'Howard was the best of the best - he was very much old school and one of the great journalists of our time'

Nobody knew the racing industry better than Howard Wright, according to a long-standing colleague of the renowned Racing Post journalist who died on Friday.

Geoff Greetham spent 52 years working at Timeform, the company where Wright began his career in journalism and edited "The Racing Week" before going on to be news and then industry editor at the Post and win acclaim from across the sport.

"I first met Howard when I joined in 1968 and we kept in touch over the years," Greetham said. "He was red-hot on anything to do with the industry. His column in Owner Breeder magazine was always the first I'd read and the August one about the Levy Board was typically full of historical detail and showed a full appreciation of the way it worked and fitted in. Nobody knew the industry better than he did.

"So many pundits these days have no journalistic background and it shows in the way the media works. But Howard asked the questions and also listened to the answers, he never formed a judgement about people he was interviewing until he'd heard what they had to say. He knew that was the secret of good journalism.

"He always had a nose for a story. I remember when Timeform were in very secret negotiations with Betfair and Howard got wind of it. We had a very entertaining game of cat and mouse with him, casting enough doubt in his mind to stop him printing it and holding him off until they were past the point of no return — it was a rare, small victory!"

Wright was a trustee of the National Horseracing College, whose chief executive Stephen Padgett said: "He has been a huge contributor for many years. He's provided wise counsel and been a source of extraordinary insight. He's been willing at all points to use his knowledge, connections and huge experience.

"He's always been forward-looking and has moved with the changes and developments. He's been a loyal trustee and vice chairman of our board for a number of years. He was fascinating, insightful and his energy and dynamism were remarkable. He would always ask the difficult question, but it was always for the best of possible reasons – because someone needed to ask it."

Nick Rust: "He will be sadly missed"Credit: Edward Whitaker (racingpost.com/photos)

Among industry figures paying tribute to Wright, former BHA chief executive Nick Rust said: "Howard had an amazing ability to develop, nurture and retain strong informed relationships across all parts of the industry, and on both sides of an issue where there was conflict.

"He used the information with discretion and integrity and helped build a clear picture of racing issues which not only informed those who read his pieces and thoughts, but actually helped those in leadership like me to consider many decisions in a more rounded manner.

"It was quite a feat to balance all those confidences and deliver an insider perspective to those less close to the issue. He did it all with good humour and, as all have said, he will be sadly missed."

Levy Board chief executive Alan Delmonte said: "As well as his peerless industry insight, he was a thoroughly good and kind man, his enthusiasm for racing never dimmed and he gave encouragement and support to new generations coming into the sport."

Trainer Simon Crisford, who served as the Post's Newmarket correspondent under Wright, said: "He was the best of the best. His guidance was simply fantastic. He was a very patient man, who was a journalist to his finger tips. He was very much old school and one of the great journalists of our time.

"He could smell a good story from a mile away and he knew what was worth pursuing and what wasn't. He would always tackle the big political stories and was a die-hard Yorkshireman.

"Even when he retired he never actually did retire because he couldn't. He still travelled the world and was deeply admired and respected throughout the international racing community. The main thing with Howard was that people trusted him and he is a great loss to racing journalism. He really was a magnificent person."

Simon Crisford : "His guidance was simply fantastic"Credit: Edward Whitaker (racingpost.com/photos)

Former champion trainer John Gosden added: "Howard was a lovely man. He knew his subject all right and was a great judge. He had an understated way about him but was superb in his role. You knew if he was pursuing something he would have collected all of the detail."

Former Post editor Bruce Millington had high praise for Wright's contribution and said: "If there is such a thing as a hard job in racing journalism the industry beat is it, and Howard covered the sport's many and varied political and financial issues with extraordinary skill.

"Everyone knew Howard, and everyone knew they could trust him to report fairly even if his comment pieces took a different viewpoint to theirs. As an editor you could not want a more knowledgeable, thorough and wise person to do this vital but challenging role.

"He was a huge champion of northern racing and there was no bigger fan of the St Leger. He was also a massively important figure in the success of the Racing Post for over three decades. Most of all, though, he was a wonderful man."

Howard Wright:

Racing Post founding news editor Howard Wright dies at the age of 79 

'Howard was the best of the best - he was very much old school and one of the great journalists of our time' 

'He was beyond compare' - racing comes together to pay tribute to Howard Wright 

'Racing’s most celebrated and successful punter' - Howard Wright tells the story of Timeform founder Phil Bull