Black Jack Ketchum retired Black Jack Ketchum has been retired after trainer Jonjo O´Neill revealed the former top-class performer "wasn´t enjoying it anymore". Owned by Gay and Derrick Smith, the nine-year-old appeared to have a huge future in the game after his victory at the 2006 Cheltenham Festival. But after falling in the World Hurdle a year later, he has only managed one further win at Wetherby and was last seen pulling up at Prestbury Park on New Year´s Day. "He was a brilliant servant to the yard and a super little horse who will be very hard to replace, as good horses like him do not come along every day," said O´Neill. "He´s in good form at home but is not showing the same sparkle on the course this season, and, after talking it over with Gay and her husband Derrick, we have decided the fairest thing to do is retire him. "We had hoped he would run at Aintree this week, where he has won before, but that is off the agenda now and he will spend his well-earned retirement at the Smith´s farm in Barbados. "He just did not seem to be enjoying it anymore and the last thing Gay and Derrick wanted to see was him slogging around after he had given them so much fun in winning all those races," he told the Racing Post.
