Sir Michael Stoute, the late Queen’s favourite trainer who saddled the infamous Shergar, to retire

3 months ago 23

ALL-TIME great racehorse trainer Sir Michael Stoute will retire at the end of the season.

The favourite trainer of the late Queen, he took out his licence 52 years ago in 1972 and went on to train some of the sport’s most famous horses.

a man with gray hair and a blue tie smiles

Sir Michael Stoute will retire at the end of the season[/caption]

two men holding a trophy in front of a sign that says the cazoo derby

The legendary trainer won the last of six Derby’s in 2022 with Desert Crown[/caption]

queen elizabeth ii in a purple coat stands next to a horse

The late Queen, who had horses with Stoute for decades, poses with Gold Cup winner Estimate at Royal Ascot[/caption]

Among them was the brilliant Shergar, who was infamously stolen while at stud in Ireland in 1983 and never seen again.

Stoute, 78, was crowned champion trainer 10 times during his legendary career and won the Derby six times, most recently with Desert Crown in 2022.

Stoute said: “I have decided to retire from training at the end of this season.

“I would like to thank all my owners and staff for the support they have given me over the years. It has been a great and enjoyable journey.”

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Stoute has saddled more than 4,000 winners and has had an incredible amount of success at Royal Ascot, sending out 82 winners at the meeting, his first being in 1977.

He trained the top mare Estimate, who memorably won the Gold Cup for the late Queen in 2013 sparking scenes of jubilation in the Royal box and around the track.

In all he saddled 29 British and Irish Classic winners, while he had significant success on the global stage, too.

He won the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe in 2010 with Workforce, while he also bagged the Japan Cup, Dubai World Cup, Hong Kong Vase and several races at the Breeders’ Cup in America.

The great trainer had a few highs in recent years, most notable with Desert Crown and Bay Bridge, but his numbers have gradually be on the slide and he has just 19 winners this season.

And he suffered a devastating personal loss when his long-term partner, Coral Pritchard-Gordon, passed away in August 2020 after a long illness.

Tributes have poured in from around the racing industry, including from six-time champion trainer John Gosden who said: “A true champion trainer with a phenomenal feel for the horses in his stable.

“At the height of their powers, Henry Cecil and he were formidable adversaries and lit up the British racing season year on year.”

Jockey Kieren Fallon, who rode Kris Kin and North Light to win the Derby for Stoute in back-to-back years, said: “He always got the best out of a horse, he was able to take a horse from a two-year-old until they retired and keep finding improvement.

“He was a genius around his horses and a gentleman to ride for.”

It remains to be seen if anyone will take over the running of Freemason Lodge stables in Newmarket, though his long-time assistant James Savage could be in line to take over the licence.