No winner but smiles galore as Eddery signs off

Pat Eddery signed off after an illustrious career as a jockey with three rides in Mauritius today, but there was no fairytale ending.

The 11-times champion jockey came nearest to winning when he finished second on his opening ride on Milad, but his other mounts proved disappointing.

It could not stop Eddery enjoying the day, however, and his face was wreathed in smiles as he said goodbye after 36 years in the saddle.

After Michael Kinane and Darryll Holland had showered him in champagne, he said: “I came here because I have never ridden a winner here and I really wanted to come away with one, but it wasn’t to be.

“I still had a really good time and enjoyed every minute of it. The Mauritius Turf Club has always been good to me and I will come back here, but only for a holiday.

“I thought I was going to win that first race, but the other guy just caught me in the end. That’s life, and I am not going to cry over it. I am too old for that.”

As to plans for the future, he added: “I am going to stay here with my family for another week and relax. Then I am going home, because we need to look after our new business (a racing ownership syndicate company).

“There might be another skiing holiday somewhere along the line, but really we need to send out those horses first.”

Asked about reports that he was keen on a career as a trainer, he went on: “I just said that I enjoyed working with the horses and that it is a possibility that in a year or two, when the other business is up and running, I might consider training.

“We will see how our horses do next year and then, who knows?”

Eddery, 51, departs the scene after an amazing career in which he rode 4,632 winners in Britain, placing him second in the all-time table to Gordon Richards.

Three Derbys and four Prix de l’Arc de Triomphes were among his huge haul of big-race victories.

Eleven jockeys competed in the Air Mauritius/Beau Rivage International Jockeys’ Championship on a hot and humid day at the Champ-de-Mars track in Port Louis today.

Eddery, whose rides also included a last and a second-last, was out of luck but Holland, who had flown to the Indian Ocean island from Singapore especially to ride with him on his final day, won two races.

However, the championship went to French jockey Dominique Boeuf, who also rode two winners and collected more points for placed efforts.

He said: “I would have gladly given up my two winners for Pat. I really wanted him to ride a winner today, but it was not to be.

“He is a great gentleman and it was an honour to ride with him. We will miss him in the weighing-room, that’s for sure.”