Tributes paid to the ‘voice of racing’ Peter O’Sullevan who’s passed away

He made horseracing great

And horseracing was even greater for having him calling it out for nearly 50 years on the BBC. While punters were enjoying the action at Ballybrit this afternoon, one of the most famous men to ever grace a racecourse passed away. Peter O'Sullevan was widely regarded as one of the best sports commentators of all time and even those who had never set foot in a paddock could imitate his distinctive voice The former trainer was born in Newcastle County Down and became a household name for his delivery of some of the most iconic moments on horse racing history, such as Red Rum's third Grand National win in 1977 when he declared,

"It’s hats off and a tremendous reception – you’ve never heard one like it at Liverpool!"

https://twitter.com/Tony_Scott11/status/626474315307974656 He called his final race in 1997 and many well known figures from the sporting world have been paying tribute, https://twitter.com/AP_McCoy/status/626441927915868160 https://twitter.com/clarebalding/status/626436502902411264 https://twitter.com/GaryLineker/status/626435454536040448 https://twitter.com/CheltenhamRaces/status/626424597022416896