'Any plaudit given to the great man would not be good enough' - Sir Michael Stoute to stop training at the end of the year

"A great and enjoyable journey" was the phrase Sir Michael Stoute conjured up on Tuesday to describe a long and glittering training career that will come to an end before the year is out. 

Stoute, 78, has trained numerous champions, including the peerless Shergar – one of six Derby winners – as well as the likes of Shareef Dancer, Zilzal, Harbinger and Workforce. He has been champion trainer on ten occasions and between 1985 and 2022 there were only four seasons in which he did not send out a Group 1 winner.

In a statement to the PA news agency, 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."

As well as training some of the greats of the modern British turf, Stoute has also helped shape the future careers of James Fanshawe and Owen Burrows to name just two current trainers, as well as working closely with jockeys of the calibre of the late Walter Swinburn, Kieren Fallon, Ryan Moore and Richard Kingscote.

The great Shergar storms to Derby glory in 1981 to earn Stoute his first victory in the ClassicCredit: Gerry Cranham (racingpost.com/photos)

His current assistant James Savage summed up what it has meant to him to work under one of the great post-war trainers at Freemason's Lodge.

"I think any plaudit that's given to the great man wouldn't be good enough or high enough to what we think of him and what he's achieved in racing," Savage told Racing TV at Leicester on Tuesday.

• 'An iconic trainer who was one step ahead in every way' - major owners line up to pay tribute to retiring Sir Michael Stoute

"He's always appreciated the class of horse he's been given, as well as the great owners and the staff all the way. All good things come to an end. He's a fantastic man who always had time for anyone who had a question or problem."

Savage added: "He's been there for all of us and let's hope he has a long and happy retirement, but the season's not over yet. He told me yesterday to keep punching, keep the standards high and keep going for the rest of the year." 

Sir Michael Stoute and James Savage after Bay Bridge had won the September Stakes Credit: Edward Whitaker

Former assistant James Fanshawe paid tribute to his old boss and highlighted his support when he started training on his own. He said: "I was with Sir Michael as assistant for seven years and had a wonderful time. I really appreciated what I picked up at Freemason Lodge and Beech Hurst. He set me on the road to training and supported me when I first started. 

"He's a great fellow to work for and we remain great friends. We had some great horses and the competition at that time with Henry Cecil was very exciting."

Owen Burrows is another who learned his trade as a trainer while assisting Stoute and he is in no doubt how much his mentor has helped him along the way.

"It's a sad day, but I owe Sir Michael a lot," said Burrows. "It was through working for him that I got the connection with Sheikh Hamdan which led to me to set up training. Towards the end of my time he entrusted me with a lot of responsibility, which gave me a lot of confidence going into training on my own. 

Owen Burrows: "It's a sad day, but I owe Sir Michael a lot"Credit: Edward Whitaker

"Without him and Shiekh Hamdan I wouldn't be doing what I am doing now."

Ted Durcan was an integral part of the Stoute riding team for many years and, speaking from the Keeneland Yearling Sales in Kentucky, he remembered his time there fondly.

He said: "For me it was both a privilege and a pleasure to be involved in the yard in recent years. It was a fun, interesting place to be and I have nothing but fond memories being involved in the small little way I was." 

The 135 rating achieved by Harbinger when trouncing his rivals in the King George at Ascot earned him the title of World's Best Racehorse in 2010 and was bettered only by Shergar among the horses trained by Stoute across more than 50 years. 

The man on board that day was Olivier Peslier, who reflected: "I can honestly say that whenever Michael Stoute called on me to ride for him it was a real pleasure. He began using me when I was still fairly young and we had some terrific victories together.

Olivier Peslier after Harbinger's King George triumphCredit: Edward Whitaker

"Obviously Harbinger winning the King George was fantastic and I think winning the Hardwicke on Dartmouth for the late Queen was probably my best day at Royal Ascot."

Peslier added: "Like all the very good trainers in Britain he knew his horses intimately and you were always confident that he would have them in peak form for a big race. It was always a pleasure and always fun."

Stoute saddled his first winner in 1972 and six years later Fair Salinia became his first Classic winner when winning the Oaks, a race the trainer also won with Unite in 1987.

He has won 16 British Classics – most recently the 2022 Derby with Desert Crown – and 11 in Ireland, as well as plundering some of the biggest prizes around the world.

Many of his biggest victories came at Royal Ascot where, starting with Etienne Gerard in the 1977 Jersey Stakes, Stoute has had 82 winners, second only to Aidan O'Brien, and has been leading trainer at the meeting six times.

From the archives:

• Sir Michael Stoute: 'I still enjoy it but probably not as much as I ever did'

Sir Michael Stoute with his sixth and final Derby winner Desert CrownCredit: Edward Whitaker

He also became one of the most enthusiastic adopters of the expanded international calendar and has won a number of landmark races globally, including the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, which he won with Workforce in 2010, the Japan Cup, Dubai World Cup and Hong Kong Vase.

Stoute first scored at the highest level when Music Maestro won the 1977 Flying Childers Stakes and his most recent Group 1 winner is Bay Bridge, who landed the 2022 Champion Stakes at Ascot.

Stoute has recorded 21 winners from 130 runners this season, with Passenger providing the most notable success in the Group 2 Huxley Stakes in May.

Stoute, who was knighted in 1998 for services to tourism in his native Barbados, was inducted into the Qipco British Champions Series Hall of Fame last year.

Sir Michael Stoute announces retirement:

Sir Michael Stoute and Ryan Moore combine with exciting two-year-old prospect hours after trainer announces retirement 

Appreciation: Stoute can be as forthcoming in private as he is reticent in public, two polar extremes inside the same man  

Ten of Sir Michael Stoute's best: superstar Shergar heads titans trained by the Newmarket legend  

'An iconic trainer who was one step ahead in every way' -  major owners line up to pay tribute to retiring Sir Michael Stoute 

Michael Holding: 'I'm glad Michael's been strong enough to say listen, I've had a great time, and I can now walk away' 

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