Jockey makes incredible tribute to dead friend in race tragic sportsman dreamt of competing in himself before car crash | The Sun
JOCKEY Ryan Potter honoured his close friend who died with an incredible tribute during a race.
Con Rutledge was tragically killed in a car crash while driving home in 2021 just two days before he was due to compete in the world's oldest flat race, the Town Plate at Newmarket.
On Saturday, Potter, 35, came second in the exact same event and carried his friend's ashes under his silks and in his boot in a touching gesture as he made his way around the course on horse Don Bersy.
He finished behind Belinda Rose who was on Dancing Shadow but did beat Colin Moore who finished third.
Moore, 81, was trying to make history as the oldest jockey to win a horse race but ultimately fell just short.
Speaking before the race, Potter said: "It will be amazing to carry Con’s ashes around in the race as I know how much he wanted to do it as he had been looking forward to the race all summer before the accident.
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"We used to drink in The Plough at Ford and The Pheasant at Toddington together and he would often come racing with us.
"I knew Con really well and it was a shock when he died. He was a real character.
"You don’t get them like him anymore. He always had a story to tell and he was just an all-round real good bloke."
Potter was also making his own mark on the track as he had only recovered from the life-threatening condition of sepsis less than 12 months ago.
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3He got the condition on his birthday weekend and revealed it made him "quite ill".
He had been planning to make the tribute to Con before he got the illness last year.
Potter added: "It was of those things that if I hadn’t gone to the hospital when I did it would have been very bad.
"I got an infection in my bloodstream, and it sat on the valves of my heart. I was in hospital for a couple of weeks so I couldn’t do it.
"I ended up having every wire possible connected to me. It was of those things that if I hadn’t gone to the hospital when I did it would have been very bad, but you try not to think about things like that.
"It took me until about October until I was right again, but I feel fine now.
"It would be amazing to carry Con’s ashes around in the race as I know how much he wanted to do the race as he had been looking forward to it all summer before the accident."
Stephan Rutledge – Con's son – admitted that he was "thrilled and delighted" when he heard about the tribute.
He said: "I’m absolutely thrilled and delighted that they want to run in the race in memory of my dad. I thought it was a lovely touch.
"My father would have been absolutely thrilled about it.
"The last time I spoke to my dad was the Wednesday before the race, which was the day before he had his accident.
“He had the horse ready, and fitness-wise he had himself ready.
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"He was travelling back home about 5.30pm to 6pm on that Thursday night and it was then that he had the car accident that killed him near Evesham. It was completely out of the blue.
"It takes you a long time to get over the shock and the grief that comes with it flows for a long time. One minute your father is there, the next he is not."
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