Newmarket trainer Sir Michael Stoute reveals plans to retire at the end of the season

Legendary Newmarket trainer Sir Michael Stoute has announced that he is to retire at the end of the season.

The 78-year-old, who first took out his licence in 1972, will step aside as one of the sports most successful ever Flat trainers.

His enviable CV includes six Epsom Derby victories and 16 Classic triumphs in total alongside big wins across the globe, including the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, the Dubai World Cup and the Breeders’ Cup.

And he will forever be associated with the ill-fated Shergar, who after a 1981 campaign in which he won both the English and Irish derbies, was stolen from Ballymany Stud in Ireland two years later and never returned.

In a statement released to the PA on Tuesday lunchtime, the 10-time Champion trainer 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.”