Amateur jockey Emma Sayer bows out with emotional victory at Carlisle

Amateur jockey Emma Sayer brought the curtain down on her riding career with an emotional success on Redarna at Carlisle's all-female riders' fixture on Monday evening.

Sayer, 27, partnered the 3-1 favourite to victory in the mile handicap for her mother Dianne and revealed afterwards it would be her last night in the saddle.

"I've been considering retiring for a while and being here in front of my home crowd on ladies' night – which is the highlight of our year – is the perfect place to hang up my boots," she said.

"I've had such a great career. I've had winners in Qatar and Oman and at home won a development award at Haydock and the diamond necklace race at Cartmel."

Sayer, who was crowned champion lady amateur jump jockey in 2011-2012, has ridden 57 winners in Britain – 31 over jumps and 26 on the Flat.

In August 2016, she scooped a £20,000 Jockey Club Racecourses development award as an apprentice, but shortly after became a PE teacher and returned to the amateur ranks.

Emma Sayer with winning connections following Redarna's winCredit: John Grossick (racingpost.com/photos)

After two years at Ullswater Community College, she returned to racing but then broke her neck for the second time in a nasty unseat at Cartmel.

Sayer, who worked her way back to full fitness and won on Redarna at Ascot nine days ago, will switch her attention to assisting her mother with a view to taking over the licence at the family-run yard at Hackthorpe in Penrith.

She added: "The injuries made it tough and I'm now focusing on training and learning from the best, which is my mum."

Paying tribute to her daughter, Dianne Sayer said: "She's got here and is fit and well and we've got to be very thankful. She's had a wonderful riding career and it's the right time.

"She's got two training courses to go and then she'll take over the training from me."

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