Lester Piggott a horse called "The Chase" at Haydock Park. Piggott is known for his quiet demeanour. He describes his mother as wisely downplaying his success, while his father rarely gave advice unless there had been a particular mistake. By his teens a sensation in the racing world, he rode his first winner of The Derby on Never Say Die in 1954 aged 18 years and went on to win eight more, on Crepello (1957), St. Paddy (1960), Sir Ivor (1968), Nijinsky (1970), Roberto (1972), Empery (1976), The Minstrel (1977) and Teenoso (1983). He was stable jockey to Noel Murless and later
Derby Gilbert & Sullivan Company relationship with the Derby Playhouse and move its production of "H.M.S. Pinafore" to the Derby Assembly Rooms Darwin Suite, a much smaller "black box" space with fewer technical capabilities. Nevertheless, the company placed 2nd Runners-up at the International G&S Festival. In both 2005 and 2006, the company again was Festival Winner, with Andrew Nicklin's productions of "The Sorcerer" and "Pirates". The company's six wins at the Festival are unprecedented and are still the largest number of first place wins. The company also took "The Sorcerer" to the Waterford Festival of Light Opera, where it won the awards for Best G&S