Shaun Keightley out to put the past behind him as he returns to training

Shaun Keightley has returned to training after an absence of 12 years and has taken out a licence to operate from Harraton Lodge Stables in Exning, near Newmarket.

The 58-year-old left the training ranks under a cloud in 2005 when he was warned off for three years and banned from applying for a licence for a further two over the running and riding of Red Lancer in a seller at Wolverhampton two years previously.

The former jump jockey had made a bright start to his new career with 18 winners before his enforced absence and sees his return as "unfinished business".

Keightley has stayed within racing in a variety of roles since 2005 and he is coming full circle as he started his training career at La Grange Stables on Newmarket's Fordham Road, which is now the base of Ed Dunlop.

He said on Friday: "I've decided to try training again as I had made a good start to my career and it feels like unfinished business.

"After that episode I worked in a few pre-training yards and in 2010 I was assistant to Matthew Salaman in Wales. After that I worked for Pat Murphy and Peter Makin until he retired, and I've been assistant to Peter Hedger for the past two years."

On his new venture, he added: "I'm renting 29 boxes and the challenge will be to fill the yard. I've got eight horses in at the moment, half of whom are two-year-olds.

"Hopefully I can have my first runner at the end of this month or early in May."

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