Kevin Mitchell, one of the best "money" jockeys in Australia, died early on Wednesday. Mitchell, 84, was associated with some of the biggest plunges of the turf and his ice-cool demeanour belied the pressure situations he found himself in.
Mitchell delivered repeatedly, much to the chagrin of bookmakers who were hit hard not only at the meetings where he rode, but at meetings throughout the country.
Whenever the money arrived for a Mitchell mount, bookies had good reason to become nervous.
He pulled off a plunge on Grantville at Cranbourne in May 1978 when the horse, trained by Reg Kent, debuted.
Backed from $26 to $3.25, Grantville got up in the last stride with Mitchell at his ice-cool best.
Mitchell was not only a superb jockey, but a master horseman.
If one of his horses was loaded first into the barriers he would stand on the uprights so the horse wouldn’t have to carry the weight any longer than needed.
He won an Adelaide Cup on Phar Ace, teamed with Bart Cummings to win a Newmarket Handicap on Better Beyond and partnered Vite Cheval to win a Doncaster in 1984.