Grand National winning-jockey Tony Dobbin will retire from racing at Carlisle racecourse today (Thursday, 10 April).
He has two rides at his local track on his final day in the saddle — Fistral in the Blackwell Novices Hurdle and Ballyvoge in the appropriately named Dobbs Finale and Future Best Wishes Novices Chase.
Tony won the Grand National with Lord Gyllene in 1997, when the race was postponed and run on the Monday, following a bomb scare and evacuation on the Saturday.
At 35 he has ridden almost 1,200 winners in his career — including the great greys Monet’s Garden and One Man.
But Tony will remain in racing as he intends to help his girlfriend Rose Davison in a new racehorse training operation, which will be set up at the start of the 2009-10 jumping season.
This summer he will spend time with trainers, including Kevin Ryan, gaining valuable experience for the future.