Veteran Duffield calls it a day

George Duffield has formally announced his retirement from the saddle after giving up on his battle to recover from an injured shoulder.

The 58-year-old rider was keen to overtake Edward Hide’s total number of winners and move himself to eighth on the all-time jockeys’ list, but he has not been passed fit by the Jockey Club’s chief medical adviser Dr Michael Turner.

Duffield hurt himself when a two-year-old reared up on him in the stalls at his wife Anne’s base in Yorkhire last July, and underwent surgery to repair the damage.

“I am going to pack it all in,” he said today.

“I had my shoulder looked at three weeks ago and Dr Turner came over the other night to put me through my paces. He could not pass me fit and said I would have to be looked at on a month-to-month basis.

“In a way it was a disappointment as I would have liked to beat Edward Hide’s record.

“But I have not ridden in a race since last July and I have enjoyed being at home and have been busy. I will now help Anne with training the Flat horses, and I can still ride out, so that will be another phase of my career.”