'I've got to move on' - charismatic trainer Mick Channon to call it a day

Mick Channon will close his 33-year training career at the end of the season with son Jack set to take over the licence at his historic West Ilsley stables.

The charismatic Channon recorded a landmark 2,500th domestic Flat winner only last week, but he has also trained a further 101 victories over jumps and enjoyed big success in France, Ireland and Germany.

The trainer, 73, said the switch of the licence was something he has long considered and he felt the time was now right with Channon jnr completing his training modules on Friday.

"I haven't found it emotional yet but I might once reality hits home," Channon said. "I know I've got to move on for several different reasons, things aren't always as easy as you see and health is important to us all.

Jack Channon (right): will take over from his fatherCredit: Alan Crowhurst / Getty Images

"It had been heading that way for a while, and I think everyone knew it was going to happen. This is a good time to throw Jack into the deep end. He's been all over the world, working for some good people in Australia and America.

"I'm happy he's got a chance which all young trainers need, but I'm leaving him with a few decent horses. It's not an easy job but I hope it works out for Jack."

Channon jnr has completed his paperwork and the switch will be made official when the licence is processed. He will continue to train out of West Ilsley with the same horses, owners and stable staff.

He said: "It's exciting and daunting all at the same time, but me and Dad have been preparing for this for quite a while and I'm looking forward to getting started.

"Dad has been my hero for as long as I can remember. We've had some great days together; as a kid I remember going up on the gallops and watching all those amazing horses go through their paces for the big days, then winning. I hope I can emulate him in some way."

Racehorse training was a second career for Channon, who was a top-class footballer for Southampton, Manchester City and Norwich City through the 1970s and early 1980s. He made 46 appearances for England, scoring 21 goals, and holds the unfortunate record of being the most-capped England player to have never played at a major international tournament.

He got his training licence in 1989, only a few years on from his retirement from football, and soon trained out of the West Ilsley Stables which was the facility once used by the great Dick Hern.

Five years after starting, Channon trained his first Group 1 winner when Piccolo captured the Nunthorpe Stakes, and he has since enjoyed success at the top level domestically with the likes of Seazun, Tobougg, Zafeen, Majestic Roi and Music Show.

His most famous horse was Youmzain, who finished second in the Arc on three occasions, and won the Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud and Preis von Europa.

Youmzain (closest) is beaten a head by Dylan Thomas in the 2007 ArcCredit: Edward Whitaker

Royal Power provided Channon with his first Classic winner in the 2006 German 2,000 Guineas and Samitar landed the Irish 1,000 Guineas in 2012, while over jumps he trained Mister Whitaker to win at the 2018 Cheltenham Festival.

"I've been lucky," he added. "We've had some good horses and some cost no money – Youmzain cost 30,000gns and we had a lot of success with cheaper horses.

"I was fortunate that everything fell right, I had great people around me and we found some nice horses. You need the breaks to go your way, whether that's playing football or training racehorses.

"There are so many people to thank. All my owners have been great even from my first ones, Patrick Trant and Peter Taplin, and I've had lots of very good staff along the way. I suppose I'll have to thank my wife [Jill] for putting up with me!"

The historic West Ilsley Stables was put on sale in June and remains on the market with a guide price of £6.975 million.

Mick Channon details

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