IT ALMOST ended in tears, but Tony Dobbin signed off his riding career on a winning note yesterday when he brought Ballyvoge home in front in a dramatic finish at Carlisle.
Sixth in the all-time list of winning-most jump jockeys in Britain, Dobbin is to learn the ropes of the training game as he prepares to assist his partner Rose Davidson at a purpose-built yard in 2009.
The specially-named Dobbs Finale & Future Bes
t Wishes Novices' Chase saw him make all on the Craig Bennett-owned 4-11 favourite for his boss Nicky Richards. But his mount was starting to wander about approaching the final fence and it looked as if Lord Samposin would spoil the party, only for Dobbin to rally Ballyvoge in determined fashion and hold on by three-quarters of a length.
There was a dramatic sequel in the stewards' room, however, with Michael McAlister, who rode Lord Samposin, being found in breach of Rule 157 and referred to the British Horseracing Authority. The horse's trainer Maurice Barnes was found not to be in breach of any rule.
Rule 157 comes under the 'Intent To Conceal' banner but McAlister, who had twice dropped his reins briefly on the run-in, said: "I gave the horse every chance and that is the best race he has ever run.
"If he had not made that blunder at the third-last he would have made up that three-quarters of a length. He is a big gangly horse, 17.2 hands, and takes a lot of organising and lot of holding together, he is not very experienced. They (the stewards] listened to what I said to a certain extent, but they had a mindset on."
Barnes could not understand the decision and said: "They have done Michael for not trying, he hit him five times, four good ones and a slap from the last. As far as I am concerned he was doing his best."
Ballyvoge paraded in front of the cheering crowds in the grandstands before making his way back to the chute off the course, where Richards was the first to greet horse and rider.
Racegoers continued the applause as he entered the winner's enclosure, with Richards encouraging Dobbin to do a flying dismount, although not surprisingly he took no chances.
After being presented with a walking stick "to help him check the going" when he teams up with Davidson, Dobbin said: "I was very emotional as a result of the reception from racegoers in the grandstands as we cantered to post. I was in tears, but I wasn't after the race – I was too tired.
"When I came over here 20 years ago (from Ireland] my aim was to be a successful jockey and now I want to make a success of training with Rose."
When asked if he thought Ballyvoge was going to get caught, Richards said: "That was just the job, one thing about this man, if he is a couple of lengths clear at the last he doesn't get caught many times does he?"
Richards added: "You have to be a top jockey to ride as many winners as Tony has and he has played a great part at Greystoke. When we had one ready for a big race and we had done our job right, 99 times out of 100 he would do his job.
" He's been a very loyal man to have on your side and when we've taken horses down south we've never thought about ringing Tony McCoy or anyone like that, we knew Tony and Brian Harding would do the job for us."
It was appropriate that Harding rode a winner on the card. And after dismounting from Alan Mactaggart's Royal Mackintosh after the TurfTV Novices' Handicap Chase, he said: "It is good to ride a winner on the day that Dobbs is retiring."
The full article contains 656 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
