Swinburn, rider of All Along and Shergar, dead at 55
Former jockey Walter Swinburn, who won three runnings of the English Derby and the Breeders’ Cup Turf in 1996 in a 22-year riding career, died in England on Monday. He was 55.
No cause of death was given, but Swinburn had been suffering from epilepsy.
Born in England, Swinburn’s career began in 1978. He was best known for winning the 1981 English Derby on Shergar by 10 lengths at the age of 19, with his first mount in the race.
Swinburn won the 1986 English Derby on Shahrastani and again nine years later on Lammtarra.
Swinburn won the 1983 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe on All Along. Two weeks later, Swinburn was aboard All Along for a win in the Grade 1 Rothmans International at Woodbine (now the Canadian International). Swinburn and All Along won two more Grade 1 stakes in the fall of 1983 in the United States – the Turf Classic at Aqueduct and the D.C. International at Laurel. All Along was named the 1983 Horse of the Year in the United States.
Swinburn had 19 mounts in the Breeders’ Cup from 1986 to 1996, including a win aboard Pilsudski in the BC Turf at Woodbine in 1996, a second on Hatoof in the 1994 BC Turf at Churchill Downs, and a third on Shadeed in the 1985 Mile at Aqueduct.
He rode two winners of the E.P. Taylor Stakes at Woodbine – with Ivor’s Image in 1986 and Hatoof in 1992 – when the race was a Grade 2.
Swinburn’s win in the BC Turf occurred in the same year in which he was severely injured in an accident at Sha Tin Racecourse, and was in a coma for four days. He resumed riding just two months before Pilsudski’s win. Swinburn rode until 2000, eventually retiring because of battles with weight.
In the 2000s, Swinburn turned to training for his then father-in-law Peter Harris. The stable never reach great success although the Swinburn-trained Stotsfold was third to Gio Ponti in the 2009 Arlington Million at Arlington Park. Stotsfold was a five-time stakes winner in England and France.
Swinburn gave up training at the end of the 2011 season.