Former riding great John Francome insists help is available for all jockeys, past and present, if they need it in the wake of the death of Pat Eddery.
Speaking in his role as president of the Injured Jockeys Fund, Francome said he went to see Eddery recently after hearing of his troubles.
The champion jockey had been battling alcoholism and his daughter Natasha wrote an emotional tribute on Wednesday revealing she had not seen him for five years.
“It’s been five years since I last saw him, which was an extremely hard decision I undertook. We stayed in touch and spoke on the phone, I never missed a birthday, Christmas or Father’s Day and not a day went by when I didn’t think about him,” she said.
“The last time I saw him face to face was when I brought him home from rehab and he drank straight away. I turned to him and said ‘dad if you choose to drink over health and family, I can’t be part of that life for you’. Sadly his addiction was too strong and he couldn’t overcome it.
“My sister and his close friends, including Derrick Smith and John Magnier, did all we could to help him battle his illness, but we lost in the end.”
Francome, though, is happy with the services on offer via his organisation and the Professional Jockeys Association.
“If any jockey needs help there is plenty of assistance out there,” Francome said.
“There’s as much help as they want, but they’ve got to want help in the first place.
“There’s only so much you can do. Willie (Carson) offered him all sorts of help, but he just wouldn’t accept it. Some people can’t be helped.
“As regarding other cases, it depends entirely on the individual. Pat didn’t start drinking when he stopped riding, he’d always enjoyed a drink, not to control his weight or anything, just socially. It’s very sad, 63 is no age at all.
“Everything is in place for those who need it, just a phone call away.”
