Doumen calls time on riding career

Baracouda’s jockey Thierry Doumen has retired from riding to concentrate on his training career after undergoing surgery on his shoulder.

Doumen, son of the highly successful trainer Francois Doumen, enjoyed a number of big-race victories in Britain and Ireland.

Most notably, Baracouda was the back-to-back winner of the Stayers’ Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival among 12 victories in Britain, and First Gold won a King George VI Chase, two Martell Cups and a Heineken Gold Cup.

Doumen’s training career has already taken off and he won this year’s Irish Champion Hurdle with the JP McManus-owned Foreman, whom he rode himself.

Doumen said yesterday: “I had quite a serious operation on my shoulder last week and they have put quite a few pieces of metal in it.

“The surgeon told me that it would not be good if I fell on my shoulder, so now seems a good time to quit.

“I have a string of 25 horses and I have been very lucky to have the support of Mr McManus.

“I will especially miss riding Baracouda, but you can’t do everything, and now seems the right time to stop.”