Piggott to train

Taupo Times, Volume 20, Issue 1, 7 January 1971, Page 9

Piggott to train

England's champion jockey Lester Piggott may soon turn to training. Piggott recently said he would ride for another five years or so, but it now looks as though he will turn to training fairly soon. He is a wealthy man having earned $215,000 a year for some time now and investing it with the shrewdness that marks his riding skill. The decision to forego races on medical advice this winter will revive once again the doubts about the struggle Piggott has to make a reasonable riding weight. He is said to eat little, relying upon cigars to dampen down his appetite, and his drawn features speak of the stern dietary punishment he has to undergo to keep at the top of his profession. Piggott, who usually weighs about 8.6, rides in more than 600 races a year, often attending two meetings a day with a private flight in between. He spends most weekends on the Continent, where he is in much demand.