Hundreds pay tribute at funeral of jockey

the family and friends of a jockey who died last month while on holiday in Greece gathered for his funeral in Edinburgh yesterday.

Campbell Gillies was on holiday in Kavos, Corfu with Middleham rider Henry Brooke and Harry Haynes, who is based at Malton, when he died in a swimming pool accident.

He was described as a very popular figure on the National Hunt circuit in Yorkshire, recording several notable wins at Doncaster, Wetherby and Catterick.

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Though he was born in Scotland, and was living near Carlisle at the time of his death, he was well-known among Yorkshire’s racing fraternity, many of whom travelled to the Scottish capital yesterday for his funeral.

Giillies, who died on June 26, the day before his 22nd birthday, was beginning to make a name for himself and had enjoyed his best ever season with 38 winners, the highlight being his success on Brindisi Breeze at this year’s National Hunt Festival at Cheltenham.

Following news of his death racegoers at Beverley and Brighton completed a minute’s silence before racing, with jockeys wearing black armbands on the day his death was announced.

An investigation by the coroner on Corfu concluded that the Mr Gillies had died from drowning, and a second probe was launched last week over safety at the pool.

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An estimated 600 people – including Scottish justice minister Kenny MacAskill and Scotland manager Craig Levein – attended the service in Edinburgh, which had room for only 250.

In a statement issued after his death the Professional Jockeys Association said : “Campbell was a very popular member of the weighing room and was immensely well liked by his colleagues.

“His riding career was beginning to flourish and he had a great future. In March he was able to celebrate a first winner at the Cheltenham Festival and there would undoubtedly have been many more days like that for him.

“It is so tragic that he has lost his life at such a young age when Campbell had so much more to look forward to.“