'Great character and a great horseman' - Robert Chugg dies at 79

Robert Chugg, who rode winners as an amateur at the Cheltenham Festival and over the Grand National fences as well as breeding numerous good jumps horses, has died at the age of 79.

He began riding in 1960 and gained his biggest successes on Bright Willow, who landed the United Hunts' Challenge Cup at Cheltenham in 1969 and the Fox Hunters' Chase at Aintree in 1971 (beating Lord Oaksey on Bullock's Horn by six lengths), as well as the prestigious Lady Dudley Cup point-to-point in 1968.

He rode his last winner under rules in 1976, but remained a successful owner-breeder. Among the many horses he and his wife Jackie bred were 2020 Badger Beers Trophy winner El Presente, smart hurdlers Guard Your Dreams and Marello plus Kateira, who made a triumphant debut in a bumper at Huntingdon just last week.

El Presente won the Badger Beers Chase at Wincanton last seasonCredit: Michael Steele (Getty Images)

Bloodstock agent David Minton said: "I went back a long way with him and he was one of the greatest characters in racing.

"He was a top-class point-to-point rider and was a good farmer who used to milk a lot of cows and then gave that up to concentrate on his breeding. He made a hell of a job of it and was one of the top breeders in the country."

Chugg's daughter-in-law Emma is secretary to trainer Oliver Sherwood, who said: "Robert was a marvellous man. He was a great horseman who was full of great tales. You wouldn't hear a bad word said about him. He always produced good horses and was a very good judge of a young horse."