One of the game’s greats, Peter Easterby, sadly passed away this week, announced by his family, the Easterby’s, who are, of course, powerhouses of Northern racing.
Peter was one of the biggest true dual-purpose trainers, building up a stable of talent over both jumps and on the flat, something that’s not really a done thing anymore, not at the top level anyway.
Aged 95, he’d had a very good innings and died surrounded by his family. A real eye for a hood horse, and a remarkably charming and witty man, he will be remembered as a character of the game.
It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of my father Peter Easterby. He passed away peacefully in his own home with his family by his side. A true gentleman, legendary racehorse trainer, passionate farmer, lover of country sports and an incredibly proud father and… pic.twitter.com/cq5WnabHt3
— Tim Easterby Racing (@EasterbyTim) June 9, 2025
In 1950, Easterby began his training career at Habton Grange, near Malton. He would go on to become the first trainer to saddle over 1000 winners in both flat and national hunt racing. Individually, they’re great achievements, but doing both together is a remarkable feat.
In a 46-year career, he would amass 2513 victories, and as part of that, would win the Champion Trainer titles in three consecutive years, from 1978 to 1981.
He trained some huge names, all of which stood out for their performances at Cheltenham, so plenty more of them below, but they included the likes of Sea Pigeon, Night Nurse, Sauce Kit, Alverton and Little Owl.
Retirement in 1996 saw son Tim take over the reins at the yard, and their success continued; the Easterby name was always one to look out for on racecards, especially in Yorkshire.
Since the announcement, many of racing’s greats have been out to pay respect to Peter, praising his ability with horses and charming personality in equal measures.
Peter Easterby’s Success at the Cheltenham Festival
If there was one standout part of Easterby’s career, then it has to be his success at the Cheltenham Festival.
He would have a total of 13 winners at the festival, 10 of those coming at his peak during the period between 1976 and 1983. But while the number of 13 is nothing compared to the numbers we see now, it was done at a time when Cheltenham winners were very hard to come by, with fewer races too, and not only that, but when he did win, he won some of the biggest.
The Champion Hurdle, probably the second biggest race of the entire meeting, was won a remarkable five times by Easterby. Firstly, Saucy Kit landed the race in 1967, his first big Cheltenham win, and the first really big win of his career overall.
After that, Night Nurse won back-to-back titles in 1976 and 1977, then Sea Pigeon would land back-to-back wins in 1980 and 1981. Not only did Easterby display his ability to get a horse to a big race and win it, but two of the three horses came back and defended their crown.
A special mention for Night Nurse, too, who was given a rating of 182 by Timeform for his Champion Hurdle victory. This makes him the highest-rated hurdler ever, and in 1981, he was almost trained to win the Gold Cup, finishing second behind a stablemate.
Easterby would win the Cheltenham Gold Cup twice during his career, the first coming with Alverton in 1979. He backed that up with Little Owl winning the race in 1981, when he beat Night Nurse, in a race where the stable dominated with the first three home.
That made the year extra special for him for another reason, too, as he would become the first trainer since 1962 to land the Champion Hurdle and Gold Cup double at the meeting.
A great of the game, a man loved by many, and an excellent dual-purpose horse trainer, who went to the top of both codes and had plenty of success. The Easterby name will continue to go strong in racing, and much of it was started by the success of Peter.