Tributes Pour In For Dobbin

Nicky Richards and Len Lungo led the tributes to Tony Dobbin after the 35-year-old Ulsterman announced his impending retirement from the saddle.

The Grand National-winning rider will officially hang up his whip after riding 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 is trained by Richards, for whom Dobbin has ridden since 1998, following the death of Nicky´s father Gordon.

"He´s been a fantastic jockey for father and myself. He told me he´s been in this country 19 years and he´s had 14 of them at Greystoke," Richards told PA Sport.

"When my father passed away Tony stuck with me very loyally. He could have moved off to bigger and better things.

"He´s helped me as much as anyone trying to get Greystoke established again."

Richards, who is in no hurry to appoint a successor, described Dobbin as a master of his craft.

"He had a lot going for him. He was a fantastic tactician," added the trainer.

"He was very professional. He knew what the other jockeys were probably going to do and he knew the level of ability of the other horses. He was also very determined.

"Racing needs men like him. He´s had a fantastic career, won the National and has also ridden over 1,000 winners."

Dobbin, the seventh most successful jump jockey of all time, also enjoyed a number of fruitful campaigns in the plate for Lungo.

"He was good on good horses, but on those that were a bit lazy or dodgy he was able to make up their minds and make them go and do it - a bit like Tony McCoy," said Lungo.

"In my view he was the best jockey in the north for a long number of years and one of the top three in the country.

"We had some great times and I wish him the very best."

Upon retirement, Dobbin will assist partner Rose Davidson with the training at a purpose-built yard which is likely to be up and running next year.

Explaining his decision to retire, Dobbin said: "I´m 36 next month and it seems the right time to do it.

"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.

"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 go 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 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 his 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.

(C) PA Sport