'He was an amazing guy and I owe him so much' - Gary Moore reflects on special memories with Brian Rouse

Gary Moore has paid tribute to the late Brian Rouse and credited the Classic-winning jockey for playing a pivotal role in his early career as a trainer.

Moore registered 200-plus wins as a jockey before stepping into the training ranks in the early 1990s, and it is the guidance and support from Rouse that he highlighted when reflecting on someone he described as a close ally.

• Brian Rouse, rider of Stanerra and Quick As Lightning, dies at the age of 85 

Moore said: "He was an amazing guy, and I owe him so much. It was Brian who got me to start training, and it was sad when he moved to Newmarket, as I didn’t get to see him as much.

"He used to come down to the yard quite often, probably once a week, and I learned a lot from him as his knowledge was second to none."

Moore, who trained on his own until his son Josh joined him on the licence last year, enjoyed plenty of memorable days with Rouse, who died on Tuesday at the age of 85.

Classic-winning jockey Brian Rouse has died at the age of 85Credit: Edward Whitaker (racingpost.com/photos)

He said: "I travelled to Germany quite a bit with him in my early days as a trainer, and I’ll miss him an awful lot.

"He was a very close friend and it’s obviously very sad to hear, but he was 85 and he had a great innings. He touched so many lives."

Moore added: "Brian was a very unassuming character, but he was a go-to man for the big races back in the day.”

Moore has struck up a close relationship with Rouse’s family, and provided his grandson Aidan Keeley – who won the Cambridgeshire on Majestic for Mick Channon in 2022 – with a job in racing.

Keeley has ridden more than 50 times on the Flat for Moore, who added: "I know Brian’s daughters quite well, and his grandson, Aidan, joined me when he left school. He did very well, and then he moved to Newmarket."

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