Alastair Down, legendary Racing Post writer and beloved broadcaster, dies aged 68

Alastair Down, the most celebrated, decorated and cherished racing writer of modern times, has died aged 68.

Down, whose words graced the pages of The Sporting Life and Racing Post across four decades, was adored and admired by devotees of a sport he documented with passion, sincerity and wit.

Ted Walsh, whose friendship with Down flourished during his Channel 4 Racing days, described him as a "one-off" and recalled the hours spent talking racing over the years.

Ted Walsh: "Arkle and Kauto Star were the two great chasers of my life, Hugh McIlvanney and Alastair Down were the two great scribes of my life"Credit: Patrick McCann

He said: "Alastair was a great man and I'm happy he was a friend of mine and I was a friend of his.

"He was a one-off really. When I was a kid growing up, Hugh McIlvanney was the man I'd always read and his description of the big sporting occasions. Then there was Alastair, who I'd put on the same page.

"Arkle and Kauto Star were the two great chasers of my life, Hugh and Alastair were the two great scribes of my life.

"All through my riding days and the few winners I'd trained, I was always anxious to find out what he thought of the situation in the paper the next day. The way he put things was unique –he had a way of saying what everyone would like to say but putting it on paper.

"He was one of those people you're lucky to meet and you'll never forget."

Sir Mark Prescott: "Alastair loved the romance of the sport, the underdog but he could capture it and portray it"Credit: Edward Whitaker

The enormous affection of racing fans and punters for the winningmost racing writer of the year was felt equally keenly in the press room, plus among a legion of owners, trainers, jockeys, breeders and grooms.

Arc-winning trainer Sir Mark Prescott has known Down for more than 40 years and even trained for him.

"I think there's still an outstanding bill, that was always the joke me and Alastair had!" Prescott said. "He had a horse who won three races in one season but went down 3lb in the handicap at the end of the season so he wasn't going to pay the trainer as she was worse off than when we started.

"For years we were good friends. Alastair loved drama but he had enormous talent and an affection for racing and the people. He loved the romance of the sport, the underdog but he could capture it and portray it. But through everything, he was always the wordsmith."

The very best of Alastair Down

He was hailed a "genius" by seven-time champion jockey John Francome as tributes from across the sport were paid on Friday.

Francome, who worked with Down on Channel 4 Racing, said: "I knew Alastair for 40 years and he was a great guy and an incredible writer. Even when you'd read him you'd never see the same phrase used another time, he always had something new and his words were very special.

"We worked together on Channel 4 and just before we'd go live he could be a bit of a drama queen, but as soon as the camera was on he'd just be a natural. We had a lot of happy days and he'll be sorely missed."

Alastair Down: the only journalist to have been crowned racing writer of the year on five occasionsCredit: Edward Whitaker

Down remains the only journalist to have been crowned racing writer of the year on five occasions, having received the coveted Clive Graham Trophy when employed by The Sporting Life in 1994 and then for the Racing Post in 1999, 2012, 2015 and 2018.

Tom Kerr, Racing Post editor, paid tribute, saying: "Everyone at the Racing Post is devastated to hear of Alastair's death. We have lost a great friend and ally who delighted readers and colleagues alike for decades with his magnificent writing, passion for the sport and sense of fun.

"It is so poignant that just last week we gathered with Alastair at his beloved Cheltenham to celebrate the renaming of the press room in his honour. Alastair was in ebullient mood among friends, family and colleagues.

"While it is shocking that he has died so soon after this wonderful gathering, it is so fitting that his last act involved a few glasses of good burgundy and the company of many loved ones at the racecourse he cherished above all others. It is the sort of send-off that Alastair, in his pomp, might have written for himself."

Remembering Alastair Down:

Obituary: a master conjuror of words and a cherished advocate for racing 

Alastair's love of racing sang from every line - and his ability to tell the story of a race was unmatched 

It was not simply for his skills as a wordsmith that he earned huge popularity. Down was also a longtime member of the Channel 4 Racing team, for whom he became lead presenter in 2001.

Towards the end of his time with the network, Down concentrated on jump racing, ensuring regular appearances at his beloved Cheltenham, situated not far from his Cotswolds home.

Musing on the sport's two codes in a 2014 compendium of his finest work, Down wrote: "I have always felt that the Flat was for the head and jumping for the heart. One is intellectual and the other visceral. And as someone perhaps more easily connected to emotion than is entirely comfortable or advisable, it is the cold of winter that has me in its thrall."