Alain Lequeux was one of France's leading jockey

Jockey

A jockey is an athlete who rides horses in horse racing or steeplechase racing, primarily as a profession. The word also applies to camel riders in camel racing.-Etymology:...

s in the 1970s and 1980s. He won 33 Group or Grade 1 races, including the 1981 Washington, D.C. International Stakes aboard Providential

Providential

Providential was an Irish-born Thoroughbred racehorse who competed successfully in France and won the most important race on turf in the United States. Bred and raced by Bertram R...

 for trainer Charlie Whittingham

Charlie Whittingham

Charles Edward Whittingham was an American thoroughbred race horse trainer who is one of the most acclaimed trainers in U.S. racing history....

. Son of leading French rider Guy Lequeux, he won more than 2,000 races while riding in France

France

The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

 from 1963 to 1992. He won the 1974 Poule d'Essai des Pouliches

Poule d'Essai des Pouliches

The Poule d'Essai des Pouliches, sometimes referred to as the French 1,000 Guineas, is a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to three-year-old thoroughbred fillies...

 (Fr-G1) (French One Thousand Guineas) with Dumka, and the 1979 St. Leger Stakes

St. Leger Stakes

The St. Leger Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain which is open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run at Doncaster over a distance of 1 mile, 6 furlongs and 132 yards , and it is scheduled to take place each year in September.Established in 1776, the St. Leger...

 (Eng-G1) with Son of Love (Fr).

A noted gourmet

Gourmet

Gourmet is a cultural ideal associated with the culinary arts of fine food and drink, or haute cuisine, which is characterised by elaborate preparations and presentations of large meals of small, often quite rich courses...

, following his retirement from racing the popular and personable Lequeux owned and operated the Cafe Lequeux in Chantilly

Chantilly, Oise

Chantilly is a small city in northern France. It is designated municipally as a commune in the department of Oise.It is in the metropolitan area of Paris 38.4 km...

 not far from the Chantilly Racecourse

Chantilly Racecourse

Chantilly Racecourse is a Thoroughbred turf racecourse for flat racing in Chantilly, Oise, France, about north of the centre of the city of Paris....

.

He died in hospital at Senlis, Oise

Senlis, Oise

Senlis is a French commune located in the Oise department near Paris. It has a long and rich heritage, having traversed centuries of history. This medieval town has welcomed some of the most renowned figures in French history, including Hugh Capet, Louis IX, the Marshall of France, Anne of Kiev and...

 on 26 April 2006 of a cerebral hemorrhage at age 59.