Racing Death of Robert Sangster: The horse-racing world was yesterday mourning the death of legendary owner and breeder Robert Sangster, who died aged 67 at his London home on Wednesday after a lengthy battle with pancreatic cancer.

Lord Bell, speaking on behalf of the family, said: "He died at home in late afternoon, early evening time yesterday. He was surrounded by his family and he died very peacefully after a long illness that started nine or 10 months ago."

Sangster, who was separated from his third wife, Sue, leaves four sons: Ben, Adam, Guy and Max. His funeral is due to be held at St Paul's in Knightsbridge, central London, on April 19th.

Jockey Lester Piggott, who rode so many of Sangster's winners, was amongst the first to pay tribute to the tycoon.

"It's a very sad day and the end of an era," he said. "I've known Robert since the 60s and we had great days and so many great horses. He was a great friend and a marvellous person to ride for. We'll miss him."

Sangster was the best-known and most successful British-based racehorse owner of the last 30 years, topping the owner table in 1977, 1978, 1982, 1983 and 1984.

He won the Derby twice - with The Minstrel in 1977 and Golden Fleece in 1982 - along with a raft of other big races, including the 1,000 and 2,000 Guineas, Eclipse Stakes and Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe.

The racehorse owner, whose wealth was believed to run into the hundreds of millions of pounds, also enjoyed something of a playboy image. He dated a string of beautiful women, including supermodel Jerry Hall and author Tara Moss, and later married Melbourne socialite Susan Renouf.

Sangster was credited with changing the face of racing with his revolutionary approach to the sport in the 1970s and 1980s.

He used his fortune to create a thoroughbred racing and breeding empire that included interests in Australia, England, the United States, Ireland, France and New Zealand.

The partnership he formed with legendary trainer Vincent O'Brien and stud boss John Magnier left a legacy that exists to this day, with their Coolmore operation pre-eminent in the world of breeding.

He remained one of the most prominent British-based owners right up to his death, even though he had adopted a considerably lower profile in recent years.

Sangster was born in Merseyside on May 23rd, 1936, and inherited the Vernons football pools company, which he sold for £90 million in 1988.

He came to the fore in the 1970s as the operation founded with O'Brien and Magnier swept away all before them.

The trio adopted a considerably more commercial view of the sport than had been the norm, with O'Brien spotting yearlings who were potential top-class stallions at the sales, Sangster and partners providing money to buy them, and Magnier managing the breeding side to great effect.

The three went into partnership in the Coolmore Stud, near Fethard in Co Tipperary, which is now the foremost breeding operation in the world, with major farms in Kentucky and Australia as well as the home base in Ireland. In all, Sangster owned the winners of more than 125 Group One races, including the two Derbys, with The Minstrel and Golden Fleece both trained by the Ballydoyle maestro.

Sangster, a socialite and bon viveur, also bred world champion sire Sadler's Wells, still based at Coolmore.

In later years, as an almost unlimited supply of money made the Maktoum family the sport's biggest hitters, Sangster changed tack and slipped into the background, but with yet more success.

He set up a thriving family business, with a successful commercial breeding operation, allied to a still-large private operation.