Born in Barbados on October 22, 1945 – and knighted for promotion of sport tourism in his native island country in 1998 – Sir Michael Stoute, 78, has announced his decision to retire from training at the end of the 2024 Flat season. Formerly assistant trainer to Hubert Patrick ‘Pat’ Rohan, Doug Smith and Harry Thomson ‘Tom’ Jones, Stoute saddled his first winner in his own right, Sandal, ridden by Lester Piggott, at Newmarket on April 28, 1972. So began what he recently described as “a great and enjoyable journey” right to the top of his profession.

All told, Stoute would go on to saddle 4,178 on the Flat in Britain, plus another 12 over Jumps – including what would become the so-called ‘Triple Crown of Hurdling’ with Kribensis, owned by Shiekh Mohammed, in 1989/90 – and become British Champion Flat Trainer 10 times between 1981 and 2009. Ironically, he enjoyed his most successful, numerically, in 1985, chalking up 120 winners during a season in which Henry (later Sir Henry) Cecil and his newly-appointed stable jockey Steve Cauthen proved indomitable.

Sir Michael Stoute saddled a total of 27 Classic winners, 16 in Britain and 11 in Ireland (where he was also Champion Trainer, once, in 1986). On British soil, he won the Derby six times, the 2,000 Guineas five times, the 1,000 Guineas and the Oaks twice apiece and the St. Leger once. His most famous Derby winner was Shergar (1983), but Desert Crown (2022) was, in fact, the final Classic winner of his long and illustrious career.