Dalgleish to Hand in His Trainer's License

Record-breaking Scottish trainer Keith Dalgleish has announced he is set to quit the profession this year.

He stressed that he is giving up to spend more time to enjoy life, rather than for financial reasons, and added that he might return after taking a career break.

Dalgleish has been based at Belstane Racing Stables in Carluke, South Lanarkshire, since 2011 and has broken the record for winners in a flat season by a Scottish-based trainer five times since 2014.

He has won 799 races on the flat in Britain and 153 over jumps, and in 2017 became the first trainer north of the border to send out 100 winners in a calendar year. He sent out his ninth listed winner when Prince of Pillo  scored at Ayr last autumn.

"I'm going to stop training this year," he said. "I haven't set a date, I've just told my owners and my staff it will be some time in 2023. We're not too far off 1,000 winners, so that might be a good time to go out.

"Some have been surprised, but people change paths all the time in every other walk of life. I don't see the big deal. 

"I want more time to myself and my family; there is no other reason than that. I know others have been going out of the game because they haven't had enough business, but it's nothing like that."

Dalgleish, 39, started in racing as an apprentice with Mark Johnston and won nearly 300 races as a flat jockey, including two at Royal Ascot and a German group 1 on Yavana's Pace.

But his 6-foot frame made weight a serious issue and he retired from the saddle at the age of just 21.

"I've been really lucky," he said. "I've had some great support, great owners, and great success, and I've really enjoyed it. But training racehorses is very much a 24/7 job and I just want to do other things for a while. 

"I want to be able to do some traveling. I took up cycling during lockdown and fell in love with it, so I'll do plenty of that, and I have quite a few sheep who need looking after, so I'll do that, too.

"But I may come back in a few years' time. I'll see how it goes."