THE racing industry is mourning the loss of three-time Melbourne Cup winning jockey Jack Purtell at the age of 95.
Winner of the 1947 (Hiraji), 1953 (Wodalla) and 1954 (Rising Fast) cups, and rider of more than 1700 race winners, Purtell clinched seven jockey premierships in Melbourne from 1946-62.
He won the Cox Plate in 1950, '51, '54 and '56, and the Caulfield Cup in 1941.
Paying tribute to a man whose achievements he described as "quite extraordinary", VRC chief executive Simon Love said the racing industry had lost one of its true legends.
"He raced in an era which included such great riders as Darby Monro, Bill Williamson, Ron Hutchinson, Scobie Breasley, Roy Higgins, George Moore, Neville Sellwood and Harold Badger, to name a few," he said.
"From all reports he was unlucky not to have ridden two more (Melbourne) cup winners.
"He rode successfully in Europe, winning the 1964 Irish Oaks and the 1965 English Oaks.
"During the late 1940s and 1950s he really had few peers."
Purtell was also involved in one of the most exceptional racing incidents at Flemington - the triple dead heat recorded on Derby Day in the 1956 Hotham Handicap.
He rode Fighting Force, dead-heating with Ark Royal (Reg Heather) and Pandie Sun (Bill Williamson).
On retiring in 1966, Purtell joined the VRC Stewards Panel for 15 years.
In recent years he lived on the Gold Coast but maintained an interest in racing.