English Jockey Starkey Dies

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Greville Starkey, who rode the great English runner Dancing Brave, has died of cancer at his home outside Newmarket, England, according to the Racing Post. He was 70.

Starkey won the 1986 General Accident Two Thousand Guineas (Eng-I) and the Coral-Eclipse Stakes (Eng-I) aboard Dancing Brave. Despite those two wins, Starkey is best remembered for a runner-up finish on Dancing Brave in the Ever Ready Epsom Derby (Eng-I) in which he gave the colt too much ground to make up at the end.

During his career, Starkey won 1,989 flat races and rode for 33 years. In 1978, he experienced an all-star year when he rode Shirley Heights to victories in the Epsom Derby (Eng-I) and the Irish Sweeps Derby (Ire-I) and Fair Salinia to wins in the Epsom Oaks (Eng-I) and the Irish Guinness Oaks (Eng-I).

Starkey’s other major scores included victories in the 1975 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe (Fr-I) on Star Appeal, the 1981 English Two Thousand Guineas aboard To-Agori-Mou, and the 1982 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Diamond Stakes (Eng-I) on Kalaglow.

Starkey had two mounts in the inaugural Breeders’ Cup in 1984. He finished unplaced on Alphabatim in the Turf (gr. IT) and on Lear Fan (gr. IT) in the Mile. The following year, he finished unplaced on Rousillon in the Mile.

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