Barry Hills announces retirement

This week it was announced that Barry Hills was "retiring"  from his training career at the age of 74 and handing over the reins to his son Charlie. With nearly 3,200 winners and 11 classics under his belt, the figures speak for themselves. As with the Balding dynasty, the natural progression from father to son will mean it should be "business as usual" but for punters it's never quite the same.

My first recollections of Barry Hills was seeing the famous Robert Sangster silks being carried around Chester by then-stable-jockey Ernie Johnson. These were changing times as Sangster and his associates started to take a grip on the racing scene which was not seriously challenged until Sheikh Mohammed arrived on the scene. Sangster was a great belief in racing being an international sport and, to this end, he was influential in bringing over the great Willie Shoemaker to ride Hawaiian Sound, trained by Hills, who went down narrowly to Shirley Heights in the Epsom Derby. But my fascination with the Barry Hills stable did not really take off until it was announced that Sangster and his cohorts were bringing over "The Kentucky Kid", an american phenomenon, to ride for the Hills stable. There was a great deal of anticipation as the press and punters waited to see if Steve Cauthen could do over here what he done in the States and they did not have to wait long to find out. Riding Marquee Universal for Hills at Salisbury, he rode straight into the winners enclosure and never really looked back.

I enjoy reading the comments of punters when these big names leave the training ranks because everyone has their own particular memory - Maybe a classic winner they backed or maybe a 25-1 winner of a humble selling race! Not that Hills has had many runners in sellers over the years ( Please don't ask me to look that one up!). My own favourites were Tap On Wood (2,000 Guineas), Motavato (Free Handicap), Kind of Hush (Craven), Arapahos (Chester Cup) and Gildoran (Ascot Gold Cup). The latter was a game winner at Ascot following a mighty run under top weight in the Chester Cup and was ridden by another "imported" Sangster jockey, Australian Brent Thomson. It no longer seems to have quite the same impact when the top international jockeys come over but at the time it was akin to the first big international football stars joining the old division one. Of all his winners the horse that had the biggest public following was undoubtely Further Flight, the gallant grey stayer who recorded an incredible five victories in the Jockey Club Cup at Newmarket.

As Barry Hills moves aside the spotlight falls on Charlie, no doubt born and bred for the job. We watch with interest to see if he is able to establish himself and keep the Hills name firmly at the top of the training ranks where it has been since 1970.