Philippe Paquet

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Philippe Paquet (畢奇) is a former jockey from France, who in 1974 was the winner of the Prix du Jockey Club in France on Caracolero, and the Gran Premio d'Italia on Ribecourt. In 1976, he also won the Irish Derby and Irish Oaks.

He was the stable jockey of famous French trainer François Boutin for a number of years. In 1980, he finished the Two Thousand Guineas in first place on the Boutin-trained Nureyev, but was later disqualified for impeding the progress of Posse, ridden by Pat Eddery.

Later that year, he went to Hong Kong and became the stable jockey of legendary Australian trainer George Moore, his father-in-law at the time. On January 22, 1984, he won the Hong Kong Derby on Baby Tiger (老虎仔), adding yet another prestigious trophy under his belt.

Sadly, his career came to an abrupt end while training on White Star (銀星一號) during a morning training session just weeks later on February 13, 1984. He was thrown onto the turf by his mount and sustained in a serious skull fracture as a result. He remained in a coma for more than three months, before finally regaining consciousness.

On an even more tragic note, Englishman Brian Taylor would die from the injuries suffered in a similar fall on the same White Star on December 8 that same year.

Paquet, once paralysed due to the injuries, would make a remarkable recovery, and even made a return to the horseback, although for leisure only.