Peter Bromley, BBC Radio's voice of racing for more than 40 years, has died at the age of 74.
He retired after commentating on Galileo's Vodafone Derby victory in 2001.
Bromley called home the winners of 202 Classics and will also be associated by many with Red Rum's three Grand National triumphs in the 1970s.
Bromley, who had cancer, died last night.
His broadcasting role began when injury curtailed his career as an amateur jockey and he gave his first BBC Radio commentary at Newmarket in 1959.
Bromley commentated on his first Derby 42 years ago when 66-1 chance Psidium sprang a surprise.
His career behind the microphone was virtually uninterrupted calling all the Derbys between 1961 and 2001. He worked for the Light Programme, Radio 2 and Radio 5 Live when the BBC had a contract with the Racecourse Association to cover all the big races.
Bromley retired to Suffolk to continue his hobby training gun dogs.
The BBC's Cornelius Lysaght paid tribute to his former colleague.
Speaking on Radio 5 Live he said: "He had that voice that he could give everything and you would think where is he going to go now? And he then went to another level. So very exciting, very inspiring, very descriptive.
"He loved the really big occasions like Red Rum, Shergar winning the Derby. He famously said `Shergar wins the Derby and you need a telescope to see the rest'. Istabraq was a great Champion Hurdle winner he loved.
"The Grand National was one of his great races because of some many good stories appearing at Aintree.
"He was short listed to be an Olympian in 1952. He might have gone to Helsinki as part of the modern pentathlon team. He was good at most of the disciplines but not all of them. His great thing was shooting.
"So as well as being a great commentator for the BBC he was a good all round sportsman."