Jodami's trainer Peter Beaumont dies at the age of 85

Yorkshire farmer-turned-Cheltenham Gold Cup-winning trainer Peter Beaumont has died at the age of 85.

He won chasing's most prestigious race in 1993 with Jodami, who also won three straight runnings of the Irish Gold Cup.

Beaumont, who has been retired for a decade, also won the Scottish Grand National with Young Kenny and the RSA Chase with Hussard Collonges.

Peter Beaumont is pictured with Sir Peter O'Sullevan after saddling his last runner at Sedgefield on January, 26, 2010Credit: John Grossick

And he scored a particularly proud success when J-J Henry won the Topham Chase over the Grand National fences in 1991, ridden by his daughter Anthea Morshead.

"I'm heartbroken," said Morshead on Monday. "He just died in his sleep last night. It's a lovely way to go – it truly was very peaceful. He just slept and didn't wake up."

Beaumont was living in an apartment in a residential home in Easingwold, North Yorkshire and Morshead said: "We sneaked out in the sunshine last week on his mobility scooter and went round the park and nature reserve, which was lovely. I'm glad we did it."

He was a hugely loved figure and Morshead said: "He didn't have a bad word for anybody and I didn't know anybody with a bad word for him, he was just so kind. And in racing, where everything is very competitive, that's quite rare.

"He did gather friends everywhere. All the girls in the home were in tears and everywhere he went people loved him, he was just a kind, gentle man."

Jodami, named after the first two letters of owner John Yeadon and his sons David and Michael, was the best horse Beaumont trained at his Brandsby base in North Yorkshire.

He gave the north its most recent Gold Cup success when beating Rushing Wild by two lengths under Mark Dwyer at Cheltenham in 1993.

Young Kenny took the Midlands Grand National and Scottish Grand National in 1999 while Beaumont scored a second Cheltenham Festival success with Hussard Collonges in the 2002 RSA Chase.

Covid-19 restrictions mean attendance at the funeral will be severely limited and Morshead said: "The maximum will be ten, so there will be a very small family cremation then when all this is over we'll have a memorial service for him."

Beaumont's wife Margaret predeceased him and he is survived by Morshead and his son Stuart.

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