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Racing NSW has been informed of the passing of former jockey Mr Keith Banks, aged 81.

The late Mr Harley Walden wrote the following tribute: "Keith Banks was born in Parramatta and spent his early years on his parent’s market garden at West Pennant Hills.

As a schoolboy Banks’ first aspirations into the horse game was to become a trotting driver brought about by the frequent visits to his parent’s property of leading reins-man Jim Caffyn, who often spelled his horses at the Banks’ property.

Caffyn’s advice to young Banks was to pursue a riding career as he was too small to be a trotting driver.

Being a natural lightweight, 34kg Banks was allowed to leave school at 14, becoming an apprentice to Rosehill trainer Col Papworth.

When Papworth started to wind down his operation, Banks moved to Bert Evans, and finished his apprenticeship with Fred Hood.

One thing that will live in Banks’ memory will be his first ride in a race; it was a sensation, at Warwick Farm in March 1959.

Hilton Cope’s stirrup broke in a packed field; Noel McGrowdie’s mount came down over Cope and Golden Grove, piloted by then 16yo apprentice Banks, crashed on top of both.

Banks was admitted to Liverpool Hospital with a broken thigh and pelvis, broken arm and dislocated shoulder. He was in hospital for six months and out of the saddle for a year.

Once back in the saddle, Banks rode a number of winners on out-of-town tracks before cracking it for his first city winner aboard Atlantic Silver at Rosehill.

Coming out of his time and losing his allowance, Banks was faced with the dilemma of a lot of jockeys, finding rides in the city.

Then an offer came from Walcha grazier Simon Nivison to link up with his team and the powerful Walcha stable of Ron Martin, so Banks moved to the bush.

He had instant success in the country with his first 14 rides netting 13 winners, including the Inverell Cup and the Challenge Stakes at Randwick aboard Tar Girl.

Still in the bush Banks laments on the day he should have ridden the program at Gunnedah. Five winners up and a ride on the favourite in the last the only hiccup for the lightweight jockey was that there was not enough lead on course to enable Banks to make the weight.

At one point he despaired completely, gave up racing and worked for the Water Board for two years before Kevin Hayes approached him to give riding another go.

Over the years Banks earned a reputation in the tradition of the legendary Ted Bartle, as a noted ‘money rider’. He raised a cheeky grin as he recalls some of the really big plunges.

“When Kevin Hayes moved to back one, the bookies shuddered,” he declared. “We also used to take horses to Brisbane and clean up; and one time we went to the Townsville Cup and made a killing.”

Banks has ridden on almost every metropolitan track on the southern seaboard, including Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne and won a Launceston Cup in Tasmania.

He had two rides in the Melbourne Cup when ninth on 66/1 chance Fair Patton to Polo Prince in 1964 and 16th on Cool Alibi at 100/1 to Silver Knight in 1971.

Banks may not have won a Melbourne Cup, but he had the honour of winning the Archer Cup at Nowra and District’s Archer Course aboard Humble Sovereign in 1981.

Despite almost three decades in the saddle, most racegoers have long forgotten Banks’ triumphs – the 1964 Lord Mayor’s Cup on Fair Patton, 1966 Challenge Stakes on Tar Girl, 1971 Tramway Handicap on Cast Iron and a third on Rocket Fuel in the Sydney Cup behind Lowland and Rain Lover.

Keith Banks took out a trainer’s licence, training in Brisbane for a while and as he put it “landed a few nice plunges”, that sent him and wife Brenda around the world, visiting England and Ireland.

Banks’ lifetime has spanned an era of hard knocks, controversy and battlers that earned him the respect of thousands of people he had contact with."