Peter O'Sullevan, who has died aged 97, raised the quality of commentating on horse races to a new and unparalleled level of excellence.
He worked for the BBC from his first commentary in January 1948 until his retirement, at the age of 79, in November 1997, and became known as the "voice of racing". For much of this period he was also employed as racing correspondent for the Daily Express.
Working in tandem with Clive Graham, he made the Express racing page obligatory reading for all turf enthusiasts.
O’Sullevan was born in Kenmare, Co Kerry, the son of Col John Joseph O’Sullevan, a soldier and the resident magistrate of Killarney, and Vera (née Henry), daughter of a titled English justice of the peace. His parents separated in the early 1920s and O’Sullevan was brought up by his maternal grandparents in the Surrey countryside.
Educated at Charterhouse school, in Godalming, Surrey, and a boarding school in Switzerland, O’Sullevan suffered in his youth from poor health, and in his late adolescence from a disfiguring facial skin ailment.
So self-conscious was he of his appearance that for many months he would only venture outdoors during the hours of darkness. Inevitably, with a history of asthma, bronchitis and dermatological problems, he was turned down for military service when war broke out in 1939.
With the resumption of a full racing programme after the war he was employed as an “outside” man responsible for race descriptions. O’Sullevan’s skill in this role earned him a broadcasting trial at Cheltenham in autumn 1947. His first “live” commentary followed two months later. The following year he commentated on his first Grand National, covering the first fence for BBC Radio. Grand National When Peter Dimmock, who became head of BBC outside broadcasts in 1954, finally persuaded Aintree’s owner, Mirabel Topham, to allow television coverage in 1960, O’Sullevan led the commentary team, and called home the next 38 Grand National winners.
In 1950 O'Sullevan left the Press Association to become racing correspondent of the Daily Express. Thus began the legendary partnership with the Old Etonian Graham, which had developed its roots in television, with Graham acting as O'Sullevan's race-reader. Graham was to become BBC TV's paddock commentator in a partnership that lasted for 25 years until his death in 1974.
O’Sullevan’s successful betting, and in particular his knowledge of French racing, enabled him to own several racehorses during this period, but here he was less successful. The first dozen racehorses that he owned failed to win a single race, and in 1960 he estimated that he had owned 21 horses, with only four modest successes to show for his investment.
As a journalist he enjoyed the confidence of leading personalities in racing, notably Lester Piggott. He was entrusted with betting commissions by several top trainers, in particular his friends in Ireland and France.
By the late 1960s, O'Sullevan was at the height of his journalistic and broadcasting fame and in 1968 he was approached by ITV to "change sides". Dimmock knew the value of O'Sullevan's popularity, however, and went to extreme lengths to hold on to his prize asset. Despite O'Sullevan's frequent criticisms of the BBC, both privately and in print, neither Dimmock nor any of his successors chose to risk earning the label of "the man who lost O'Sullevan". Financial skill O'Sullevan exploited his "untouchable" status with considerable skill financially, as he did when approached by the Daily Mail in 1973. His temporary "resignation" from the Express, and reinstatement, led to an increase in annual salary from £5,500 to £9,000. When he finally left the Express in 1985 it was in an atmosphere of acrimony.
As his career in journalism drew to an end, O’Sullevan threw himself into charitable work, notably in the field of horse welfare. In 1983 he embarked upon fundraising for the International League for the Protection of Horses. Other charities to receive his support were the Brooke Hospital for Animals and the Thoroughbred Rehabilitation Centre.
O'Sullevan was married in 1951 to the former model Pat Duckworth. She died in 2010. Travel, fine wine and haute cuisine were his chief pleasures.
He was appointed OBE in 1977.