Newmarket stalwart to bow out after 40 years with licence

Willie Musson, one of Newmarket's most senior and respected trainers, is to retire at the end of this week after a 40-year career as a licence holder.

The 67-year-old has trained more than 400 winners during a career that has spanned five decades. His best horse was Ore, who won the Group 2 Henry II Stakes before finishing runner-up to Gildoran in the 1984 Gold Cup.

A former point-to-point rider, Musson first embarked on his training career near Guildford in 1976 before moving to Newmarket four years later, where he leased Phantom House Stables on Fordham Road.