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John Oxx, trainer of the brilliant Sea The Stars and many other great equines, has announced his intention to retire from the training ranks at the end of the season.
Oxx, who sent Sinndar to win the Derby, Irish Derby and Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe in 2000 and Alamshar to win the Irish Derby and King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes in 2003, outlined their plans Monday for the late.
In a statement on www.irishracing.com, he said: “In 2021, I will not renew my coaching license. It was good luck to have enjoyed so much success and to have trained some great horses.
“I am extremely grateful to all the owners who have sent me these horses to train since 1979, to all the great riders who rode them and to all the exceptional staff who have worked for us for the last 41 years.
“Over the years and to date, I have been privileged to have some wonderful owners and will very much miss training for them, but now is a great time to stop.
“My concern at this time is that our staff may find alternative employment as our training business will cease at the end of this turf season in November.”
Oxx, who can also boast having won the Breeders’ Cup with Ridgewood Pearl and the Gold Cup at Ascot with Enzeli, will be forever remembered for the way he brilliantly handled Sea The Stars.
The colt Galileo won six Group One’s in the space of six months in 2009, encapsulating the 2000 Guineas, Derby, Eclipse, Juddmonte International, Irish Champion Stakes and the Arc.
It was ridden throughout this run by Mick Kinane, who was quick to pay tribute to Oxx.
He said, “He is a fantastic coach and an exceptional gentleman.”
“I loved every minute I spent with him.”
Johnny Murtagh led the wheel at Sinndar, riding the Grand Lodge son in all eight of his career starts, of which he won seven.
He said: “It’s the end of an era, I raced for him for many years and he was a brilliant coach.”
“When he got those good horses, he was able to keep them boiling all season long – more importantly, he was an absolute gentleman.
“He was a father figure to me, someone I looked up to. As a jockey I had the privilege of racing for him and when I set up the training, he was a huge influence on how we established our business.
“I wish him all the best, I hope he does not leave the industry because a person with so much knowledge needs to be involved.
“I joined him as a trainee when I was 15 years old, we won the Breeders’ Cup together, we had great success together and I think we work well together.”
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