Johnny Murtagh has announced his retirement from race riding
Tuesday 25 February 2014 16:15, UK
Multiple Group One-winning jockey Johnny Murtagh has announced he is to retire from race-riding to concentrate on his training career.
In May of last year Murtagh took out his training licence, taking over the reins from Tommy Carmody at Fox Covert Stables in County Kildare. Murtagh confirmed he would continue riding for the rest of that year and enjoyed a fantastic campaign in 2013, with Chicquita and Sole Power among his five Group One winners. He also partnered German star Novellist to victory in the King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Ascot in July and rode his last Group One winner on Tom Hogan's Gordon Lord Byron in the Betfred Sprint Cup at Haydock in September. His final big-race winner was aptly aboard Royal Diamond on Champions Day. Murtagh said: "We have 45 horses in training at the moment, including 20 two-year-olds and we have a few new owners. "I have the same expectations as when I was riding - the standards are still the same. "If we get a bit of luck and a good horse comes along, we'll get there."
