 1928

Family Father: William Snaith (cobbler), Wife: Silvia (daughter of jockey Bobby Jones), Children: John (former jump jockey), Derek, Helen

Apprenticed to Sam Armstrong, Middleham and Newmarket

First winner Chhota Sahib, Newmarket, August 22, 1946

First big-race winner Fol Ami (1949 Northumberland Plate)

Best mount Alcide (1958 Chester Vase)

Placed mount in a British Classic Bebe Grande (2nd 2,000 Guineas, 3rd 1,000 Guineas, 1953)

Sussex Stakes winner Landau (1954)

July Cup winner Vilmoray (1954)

Nunthorpe Stakes winners Royal Palm (1955), Gratitude (1957)

Queen Anne Stakes winner Blast (1960)

Nassau Stakes winner Key (1954)

National Breeders' Produce, Gimcrack & Champagne Stakes winner Bebe Grande (1952)

Dewhurst Stakes winner Dacian (1955)

Royal Hunt Cup winner Nicholas Nickleby (1955)

Stewards' Cup winners Sugar Bowl (1951), Palpitate (1953)

Dual Derby winner Prince Fair (1963 Svenskt Derby, Norsk Derby)

Big-race winner for the Queen Landau (1954 Sussex Stakes)

Best-placed mounts in the Derby Le Tyrol (4th, 1951), Tarqogan (4th at 100-1, 1963)

Last winner Skyroyben, Newmarket, May 15, 1971

Champion apprentice 1949 (31 wins)

Highest position in jockeys' table joint-8th (1954)

Most wins in a season 74 (1954)

Total wins in Britain 747 (1946-71)

Official honour MBE (2004)

Compiled by John Randall