Dobbin announces retirement Grand National-winning rider Tony Dobbin will retire from the saddle at Carlisle next Thursday. Dobbin, who won Aintree´s four-and-a-half-miler aboard Lord Gyllene in 1997, has also been associated with star horses like One Man and Monet´s Garden. The latter disappointed in the totesport Bowl at Aintree on Thursday but Dobbin will take the reins aboard the Pat Hughes-trained Point Barrow in the John Smith´s Grand National on Saturday. The 35-year-old Ulsterman is the seventh most successful jump jockey of all time, having partnered almost 1,200 winners in a fruitful career. Upon retirement, Dobbin intends to assist partner Rose Davidson at a purpose-built yard which is likely to be up and running next year. Dobbin admitted he had been contemplating hanging up his saddle for some time. "I´m 36 next month and it seems the right time to do it," said Dobbin. "My girlfriend Rose is going into training next year and I´m going to be assistant to her. "I´m going to work for Kevin Ryan in the summer and to Jonjo O´Neill´s at Jackdaws Castle for more experience to see the training side of things. "It´s back to basics now. "It´s one thing getting off a horse, it´s different when you have to care for them," the jockey told At The Races. Dobbin began his racing apprenticeship with O´Neill in 1988 and rode his first winner on the Flat aboard Stay Awake at Hamilton in 1990. He later graduated to the National Hunt game and became champion conditional jockey in the 1993-94 season with 45 winners. In 1994 the Downpatrick-born rider assumed the important role as stable jockey to Gordon Richards. In the same year, Dobbin partnered One Man to victory in the Hennessy Cognac Gold Cup at Newbury. That success was one of the highlights of his career, although the win aboard Lord Gyllene in the Grand National was especially notable as the race was run on a Monday following a bomb scare on the Saturday. The jockey added: "Lord Gyllene in the Grand National is definitely one of my best highlights. "I´ve been very lucky in my career. I´ve ridden for some good people and ridden some good horses. "In 1994 I got offered the job at Greystoke. That was a huge thing for me to work for the late Gordon Richards - he taught me an awful lot. "I´m going to sign off at Carlisle on Thursday. "It´s been my home from home for the best part of 20 years so I´d like to finish there."
