Joe Mercer OBE RIP

was only on the TV the other day.
rip.

"Bridgadier mercer "

One of the Greats

Smokin Joe . Fab jockey followed him thro the Hern and Cecil years .Wonderfull rythym on a horse.
Feel for you Brig. Realise you must have had some great times .
Would be nice if you would care to share some memories if and when you fell comfortable to do so.
RIP Joe.

Passing of a man who oozed class, may you rest in peace Joe.

Great jockey and a gentleman to boot, to ride that many winners when there was a calibre of jockey around that we may never see again proves what a fine rider he was.
RIP Smokin Joe

Good afternoon Laurie,

Just seen this thread and was shocked like many must be, we saw him interviewed as recently as Guineas weekend when he looked happy and content.

My sincere condolences to his family and friends including yourself, i'm fully aware of the connection of course.

RIP Joe.

Great jockey .very sad day.RIP Joe.

It was Brigadier Gerard and picking out the Hern/Mercer horses that started my interest in the sport.

Frank Worthington was the closest I had to a footballing hero.

Lost both this year. Very sad.

The Brigadier and Joe , great memories.

RIP Mr Mercer

r.i.p joe a top jockey

One of the big 4 jocks when I first started enjoying racing
RIP Joe. A gent.

Great jockey. His Jockeys Championship was well deserved. RIP.

RIP Joe

A True Legend.

nice interview about Brigadier on RTV there.

I could listen to him for hours - talking about racing

Modern day (all-action from far too far out) Jockeys would do well to watch his quiet rhythmic style - which was every bit as effective ... but far more pleasurable to view.

An unassuming gentleman - and a sad loss.

Hopefully, someone will dig out plenty of the old footage, and produce a fitting tribute. Always surprised me, given there must be plenty of footage out there, that nobody has produced a Brigadier Gerard DVD.

sad news, a great jockey, not only the rider of the brigadier but also one of my favourite horses in kris. rip

RIP Joe, great jockey.

Always came across as a very nice fella when talking about the horses and as a horseman there were very few who were better
Joe and the Brigadier are right up there in the hall of fame of horse racing greats
RIP

One Of The Greats R.I.P Joe.

Sad to hear this as looked well on TV a couple of weeks ago, a very nice chap and the most stylish jockey of all of them imo. Had my first big bet on Bustino in the "Race of the Century" on Bustino EW with Joe riding, knew I'd only be losing the tax at worst.
RIP Joe, hope Manny is there to great him.

I remember tears ago when Mercer was neck and neck with Carson for the jockeys title, some reporter asked Joe what he would if he won,"have a big party" was the reply, what will you do if Willie wins asked another, without thinking Mercer said "go to Willies".

RIP one of the best.

Always thought you were getting the best run for your cash with Joe in the saddle , gave interviews with integrity , honesty & no shortage of sharp wit.

Have to say he was around riding against some of the legends of the sport as well , testament to how good he was.

R.I.P Joe

Sad times indeed.Joe Mercer was an excellent jockey and a very nice person to boot.Rip Joe.

Great jockey and a lovely person

RIP Joe

was on the tv a few weeks ago looked really well...RIP joe

A great jockey, as reliable as you could get, his ride from the front on Light Cavalry in Leger was text book.

So interesting to listen to and just a genuinely likeable person. RIP Joe

R.I.P

So sad to hear this on ATR just now.

Condolences to family and friends.

RIP GREAT MAN

From a Golden era RIP JOE

RIP Was only talking about him today when popped into the local auction house at lunchtime who have a signed
picture up at the weekend,he not on it though.It would be the first time i mentioned him in 20 odd years

As many have said on here was looking a picture of health less than two weeks ago and now he's gone.

A true gent who will always be one of my favourite ever jockeys from an era that will surely never be surpassed in terms of quality

R.I.P. Joe and thanks for the memories

The foremost jockey at this time was Lester Piggott, who reportedly said "There are only two real jockeys and the other one is Joe Mercer.". What more do you need to know

RIP,

I'll never forget the Grundy v Bustino race.

Epic battle that was Tiger

RIP Joe

Epic battle that was Tiger

RIP Joe

Nice to read the obituaries in the RP, particularly from Bruce Raymond. Joe always came across as a really nice guy and Bruce's last words, " I'm sorry he's gone but I'm pleased he went quick as he didn't do illness very well.", were very fitting, rest in peace Joe.

Nice tributes everyone. I remember a couple of years ago I was talking to Joe and I mentioned a close friend who looked after Sallust in 1972, Joe rode him to win a number of Group 1's, was suffering from the onset of dementia when Joe said "Bring him round". We spent a great morning together and he gave him something to take away with him. It made my friends day. Sadly he cannot remember it now, but I can. Joe wasn't just a top class jockey he was a top class person as well.

Certainly a great jockey and nobody seems to have had a bad word for him.
R.I.P.

It is a treat to read a thread like this ,a universally liked man, which brings back some great memories ;the Brigadier's guineas is still etched in my mind . Hadn't heard Lester's quote before , but for him to say that is praise indeed !

brigust1
Watched the Mike Catt interview on ATR last night and if I'm not mistaken Joe mentioned you. If so to be around those circles you must have so many fine memories of Joe, I was a youngster when J Mercer, L Piggott, P Eddery and W Carson were in their pomp but I look back with fondness and my memories are only what I saw on TV, Grundy v Bustino especially, and a few times at the races, I particularly remember my dad telling me about Manny, how different times are now.
Always came across on TV as a gentleman apart from being one of the greats.
RIP

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gzbR9clrsX8

The most stylish jockey I have ever seen.

Class in the saddle,even classier when you hear people talk about him privately.

As mentioned,could listen to him all day long.

Lived a life.

RIP Joe .... Sadly missed,but never forgotten.

the picture of Joe Mercer on the SL website is
with 3 others,Pat Eddery is one,is the jockey
in the Sangster silks Brett Thompson?
cheers.

just watched BG 2,000 win...there were only 6 runners but it was quality over quantity ...

great jockey rip

Spoked to him at Sandown one day and said whenever I was doing my money I would look to back one of your mounts.

I told him you got me out of trouble more times than enough.

At one time you could back him on a Hern 2yo blind.

The BBC Sports Sectioin on the News. last night, mentioned Joe Mercer's death - showing him winning the Ascot Gokld Cup on Le Moss.

They ended by saying - "After retiring from riding - he went on to be a successful Trainer"

Don't you just despair of the BBC nowadays.
-------------------------------------------

On a more positive side .... John Berry has written a detailed obituary for Thoroughbred News ...

The article will not copy & paste ... You will have to follow the Link

https://www.thoroughbreddailynews.com/joe-mercer-dies-at-86/