Percy Sykes, the vet who saved the life of racing legend Tulloch and pioneered modern veterinary practice in Australian racing, has died in a Sydney hospital aged 93.

Sykes, who died on Monday, treated horses for the most famous trainers in the industry, including TJ Smith, Bart Cummings, Gai Waterhouse and Jack Denham, and his skills were acknowledged throughout the racing world.

Born in Sudan in 1920, Sykes completed his training in London and served in India as a veterinary Officer in the Royal Army Veterinary Corps in the Second World War.

In 1951 Sykes emigrated to Australia where he established his practice P.E. Sykes & Partners, which became the Randwick Equine Centre.

He forged a decades-long partnership with master trainer TJ Smith at Randwick.

TJ's willingness to embrace Sykes's scientific approach helped him become Sydney's dominant trainer for more than 30 years.

Smith credited Sykes for saving the life of Tulloch, who developed a potentially lethal viral infection after his dominant three-year-old season.

Tulloch did not race for two years, but came back to win many more big races and become a legend of the Australian turf.

Sykes rated Tulloch's comeback win in the Queen's Plate at Flemington his career highlight.

Tulloch wasn't the only horse to benefit from Sykes's magic. The vet helped Baystone recover from a broken jaw and go on to win the Melbourne Cup.

He also managed to return Igloo to the track after he shattered sesamoids in both front legs.

Sykes pioneered many of the techniques now common in equine medicine, including feed supplements, blood counts, standing castrations and even the use of penicillin.

His passion for horses extended beyond treating them. He owned several horses, and remained a regular at the track after his retirement.

In 2003 he received an Order of Australia, and was thrilled to be inducted into the Australian Racing Hall of Fame in 2005, when he was in his mid-80s.

"I never thought about being inducted; never even dreamed about it," he said.

"I suppose it's the ultimate honour when you get to my age," he said.