Trainer Peter Hedger dies aged 82 following distinguished career

Peter Hedger, a successful trainer whose career in racing spanned eight decades and who was still riding out just four years ago, has died at the age of 82.

Having started as a Flat apprentice and ridden 16 winners over jumps, his career as a jockey was ended by a fall at Kempton in 1965. He suffered a broken neck which came within inches of proving fatal.

He then became a horsebox driver and took many of John Dunlop's best horses to the races.

The trainer encouraged him to take out a permit, allowing him to use his gallops. Hedger sent out the first winner from his yard near Chichester in West Sussex at Taunton in 1981 when 50-1 shot Indado landed a selling hurdle.

Flat jockey Charlie Bishop, who rode for Hedger for many years, said on Monday morning: "He passed away peacefully yesterday morning and he'd been ill for a long time. All his family and close friends have said he'll be greatly missed and he was great to a lot of us.

"He was a massive part of my career in the early days and I was just one of many people he helped out a lot."

Hedger took out a full licence in 1985 and gained his biggest success triumph when Al Asoof beat Champion Hurdle winner Beech Road in the National Spirit Hurdle at Fontwell, his local track, in 1991.

Kilcash was second in the Ladbroke and Jimmy Lorenzo won valuable handicap hurdles at Ascot and Kempton before being sold to the US where he won the Breeders' Cup Chase.

Hedger also enjoyed plenty of success on the Flat with horses such as Autumn Cover (who won the Great Jubilee Handicap at Kempton), Brilliant Red (Courage Handicap, Newbury), Veronica Franco (Newbury Autumn Cup) and Continuum (John Smith's Silver Cup, York).

Continuum (green) won the John Smith's Silver Cup at York for Hedger in 2014Credit: John Grossick (racingpost.com/photos)

That last win came after he temporarily gave up training in 2006. He moved to France and his intention had apparently been to set up over there but he later joked: "It was a possibility that I might train but the French language course was a big problem – I struggle with English at times!"

Hedger started again in Hampshire in 2009, at a yard belonging to major supporter John Whelan who owned Kilcash, Veronica Franco and Continuum. After he finally retired for good in 2020, he became assistant to Simon Hodgson, who took over the yard. He was schooling at 77 and rode out until he was 78.

Another among those who rode for him was Leighton Aspell, who said: "I have very fond memories of Peter, he was a really good guy. He brought a fun element to it but he knew exactly what he had in his hands.

"I remember winning a good handicap hurdle at Cheltenham on Oliver Cromwell for him and he did very well with what he had."

Hedger is survived by his second wife Laura and two daughters.