'It's sickening to an extent but I had an absolute ball' - four-time Group 1-winning jockey Shane Crosse retires

Four-time Group 1-winning jockey Shane Crosse says that his decision to retire was “sickening” but that he “had a ball” during his prolific six years in the saddle.

Crosse called time on his career this week at the age of 21 after a long battle with the scales. The Tipperary native had long been identified as one of the most promising talents in the jockey ranks from a young age and he fulfilled that promise in spectacular fashion in recent years, steering home 200 domestic winners while also landing 12 Listed and 15 Group victories, including four at the highest level.

Crosse revealed his struggles with maintaining his weight in order to remain near the top of his profession.

"The reality is I just couldn’t do it long term," he said. "Obviously my weight has been an issue for a few years but I’ve been especially struggling of late. It literally only really hit me in the last two weeks.

"I never could get it to where I wanted it to be this year. I decided to step out of the game around six to eight weeks ago as I wanted to get it right so I flew over to Liverpool to spend some time with George Wilson, who works in John Moores University. He tested me from head to toe and I went about getting a routine with him. It worked to a point, but not to what I needed it to be in order to ride in the races I wanted to."

Crosse did his utmost to return to the saddle and had racked up two successes from 20 rides in 2023 and had his final two rides at Down Royal last Friday.

"I took a few rides over the last while because I just really wanted to get back but it just didn’t work out. I had two rides at Down Royal nine days ago and I just decided on the way home that I couldn’t go through with it anymore."

Known for his association with trainer Joseph O'Brien, Crosse rode 151 winners for the Owning Hill stable, with the crowning moment for the duo coming in last season's Prince of Wales's Stakes, where Crosse made all with an expertly judged ride on State Of Rest for O'Brien's maiden Royal Ascot winner.

Reflecting on a special day and his association with O'Brien, Crosse said: "State Of Rest was the horse of a lifetime. That was an absolute one in a million day. I was so lucky to come across a horse like him and get to ride him. I've been in Joseph’s yard [for] six years and since day one it hasn’t felt like a job at all. The ammunition, the quality and the way the place is run is second to none.

"It's sickening to an extent but I had an absolute ball and have no regrets. I’ve been so lucky since day one with the support of Joseph, my mam and dad, my brother Nathan and all my friends.

"I’m still digesting it so I’ll just chill out for a couple of weeks and something will hopefully pop up. What it will be, I don’t know yet."

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