Walter Swinburn wasn’t just a natural in the saddle; he was a product of the late, great, never forgotten “Frenchie” Nicholson who essentially wrote the script on modern horsemanship.
Having done his apprenticeship in a ‘spartan’ environment, Nicholson’s yard, Prestbury Park, stripped away ego and provided discipline, though Swinburn quickly demonstrated a natural ability with horses and had the soft touch that Nicholson wanted his apprentices to have.
Effectively, Swinburn became the ‘prodigy of Prestbury’ and was fast to show why, winning Nicholson’s trust and standing out among others.
1981: The Summer Of Shergar
At just 19, he was given the leg-up to arguably the most famous race horse in history; Aga Khan’s Shergar in the Epsom Derby. While other jockeys his age were scrubbing floors, Swinburn sat motionless, keeping his composure as the horse almost effortlessly widened the gap to 10 lengths (still a record today).
Coming around Tattenham Corner, Swinburn effectively “flicked a switch”, with the acceleration being so profound, that the BBC commentator reportedly remarked “you need a telescope to see the rest”.
In the final furlong, at such a young age, he even had the presence of mind to slow the horse down to preserve its energy, though also later questioned maturely, whether a more experienced jockey such as Lester Piggot would have only won by three lengths, thus preserving the horse for a longer season.
Becoming a household name overnight and a level of celebrity that few jockeys ever experience (perhaps other than Frankie Dettori),
Meanwhile, it is often said that his winning ride in the 1986 Derby on board Shahrastani was his most skillful, beating the legendary Dancing Brave by only half a length, with experts giving Swinburn credit for a tactical ride that put his horse in the perfect position at the perfect time.
Arguably, his best ever ride came on Lammtarra in the 1995 Derby; the horse’s second race and, knowing that the colt was too green, he ignored instructions to keep him in the top three, instead settling in a position near the back, before making a late burst to the finish. It was a victory that he dedicated to the horse’s original trainer, Alex Scott who had been murdered merely months before.
The Switch To Training Post-Retirement
Having retired in 2000, Swinburn then made the move into training in 2004, where his own education under Nicholson proved valuable to the following generation.
Taking over the license at Church Farm (previously Pendley Farm), from his father-in-law, Peter Harris, the world of racing watched on with intrigue and anticipation.
Despite many suggesting that it wouldn’t be an easy transition from jockey to trainer, Swinburn had purposely spent three years studying the discipline, including everything that there was to know about a 125-box yard.
Any concerns were swiftly eradicated; he applied the same touch he had to Shergar and although he never quite hit the heights of his jockey days, still trained and conditioned a highly respectable 260 winners, Stotsfold arguably being the pick of the lot.
Following his unexpected death in 2015, tributes poured in and Swinburn would go on to be remembered as the calmest man at Epsom; a natural genius who found peace that is rarely afforded to the world of high-stakes racing.