Twiston-Davies Quits The Saddle

Royal Ascot winning jockey Willy Twiston-Davies has retired from race riding after enjoying a brief but successful career in the saddle that has yielded close to 200 winners on the flat. 23-year-old Twiston-Davies, a brother of fellow jockey Sam and son of leading jumps trainer Nigel has also rode winners over jumps but has been out of action since breaking two vertebrae and two ribs in a fall at Cheltenham last March. Though medically cleared to ride Twiston-Davies has decided to focus his attentions on other areas of the racing industry. “In some ways it was a tough decision to make and obviously I will miss it a lot, but at the same time I can see myself training one day, perhaps when dad calls it a day, and I'm also keen to concentrate on the bloodstock side of things,” he said on Monday. Twiston-Davies has been active at the foal sale at Tattersalls in the last week where he made five purchases for resale as yearlings and reflecting on his short but sweet time in the saddle he said, “I've been a very lucky chap. I'm one of the youngest guys to ride over the Grand National fences, I've had Cheltenham winners, a Royal Ascot winner and a Glorious Goodwood winner. The injuries have been difficult, but that's not the reason I'm stopping and I'm looking forward to the next chapter in my career.