Racing mourns deaths of journalists Tom Richmond and Phil Rostron

Racing in Yorkshire and beyond has been left reeling by the death of long-serving and much-respected journalists Tom Richmond and Phil Rostron.

Richmond, the voice of racing on the Yorkshire Post newspaper and who was shortlisted for racing writer of the year at the HWPA Derby Awards in 2014, died suddenly last week at the age of 52.

He combined covering the sport with his position as Opinion Editor and in the last days of his life he wrote about Brian Hughes and Dick Francis as well as Prince Philip’s memorial service.

At the time of his Derby Awards nomination, Richmond said: "To me, racing is special because of its human and equine heroes. They should never be taken for granted. Without them, life would be very dull and those working in the sport should never tire of trying to promote racing's more uplifting stories."

Yorkshire Post editor James Mitchinson said: "The Yorkshire Post family is still coming to terms with our loss. He truly embodied everything that we wanted to be as a newspaper.

"Already we miss him dearly. Tom was a formidable journalist; a ferocious inquisitor; a tenacious talent determined to make a difference and yet, for all of those traits he went about his journalism with a deft touch."

Nigel Payne, a close friend, added: "He was a damn good writer and he had so many good stories. He had an amazing ability to be respected and welcomed by anybody you could think of.

"I found him to be absolutely charming, he was extraordinarily kind. I couldn't believe it, we'd spoken only on Wednesday. He did a cracking job on the northern circuit and he'll be a terrific loss to racing and the Yorkshire Post. He was a super guy."

Phil Rostron, a long-serving journalist who was racing editor and then sports editor on the Daily Star and sports editor at the Yorkshire Evening Post, died at the age of 70.

He co-wrote several books, including a biography of Sir Henry Cecil.

Steve Simpson, who has known Rostron since they worked together at the Blackpool Gazette, said: “Phil was a larger-than-life character who loved his racing and he certainly packed a lot into his career, showing his versatility and staying power in a high-octane field of journalism.”

His funeral is at Stonefall Crematorium in Harrogate, at 3.40pm on April 11, followed by a celebration of his life at the Pavilions of Harrogate. Family flowers only, with donations to St Gemma's Hospice.