Sir peter osullivan biography of michael

Broadcasting legend Sir Peter O'Sullevan, who has died at the age of 97, was the man who provided the soundtrack to racing's unfolding drama for nigh on 50 years.

When he began his BBC career just after the Second World War, radio ruled the airwaves and television was still very much in its infancy.

O'Sullevan grew up with the new medium, calling home the horses in just about every big race in the calendar as he acquired the epithet 'the Voice Of Racing'.

It was well-earned, reflecting both the respect in which he was held and his importance as the link between the sport and its army of armchair followers.

O'Sullevan was a career journalist from the mids, when he joined the Press Association's racing department, and commentated for the BBC from to , when he called the Grand National for the final time and closed his career with Suny Bay's victory in the Hennessy.

In fact in the early part of his career he was better known as a newspaper journalist than a TV personality - he was rarely seen on-screen.

His glittering array of connections made him a must-read writer for the Daily Express, for whom he worked for 37 years and tipped many a big-race winner, usually supported with his own money, as he was well-known to enjoy a tilt at the ring.

He wrote as a punter, and it gave him a compulsively attractive edge, especially as he was clearly privy to inside knowledge garnered from high-profile friends and acquaintances including the likes of Vincent O'Brien, Aly Khan, Alec Head, Lester Piggott and Scobie Breasley.

But it was for his TV work that he will always be revered, bringing to his commentaries a heart-clutching excitement that required no vocal histrionics and retained a timeless dignity.

Sir peter osullivan biography of michael External links [ edit ]. After his parents separated he was brought up from the age of six by his maternal grandparents in a country house in Surrey. He campaigned against overuse of the whip by jockeys, and those who rode the horses he owned — most successfully the magnificent sprinter Be Friendly, or the fine stayer and hurdler, Attivo — were fully aware of that. Already a subscriber?

They were accurate and informative; it was a wonderful bonus that they were delivered in such honeyed tones.

O'Sullevan, who was knighted in , was born in Ireland to an English mother and Irish father, but after their divorce lived with his maternal grandparents in their Surrey country house. He was married to Pat for over 58 years before she died peacefully on New Year's Eve in at the age of

Despite all the benefits of an indulgent upbringing there were bad times, too, as he suffered badly from asthma and bouts of pneumonia, while a severe skin problem caused him great distress.

A fine young sportsman when his health allowed it, O'Sullevan attended Charterhouse School until pneumonia intervened and sent him to a healthier climate in Switzerland.

But by the time the Second World War arrived he was unfit for armed service, and instead drove stretcher parties in the Blitz.

By then he already had an abiding interest in racehorses, fuelled from the time his first bet won - a lucrative sixpence each-way nibble on winner Tipperary Tim in the Grand National.

O'Sullevan dipped his toe in the waters of ownership in but had to wait 15 years for his first winner in the black, yellow crossbelts and cap, though he was eventually to enjoy enormous success in that sphere thanks to the exploits of Be Friendly and Attivo.

Be Friendly was Europe's champion sprinter in the late s, while the home-bred Attivo won the Triumph Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival and also landed the Chester Cup and Northumberland Plate.

He descibed his pleasure in those victories as "priceless".

The list of great races O'Sullevan called during the second half of the 20th century includes all those that have won a place in the sport's folklore.

Over jumps, he captured the mighty Arkle beating Mill House in the Cheltenham Gold Cup; Red Rum's three Grand National triumphs; Bob Champion's emotional National win; Dawn Run's sensational Gold Cup victory and Desert Orchid's dramatic success in the great race.

On the Flat, he called home greats like Ribot, Sea-Bird, Nijinsky, Mill Reef, Brigadier Gerard, Shergar and Dancing Brave.

And how his words resonate through the pages of racing history.

As Red Rum raced to a third Grand National triumph: "It's hats off and a tremendous reception - you've never heard one like it at Liverpool!"

As Dawn Run launched her unforgettable charge up the Cheltenham hill in the Gold Cup: "The mare's beginning to get up!"

He himself nominated Be Friendly's victory in the inaugural Sprint Cup at Haydock in and Attivo's success in the Triumph Hurdle as commentating highlights, while of the races with no personal connection he enjoyed the epic duel between Grundy and Bustino in the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Diamond Stakes at Ascot.

After his retirement O'Sullevan, a reserved figure but also a gourmet who loved fine wines and good company, might have faded from the scene to spend his declining years with his Lady Pat among the works of art in their Chelsea flat.

This is far from what happened.

A true friend to racing and in particular a passionate supporter of animal welfare, he put in many hours of work for charitable causes and the Sir Peter O'Sullevan Charitable Trust has raised millions, particularly from an annual fundraising lunch begun in

A modest and unassuming man with impeccable manners and an air of quiet dignity, O'Sullevan was noted for his kindness and generosity of spirit; it gained him many friends in the racing world.

On TV, his quality behind the microphone was matchless.

A thorough professional, he had the ability to engender tingling excitement with the slightest change in the tone of his mellifluous voice.

There will never be another like him.