Born in Banbridge, Co. Down on June 18, 1957, former jockey Ray Cochrane enjoyed a memorable 26-year career in the saddle, during which he rode the better part of 1,500 winners, including Midway Lady, trained by Ben Hanbury, in the 1,000 Guineas and the Oaks in 1986 and Kahyasi, trained by Luca Cumani, in the Derby in 1988. Cochrane was forced to retire, on medical advice, in October, 2000, after sustaining a back injury in two heavy falls. Following his retirement from race riding, he began a new career as agent for Lanfranco ‘Frankie’ Dettori, a position he held until May, 2020, by which time he was 62 years old.
Yet, for all his exploits elsewhere, Cochrane will probably always be best remembered for his heroism during a tragic incident that occurred at Newmarket Racecourse on June 1, 2000. Alongside Dettori and pilot Patrick Mackey, he boarded a Piper Seneca light aircraft on the July Strip at Newmarket, alongside the so-called ‘Devil’s Ditch’, for a short flight to Goodwood Aerodrome in West Sussex.
However, moments after take-off, the aircraft reportedly struck the 25-foot high dyke, cartwheeled to the ground and burst into flames on impact. Cochrane suffered minor burns, bruising and blurred vision during the crash, but nonetheless managed to pull Dettori, who had suffered a broken ankle, to safety through the luggage compartment before returning for Mackey, who was trapped in the wreckage. By that stage, though, a severe fire had taken hold, such that neither Cochrane nor emergency workers could reach Mackey, 52, who sadly died at the scene.
Cochrane later played down his involvement, saying, ‘I just did what I had to do. My friends were in trouble and I had to do something to help.’ Dettori, though, said of his weighing room colleague, ‘Not only has he been a great friend, I owe my life to him.’ In January, 2002, Cochrane received the Queen’s Commendation For Bravery as the result of his selfless actions.