Family and friends have been left shocked by the death of well-known Newmarket businessman Keith White who died at West Suffolk Hospital last week after a short battle with cancer.
Keith, 75, who had lived in the town since he was two, was the son of Jim White, travelling head lad to royal trainer Sir Noel Murless, and grew up at Warren Place surrounded by some of racing’s greatest horses and jockeys, cementing his life-long love of the sport.
After leaving Newmarket Secondary Modern School he had tried his hand at accounting but then bought a second hand t-shirt printing machine and started his own business at Eden Lilleys, in Cambridge.
A man who loved his racing: Keith White is pictured presenting jockey Davy Russell with his trophy after his win in the Turners Mersey Novice Hurdle at Aintree in 2023
It proved so successful that in the late 1970s he bought the shop, in Fitzroy Street, that was to be the base for his Anglia Gifts and Promotions business until just a week before he died.
“He could have retired years ago but he just loved working in the shop,” said his son Scott.
Situated just a stone’s throw from the Rowley Drive horsewalk, used daily by hundreds of racehorses, the sound of tomorrow’s winners sauntering to and from the Heath provided the soundtrack to Keith’s working day.
Keith White, back row second left, was a member of Newmarket Cricket Club, pictured here after winning the Fisher Cup
The Sporting Life and later the Racing Post were a permanent fixture under his arm and he studied form religiously working out his bets and often being called upon to give tips at race meetings.
He was a regular at Newmarket but also loved his annual trips to Aintree and Cheltenham with his great friend Paul Day, boss of race sponsor Turners Transport, who he had first met playing table tennis a sport in which Keith had been a junior county champion and Mr Day went on to be England’s number one.
In his younger days Keith had also been a keen cricketer playing for Newmarket, a team he joined as an 18 year old.
“The team provided so many happy memories with his team mates including tours to the Lake District and to Guernsey,” said Scott.
“He also liked golf but was a summer player as he hated the cold. He was good at it with his swing often likened to a good cover drive in cricket and he got his first hole in one just last year at 75.”
Divorced from his wife Jasmin, Keith leaves two sons Scott, who now lives in Australia and Shane who lives in London, as well as five grandchildren Elsie, Reggie, River, Bodhi and the youngest 11-month old Sonny, who he had met for the first time when he visited Newmarket with his family from Australia at Christmas.
Keith’s funeral service will be at Newmarket’s St Mary’s Church on Monday February 23 at 12.30pm.