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'Everyone in racing knew him and I don’t think anyone ever had a bad word to say about him'
Racing is about much more than big-name owners, trainers and jockeys. Its lifeblood are the staff behind the scenes.
Everyone cherishes unheralded workers who turn up at all hours in all weathers, and do it with a smile.
Which is why there has been such sorrow at the death of the hugely popular ‘Big’ John McPherson at the age of just 54.
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Published on inRacing Lives
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more inRacing Lives
- 'He was a typical old-fashioned steeplechase jockey - if the horse was good enough, he was'
- 'He loved racing - it was his world' - remembering John Spouse following his death at the age of 72
- 'He gave himself to racing and you always felt all the better for meeting him' - remembering Sir Thomas Pilkington
- Remembering Ben Cecil, Grade 1-winning trainer and nephew of Sir Henry
- 'He was so determined he was going to have horses and he made it happen' - Thomas Morton, who has died aged 80
more inRacing Lives
- 'He was a typical old-fashioned steeplechase jockey - if the horse was good enough, he was'
- 'He loved racing - it was his world' - remembering John Spouse following his death at the age of 72
- 'He gave himself to racing and you always felt all the better for meeting him' - remembering Sir Thomas Pilkington
- Remembering Ben Cecil, Grade 1-winning trainer and nephew of Sir Henry
- 'He was so determined he was going to have horses and he made it happen' - Thomas Morton, who has died aged 80