After a year of work in the yard, he was allowed to ride the stable pony and an old steeplechaser called Desert Fort, and shortly after turning 15 he signed on as an apprentice.
On 6 May 1964, while still an apprentice, he finished fast on the Paddy Prendergast trained Credo to win the Chester Cup, just ahead of Scobie Breasley on Utrillo.
He also came close to winning the Derby on 9/2 joint favourite, Pretendre, for Jarvis, losing out narrowly to Scobie Breasley on Charlottown.
[4] His final major success came with Touching Wood in 1982, on whom he came second in the Derby and went on to win both the English and Irish St Legers.
Western Dancer was another late career success - winning the 1985 Ebor Handicap and 1986 Chester Cup.
He also won several important races abroad during his career, including the Calcutta Derby and the German and Norwegian Oaks.
It was adjudged that Madraco put his foot in a hole left by unsatisfactorily completed drainage work and the riders had effectively playing "Russian roulette" by running over it.
[6] On retirement, he became a part-time race-reader for the Press Association,[1] ran a small stud with his wife[6] and supported his daughter Aimee's riding career.