Hall of Fame jockey Edgar Britt dies on the Gold Coast aged 103

EDGAR Britt, one of Australia’s greatest trailblazing jockeys, has died on the Gold Coast aged 103.

Edgar Britt, wearing his trademark hat, at the Gold Coast racecourse in 2014. Picture: JERAD WILLIAMS

EDGAR Britt, one of Australia’s greatest trailblazing jockeys, has died on the Gold Coast aged 103.

Britt won more than 2000 races on four continents, from the early 1930s until his retirement in 1959.

The Gold Coast Turf Club will honour Britt with a minute’s silence at its meeting on Saturday.

“It was very sad to hear of the passing of Edgar,” club chairman Brett Cook said.

“I was lucky enough to meet him a few times at the races and he was a true gentleman and racing legend.”

Britt is one of just 39 jockeys in the Australian Hall Of Fame and could easily be a “HOF” in other parts of the world.

Britt was 16 when he rode his first winner at Canterbury in Sydney in 1930, the year Phar Lap won the Melbourne Cup.

He would go on to ride against the legendary horse.

“I often saw Phar Lap’s big backside in front of me, that was the closest I ever got,” Britt said in an interview in 2013 – the year the racing ­industry celebrated his 100th birthday with a function at Randwick where he was a regular racegoer well into his 90s.

Jockey Edgar Britt in England in the 1940s.

His decades-long riding odyssey took Britt to the US in 1933, accompanied by Sydney trainer Mick Polson and two horses, Winooka and Trevallion.

Winooka was top class both here and in the US, where he won the prestigious Baltimore Handicap.

Britt briefly returned to Sydney in 1934, where his wins included Broad Arrow in the Sydney Cup, before heading to India in 1935, where he rode for a decade and won eight premierships.

Britt rode major races in Australia, America, India and England where he was the royal jockey for King George V1.

In 1945 the Maharaja of Baroda invited him to ride in England where he remained until his retirement in 1959 after which he returned to Australia and became a racing columnist for a Sydney newspaper.

Jockey Edgar Britt on racehorse Chhatrasal in Bombay, India, in 1938.

When Harry Carr broke his leg in 1948, Britt was asked to step in as the rider for the King and was watched on many occasions by the current Queen and her sister Princess Margaret.

During that time he rode seven English Classic winners the winners of some 1200 races, including the Irish Derby and seven English classics: two Oaks, two St. Legers, two One Thousand Guineas, and a Thousand Guineas.

“Edgar Britt was one of Australia’s treasures,” Racing NSW chief executive Peter V’landys said.

“Edgar had an outstanding record in the saddle which speaks for itself and was highly respected – you would not meet a nicer and more humble man.

“Our sincere condolences go out to Edgar’s family and friends. He will be missed greatly.”

Britt made one of his final visits to a racetrack in 2014 on the Gold Coast.

Wearing his trademark hat, Britt enjoyed the races with family and friends.

As to the secret to his long­evity, the ex-jockey said giving up alcohol had helped.

“I only drink lemonade and I gave up (alcohol) about 30-40 years ago,” he said.

“I don’t know what my secret is and I have just lived a healthy and easy life.”

As for the hat, it’s a tradition, the Hall Of Fame jockey said.

“It started off as a kid and I’ve always worn a hat,” he said. “I’ve got at least 20.”