TRIBUTES were paid today to a well-known figure in the racing world who was tragically killed in a road accident near his home.

Gary Martin's widow, Jacqui, said he would be remembered for his three great passions in life - racehorses, York City Knights Rugby League, and T.Rex.

York-born Gary, 42, from Cherry Avenue, Swinton, was killed on May 8 as he walked home along the B1257 after a night at The Globe, in Malton, performing his favourite hits on karaoke.

He is believed to have tripped and fallen into the road, where he was hit by a silver BMW estate car shortly after midnight.

Jacqui and their two children, Jordan, age six, and two-and-a-half-year-old Abbie, were left devastated by his sudden death.

He went to Park Grove School in York, and was brought up in Byland Avenue, on the Bell Farm estate. He left school at 16 and his interest in horseracing took him to Newmarket.

He worked in Belgium for four years before returning to North Yorkshire.

Jacqui said her husband was a joker who loved to play tricks on people. "He was comical. There was never a dull moment with him, but most of all he always told me his two children were his life," she said.

Jordan shared his father's lifelong love of York City Knights, and the pair of them went to every game.

"Gary painted Jordan's face for every single match, home and away, but he won't do it anymore because Daddy's not here," said Jacqui. "He told me to throw away the face paints when Daddy died because nobody does it like he did."

A hush fell round Huntington Stadium recently when fans held a minute's silence for Gary.

Jordan's favourite player, Darren Callaghan, wrote him a special letter, and chairman Roger Dixon sent Jacqui a handwritten note of condolence.

The racing fraternity is still in shock over Gary's death. He was a stable lad for various racing luminaries including Jimmy Fitzgerald, Nigel Tinkler, Mel Brittain, Mick Easterby and Maurice Camacho.

After a brief spell at Westler Foods, Amotherby, he worked as a stable lad at Brian Ellison's stables in 2002, and finally Peter Niven's yard in Appleton-le-Street.

Gary's other great passion was glam rock band T.Rex. He was well known on the karaoke circuit for performing his favourite hits, and regularly took to the microphone at The Globe, Malton, and the Blacksmiths Arms, Swinton.

At his funeral at St Michael's Church, Malton, Gary's coffin was carried in to the sound of I Love To Boogie.

His love of T.Rex also led him to his wife Jacqui. The pair got it together after he dedicated his performance of Jeepster to her in the Royal Oak, Norton, now the Derwent Arms, eight years ago. He proposed to her after four months and they married at Gretna Green.

Lorraine Ellison, assistant trainer at Brian Ellison's yard in Malton, said: "He was a good lad, he was well liked around the stables. He rode well and he did his horses well. He loved horses.

"Gary will be missed around the place, we was very close to some people in the yard."

Updated: 10:36 Tuesday, May 31, 2005