'We've had a great time and I'm not bitter at all' - David Griffiths announces retirement from training

David Griffiths has become the latest trainer to leave the profession after deciding another year spent trying to reverse his fortunes would be neither sensible nor profitable.

Griffiths, who enjoyed considerable success with a host of popular sprinters, has already saddled his last runner having decided not to renew his licence at the start of this month. The 50-year-old spent a brief time last year training from a yard in Hull before returning to his long-time base in Bawtry. There were three winners from 47 runners in his final campaign.

During 14 years as a trainer his most prolific flagbearer was Take Cover, whose ten black-type triumphs included two wins in Goodwood's Group 2 King George Stakes. Ornate landed the Dash at Epsom in 2019 while Duke Of Firenze became a fan favourite, winning three times at York and scoring for the last time as a 12-year-old at Lingfield in 2021.

David Griffiths receives his prize from sponsor Fred Done following Take Cover's victory in the 2014 King George Stakes at GoodwoodCredit: Edward Whitaker

"We've had a great time and I'm not bitter at all," said Griffiths. "Some trainers don't get to win a Dash, let alone Group 2, 3 and Listed races in Britain and Ireland, so I've got no complaints. I'm not blaming this on the sport's prize-money situation, either.

"I don't really know why things have worked out like this – we could definitely do the job and we're in a good location but things started going downhill when Covid came. I arguably should have stopped a year or two ago and there just isn't any reason to keep going now. We haven't had enough horses and I also went from getting 20 to 30 WhatsApp messages a day to zero. To me, that was quite a big thing."

With that personal experience behind him, Griffiths now hopes to join the Trainer Support Network, the mental health support scheme created last year by the National Trainers Federation's Racehorse Trainers Benevolent Fund. 

Griffiths, who previously rode 64 winners in Britain as a Flat jockey, said: "I'm doing a lot of work for the National Horseracing College but I'm also keen to get involved with the Trainer Support Network because mental health is massively important."

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