St Paddy, Lester Piggott up, is led in by trainer Noel Murless after winning the 1960 Derby. (Pic: Courtesy of Great British Racing).

By Simon Jackson.

The July meeting at Newmarket this week will be preceded by the unveiling of Newmarket’s ‘Legends of the Turf’ commemorative walk on the High Street.

Human and equine heroes from Newmarket’s rich racing history that includes Frankel, Lester Piggott and the late Sir Henry Cecil will have paving stones dedicated to them in memory of their terrific exploits on the turf.

The walk will be unveiled in a ceremony hosted by the Jockey Club on July 9 in the presence of connections of the various ‘Legends’. These permanent tributes will remain as monuments to some of the sport’s greatest achievers.

The ‘Legends’ are split into three categories: horses, jockeys and other personalities.

This year’s launch – ahead of The Moet and Chandon July Festival on July 10,11 and 12 – sees two ‘Legends’ being inducted into each category, with the plan being that each subsequent year will see one further inductee in each category.

The six inaugural inductees are:

HORSES
Hyperion
Frankel

JOCKEYS
Fred Archer
Lester Piggott

OTHER PERSONALITIES
Sir John Astley
Sir Henry Cecil

Further details, including biographies of the six inaugural Legends, can be found on the website www.legendsoftheturf.org.uk.

Read ‘Horse Talk with Simon Jackson’ at London24 for the latest horse racing news.