Spencer retirement U-turn

Jamie Spencer’s announcement that he is to shelve plans to retire from the saddle and instead ride as a freelance next season has been widely welcomed by the racing world.

The 34-year-old shocked the industry in August when he announced his intention to retire by the end of the year, and it had been expected his final ride had come in the early hours of Sunday morning when he could finish only seventh aboard Trade Storm in the Hong Kong Mile.

Twice crowned champion jockey in Britain, Spencer was told in the summer his retained contract with influential owners Qatar Racing would not be renewed in 2015 and he was set to take up a management role within Sheikh Fahad Al Thani’s racing operation.