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A stunning bronze sculpture of legendary jockey Lester Piggott is to be unveiled at Newmarket’s Rowley Mile racecourse prior to racing on Saturday, 12th October, the second day of the Dubai Future Champions Festival.
The day marks the climax of the racecourse's run of autumn fixtures that comprise The Newmarket Gold Season and features the Group 1 Darley Dewhurst Stakes, the championship race for two-year-olds won a record ten times by Lester Piggott.
The unveiling of the life size bronze, created by renowned sculptor William Newton, will take place in the parade ring shortly after 1pm, 40 minutes before the first race. Joining Lester Piggott for the unveiling ceremony will be Frankie Dettori, who rode the 2018 winner of the Darley Dewhurst Stakes, Too Darn Hot.
In attendance will be a number of special guests and the racecourse is running a competition for which the prize is to join the VIP guests for the unveiling and to meet Lester Piggott himself.
The sculpture will take pride of place in the parade ring, between the three beautiful sycamore trees that have grown to be a key element of the Rowley Mile's landscape.
In addition, on both days of Dubai Future Champions Festival racegoers will be able to enjoy a special exhibition, 'Lester: Behind the Legend'. The exhibition comprises a collection of photographs, including some not previously displayed in public, depicting the life and career of Lester Piggott, from his notable wins on the track, to his early years and family memories, to pictures of his owners, trainers and famous friends.
It is fitting that Piggott should be honoured at Newmarket, given his relationship with the town and his considerable achievements at the Home of Horseracing. For much of his riding career, Newmarket was his base and home and he enjoyed unrivalled success on both the Rowley Mile and the July Course, not least in the Dewhurst Stakes itself.
The first of Lester's ten Dewhurst victories came in 1956 aboard Crepello and his love affair with the race continued across four decades, with his tenth and final winner being Diesis in 1982.
The Rowley Mile was the scene of a number of Lester's career highlights, he was five times the winner of the 2000 Guineas, including his final Classic and unforgettable triumph aboard Rodrigo De Triano in 1992.
The unveiling is the latest in a series after William Newton was commissioned to produce nine life size bronzes to commemorate Lester Piggott's record of nine Derby winners, the last of which was on the Newmarket trained Teenoso in 1983 when riding for the late Geoff Wragg.
Amy Starkey, Regional Director of The Jockey Club's East Region, said:
"Lester is a legend and his contribution to the sport is immeasurable, so it is wholly appropriate that he should be honoured in this way at the Home of Horseracing and in what became his home town.
"We are privileged to have been selected as a location for one of William Newton's bronzes and we, along with many thousands of racegoers and all those involved with our wonderful sport, will treasure it for generations to come."
