LONDON: The late Queen Elizabeth II’s right-hand man at Ascot and legendary racing figure Sir Johnny Weatherby has died aged 66.
“It is with deep regret that we announce the passing of Sir Johnny Weatherby, who died yesterday aged 66 following a life of peerless service to Horseracing,” Weatherbys Limited shared on social media.
According to Ascot Racecourse, the jockeys wore black armbands to honourlate Sir Johnny Weatherby, whose legacy was deeply intertwined with both the ceremonial grandeur and everyday life of British racing.
Knighted in 2020 for his outstanding service, Sir Johnny was a familiar figure in the Royal Enclosure, admired for his calm authority and encyclopaedic knowledge of racing traditions. From 2011 to 2020, he served as the Queen’s Representative at Ascot, quietly orchestrating some of the most iconic moments in the British social and sporting calendar.
A seventh-generation member of the Weatherby dynasty, whose family has been involved in racing administration for over 250 years, Sir Johnny was far more than a ceremonial figure. He joined the family firm, Weatherbys, in 1979, rising to chairman in 1993 and guiding the organisation through a significant period of modernisation.
Colleagues and racing insiders remembered him as a man whose energy and foresight were matched only by his deep love for the sport.
