On his return to race riding in 1990, which was Lester Piggott’s first winner?

Lester Piggott retired from race riding, for the first time, in 1985 and became a successful trainer, based at Eve Lodge Stables in Newmarket. However, in 1987, Piggott was sentenced to three years’ imprisonment, of which he served just over a year, for income tax evasion and stripped of his OBE, which he had been awarded for service to horse racing in 1975.

In 1990, Piggott surprising came out of retirement to resume his career as a jockey at the age of 54. Indeed, less than a month shy of his fifty-fifth birthday, Piggott rode his first winner, Nicholas, trained by his wife, Susan, at Chepstow on October 16, 1990. Less than two weeks later, he rode Royal Academy, trained by Vincent O’Brien, to victory in the Breeders’ Cup Mile at Belmont Park on October 27, 1990.

Piggott continued riding until 1995 – notably winning the 2,000 Guineas at Newmarket on Rodrigo De Triano, trained by Peter Chapple-Hyam, in 1992 – before officially retiring for a final time. For the record, he rode his last winner, Palacegate Jack, trained by Jack Berry, at Haydock Park on October 5, 1994. All told, Piggott rode 4,493 winners, including an unprecedented 30 British Classic winners; he remains, far and away, the most successful jockey in the history of Royal Ascot, with 116 winners. It would probably be fair to say that we will never see his like again.