In among the many hustle and bustle of Newmarket on a contemporary midweek morning, Britain’s oldest jockey Jimmy Quinn remains to be going about his normal routine at Marco Botti’s yard – mucking out, getting ready horses to be ridden and, at 57 years previous, conserving himself match for race day.
After celebrating over 1,500 winners from greater than 22,000 rides, Quinn is bringing an finish to his stellar race-riding profession on the conclusion of the 2024 flat season.
“I’m 29 plus 27!” Quinn jokes. How does he nonetheless do it? “Train harder, go to bed earlier and lots of gym work.”
It was at Newmarket racecourse in the beginning of Might the place Quinn made the decision, though he initially deliberate to retire with quick impact having refused to resume his driving licence.
He says: “I used to be most likely having a nasty 72 hours!
“I obtained fairly a couple of telephone calls however there was one from John Egan and he mentioned: ‘Don’t do it! However, if you are going to retire, do it on the finish of the season.’
“I still love the job and if you enjoy it, you keep doing it.”
Quinn isn’t the primary weighing room legend to postpone his retirement. Frankie Dettori made headlines final yr after embarking on a farewell tour, solely to announce a change to USA for the foreseeable future.
“When you look at what Frankie’s done, going for the championship and riding day in, day out – it’s incredible,” Quinn says.
“In the last 10 years or so he’s ridden one or two days a week and the big meetings so his body is going to last.”
Winners and rides might have dropped instantly for Quinn in recent times – he had only one winner from 80 makes an attempt in 2023 – however at his peak, he would often amass over 1,000 rides in a season and reached the 100-winner milestone within the 2002 marketing campaign.
Quinn is Britain’s oldest skilled jockey
His best day on the observe got here 5 years later as Kingsgate Native claimed Group One honours within the Nunthorpe Stakes at York, nevertheless it’s getting the leg-up on the best racehorse of all of them that gave Quinn certainly one of his largest thrills within the saddle.
Reflecting on his expertise aboard Frankel, then a younger famous person within the making, Quinn says: “I only rode him once as a two-year-old. I thought he was a three-year-old, he was a machine.
“The 2 lads who had been with me once we rode him out, one was a winner and the opposite had completed second. They had been main me and weren’t hanging round however I pulled him out and he was gone!”
Quinn isn’t fairly hanging up his saddle simply but and is set to proceed driving out past the top of the yr.
As for different endeavours, he’s nonetheless weighing up his choices.
“I did a bit of pinhooking last year – buying foals with potential and selling as yearlings – and did quite well but I’m waiting for the economy to change. I’m not quite happy with it at the moment,” he says.
“I could be a jockeys’ agent but I like being outdoors too much so I don’t know if I could sit in a office all day.
“Even serving to the youngsters with teaching however would I’ve sufficient endurance or be too forceful? I positively will nonetheless be driving out.”
What of the prospects of Quinn doing a Dettori and u-turning on his retirement?
“I nonetheless get pleasure from doing it nevertheless it’s the correct time,” he insists. “Except John [Egan] provides me one other name!”
