HE rode six Epsom Derby winners.

He was Champion Jockey 10 times between 1914 and 1923. Think about it – that’s the flat racing jockey who rode the most winners in a year. And he did it 10 years in a row.

During the 1910s and early 1920s Steve Donoghue was the king of the saddle.

These days he would be BBC Sports Personality of the Year, feted in his hometown and receive a knighthood.

Yet sadly Warrington-born Steve, who died aged 60 in 1945, is largely forgotten.

Following last week’s column about the importance of local history, I was contacted by Julie Dove, who is Steve’s great niece.

She told me: “My father’s uncle, Steve Donoghue, was a very famous jockey from Warrington in the 1920s who won six Derbies, three of them in a row. The three consecutive wins is a record which remains unbroken.

“He is buried in Warrington cemetery and the family is saddened he is not remembered in any way in the town apart from in the mural at The Halliwell Jones stadium of the wonderful Warrington Wolves.

“There is a YouTube clip on the internet showing the unveiling of the Steve Donoghue gates at Epsom by Gordon Richards with my granny, his sister, Mary Williams in attendance.

“She lived in West Street all of her life and Steve often returned to Warrington throughout his career.

“As Warrington applies to be made City of Culture, I think Steve’s memory ought to be preserved and marked in some way in the town.

“Yes, there were links in Warrington to The Beatles and George Formby but neither were born and bred in Warrington as Steve.

“It would be lovely to see some photos of him in the Warrington Guardian during Derby week and perhaps consideration given to a more lasting memorial for one of the greatest jockeys of all time.”

Julie adds that her late father was Gordon Williams. His brother was Freddie, whose children are still around Warrington, as are Julie’s siblings. Gordon’s mother was Mary – Steve Donoghue’s sister – who lived in West Street and supported her brother throughout his career.

Steve’s granddaughter is still alive and lives in Disley.

Julie says: “What the family would like to see is a lasting memorial to him in the town and a mention on Derby day.

“He was acclaimed as one of the greatest jockeys of all time yet there is nothing in Warrington to mark him at all. Even Warrington Museum took down his life-size painting years ago.

“He was a Warrington lad and never forgot his town yet it forgot him and the fame he brought.”

Hear, hear. Come on Warrington, it’s time you honoured this sporting hero.