Drowne wins on final ride Steve Drowne ended his 27-riding career on a high with a fitting victory through Met By Moonlight in the Betway Dash Handicap at Lingfield. Drowne, 45, won the July Cup in 2007 on Met By Moonlight's sire Sakhee's Secret and the filly is trained by Ron Hodges, who helped the jockey on the road to a successful career in the saddle. The multiple Group One-winning jockey had to come wide on the 6-1 shot, but his partner quickened in good style to win emphatically by two and three-quarter lengths from the 11-8 favourite Shackled N Drawn. Drowne said: "That was nice. Thanks to Ron as well. He said a fortnight ago it would be my last and it's worked out great. "I started with Chuck Spares and then was with Ron Holder briefly. When I moved to Ron's that's when I really got going. "He had a few good sprinters - Hard To Figure and the like. It's lovely to finish where we started." Hodges said: "That was marvellous. It was fantastic to end it like that." Reflecting on his career that yielded more than 1,400 winners, Drowne told At The Races: "It's been a long time - 27 years - and that's it today. "I've been doing it so long and you know this is the last time you are going to drive to the races to ride. It's strange, but everything has to come to an end. "I've no regrets I've called it a day. I'm happy with how it's gone and that I'm finishing in one piece. "The highlights have to be my Group Ones. Sakhee's Secret was quite a big one. It was a big sprint race and he was well fancied. I've had some big winners." Drowne rode for many top trainers including Mick Channon, Hughie Morrison, Roger Charlton, John Gosden and the late Geoff Wragg. His first Group One success was Queen's Logic for the Channon stable in the Cheveley Park Stakes in October 2001 and his last came on Jwala in the Nunthorpe Stakes at York in August 2013 for Robert Cowell. He won the Prix de l'Abbaye on the Charlton-trained pair of Patavellian in 2003 and Avonbridge two years later.
