Bill Turner, the renowned horse racing trainer and former jockey, has died at the age of 78 following a serious accident on Monday. Turner, who was based in Sigwells, Somerset, suffered a fractured skull in a fall and had been in a critical condition in hospital. His daughter Kathy announced his death on Thursday afternoon.
Speaking at Chepstow racecourse, Kathy Turner told Sky Sports Racing: “Dad passed away about an hour and a half ago. We got the call in the lorry. I’d made the decision to come here. The horse [Red Snapper] was to run in dad’s name in his honour. Whatever had happened he would have wanted that.”
Turner was synonymous with the Brocklesby Stakes at Doncaster, the traditional first race of the Flat turf season, which he won six times. His last victory in the race came in 2013, a moment his daughter described as his best ever, when his grandson Ryan While rode Mick’s Yer Man to victory.
Kathy Turner paid tribute to her father, saying: “He wasn’t just my dad and my sister’s dad and Ryan’s grandfather, he was everyone’s dad. He would have preferred to have been going flat out up the gallops, but unfortunately it was a freak accident.” She added that the support from the racing community had been outstanding.
Brant Dunshea, chief executive of the British Horseracing Authority, said: “Everybody at the BHA is deeply saddened by the news of Bill Turner’s death. Bill was a wonderful stalwart of our sport. He poured his heart and soul into racing, both as a jockey and then a trainer, and we will particularly miss his annual runner in the Brocklesby Stakes, which he won an impressive six times.”
