Dale Gibson has paid tribute to his friend and former weighing room colleague John Lowe who has died in hospital in Australia after suffering a stroke. He was 75.
Speaking on Tuesday’s Nick Luck Daily Podcast he said: “It’s very sad. His wife Gale called me last night and it’s such sad news. John was naturally light, he was fit, he was chirpy, never short of a word with a dry sense of humour. And a hugely talented rider.
“He was Cock of the North in 1984, that’s the leading rider on the Flat for the old turf season. That’s some achievement. He won multiple big handicaps, the Ayr Gold Cup, Cambridgeshire etc. He had a huge association with Steve Norton, Goodbye Shelley won the French Guineas. He rode some top horses as well as being a leading rider in India during the winters before the advent of the all-weather.
“He was a very, very solid rider and a fantastic judge of a horse. He could tell the time of day as to where a horse could be winning or running next. I think that talent shone through after he retired from being a jockey with the leading trainers he rode out for, the late Sir Henry Cecil, he was there for a number of years, and also rode work for William Haggas and Roger Varian.
“He was just a thoroughly nice bloke, and I will miss him dearly.”
