Geoff Lewis, Great Mill Reef rider and later a key figure on the Epsom training scene, died at the age of 89.
The Welshman was aboard the foal trained in Ian Balding when he won the derby and the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe in 1971, an association which was the culmination of an extremely successful career in saddle.
Mill Reef also provided victories in the Stakes of Dewhurst and King George VI and Queen Elizabeth, with Lewis claiming many other notable prizes, including the steward cup on Tudor Monarch for Sir Winston Churchill in 1959, the Magna Carta de l’Ascot and 2000 Guineas on the right of Reine Elizabeth II in 1970 and 2000 Guineas on right law in 1969.
Lewis trained at EPSOM after retiring from the saddle in 1979, with the Silver WISP of the stable finishing third in the Derby and the 1992 Lac Coniston flying the flag for the site during the victory of the Duke of York Stakes and the July Cup in 1995.
Lewis installing his stable in Epsom was a return to the place where his career had started as apprentices for Ron Smyth, whose site is now the basis of coach Simon Dow.
“Ron was Geoff’s mentor since the moment he was a 15 -year -old boy, so there is a strong link between us all,” said Dow.
“He had been in a local care house and had not been good for some time.
“He was an Epsom legend, an icon, of course, he won the derby on the Great Mill Reef.
“It was a force with which it is necessary to count, both as a jockey and as a coach. For 20 years as a coach, it was extremely successful of thirty acres barn.
“It is very unusual that good flat jockeys are during the better coaches flat, but he was one of the few to have made the transition.
“He was part of the Epsom fabric. People my age and my generation have fantastic memories of him, he was a great character who was also extremely favorable and a friend for everyone in Epsom.”
