Alastair Down

Personal life and death Down was married to Frances Down (née Werner) from 1988. He later separated from her. According to the Racing Post, he never recovered emotionally from her death and drinking became a "safe haven" for him.

Down resided in Evenlode in Gloucestershire, as of 2012 and in Bledington from December 2020. He died on 1 November 2024, aged 68, after a brief illness.

Awards and honours Down received the Racing Writer of the Year Award from the Horserace Writers and Photographers Association five times, first in 1994 and most recently in 2018. He was the only journalist to receive the award five times. He was awarded the President’s Award by the association in 2022, receiving it in 2023. The press room of the Cheltenham Racecourse was renamed after him in his honour in October 2024.