Eddery bows out

Feature: Peerless Eddery

Eleven-time champion jockey Pat Eddery brought down the curtain on a glittering 36-year career at Doncaster on Saturday.

Eddery is hoping for further success in his new career managing racing syndicates, but his record as a jockey already ensures he will go down in racing legend.

His tally of 4,632 winners is second only to that of Sir Gordon Richards and his big-race haul includes three Epsom Derby wins and four Arc successes.

Yet the 51-year-old was unable to finish his career with a win at Doncaster.

Photo gallery: Eddery's career

He rode in five races and his best result came in the final outing, when he finished third on favourite Gamut in the 1435 GMT.

But Eddery did not let that spoil his day.

"It would have been nice to end on a winner, but it was not to be and that's racing. You win some and you lose some.

"There have been plenty of winners along the way. Today I was happy coming into the straight on Gamut, but the winner went and my fellow could not pick up at all on the sticky ground."

His final season in the saddle has brought success though, with the Group One Sussex Stakes win on Reel Buddy and victory in the Cesarewitch on Landing Light the highlights.

Asked if he had any regrets about retiring, he replied: "None at all, I have made up my mind and I won't be riding on the all-weather at Wolverhampton on Monday I can tell you."

Pat Eddery is held aloft by his fellow jockeys

As he waited to be presented with a memento and bottles of champagne, his fellow-jockeys held him shoulder-high before releasing party streamers.

Frankie Dettori then opened one of the bottles of bubbly and sprayed him Grand Prix style.

Dettori said: "It is a sad day for racing, but we have given Pat a great send-off. It is goodbye to a racing legend and we will all miss him."

Sir Michael Stoute, who trains Gamut, said: "It would have been nice to send Pat off with a winner, but fairytales don't happen too often.

"But we have enjoyed a lot of success together including some very big wins with Colorspin and Milligram."

Sir Michael said punters would miss Eddery because "everything he rode got a ride".

Kieren Fallon, who was presented with his championship trophy, put the cat among the pigeons when he said he believed Eddery would be back.

"He will have a couple of weeks off and then I think he will change his mind.

"Everyone wants him to ride for them and I would love to see him back."