Dalgleish hangs up his boots
Jockey Keith Dalgleish has retired from racing at the age of 21 after suffering an on-going battle with the scales.
Rumours surrounding the Scotsman’s future emerged last night after he failed to take up his four intended mounts at Hamilton, and his agent Richard Hale confirmed this morning: “He has retired.
“I only took him over a week ago and I took a phone call yesterday morning from his dad saying that Keith had packed in and was finished. He didn’t say much more than that and didn’t shed a lot of light on it, but he obviously has weight problems, and he said Keith would ring me in a day or two when he has got his head together.
“He is only 21, though, and it is not like retiring when you are 35. But he is over six foot tall so it is an uphill struggle and it has presumably got the better of him.
“I can only read between the lines as he’s only been with me a week but he certainly never mentioned anything like this and it has come as a shock to me as well.
"He never carries any weight and is at a bare minimum so is fighting the scales all of time and there will be no day when he went racing with wasting. Most people can have a few days off but if he let it go, he could probably put half a stone on quite easily.”
Hale was unsure about the jockey’s future plans, though, and added: “A few people have been asking if he will go jumping and I am not saying that won’t happen, but I just don’t know at this stage.”
Dalgleish was based at Mark Johnston’s Middleham yard and has ridden 22 winners this season.
His biggest success came when he partnered Yavana’s Pace to a Group One success in Germany in August 2002, and he rode many of Johnston’s stable stars including Lucky Story when he scored in last year’s Veuve Clicquot Vintage Stakes at Glorious Goodwood.
Weighing-room veteran George Duffield was sadden by the loss on the young rider.
He told At The Races: “This is the first I have heard about it and it is shame as the one thing that lad could do was ride a racehorse. He was a very talented guy and although he was tall and was going to get heavy, I think he should have persevered a lot longer.
“It is such a shame and such a loss to a have a young talent like that just packing in. He could go jumping but whether that is his fancy or not is beside the point. When it comes to riding horses he has a great talent.”
