Jim Crowley, the former champion Flat jockey, has announced his retirement from race-riding, effective August 1, 2026.
The decision comes after a severe fall at York last year left him with injuries that have not fully healed.
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The 48-year-old made the announcement on the final day of the Goodwood Festival.
Despite undergoing five surgical procedures on fractures to his pelvis and leg, he could not regain the fitness required to compete at the highest level.
Crowley began his career over jumps in 1997 before switching to Flat racing in 2006.
He won the British Flat Jockeys' Championship in 2016 and became the retained rider for the Shadwell operation.
During his time with Shadwell, he rode top horses, including the unbeaten Baaeed, record-breaking sprinter Battaash, and Group 1 winners Hukum, Anmaat, Mohaather, and Mostahdaf.
A Difficult Decision
"This has been the hardest decision of my life but after a great deal of thought I've decided the time has come to retire from race-riding," Crowley said.
He explained that the metal hardware in his body made it impossible to compete at the top level.
"I've got a rod through my tibia, a plate in my fibula, a plate across the front of my pelvis with eight screws and I've got another two screws in my hip.
In total I've got 20 screws, two plates and one rod in my leg," he said.
The fall was life-threatening, as he suffered internal bleeding. "I had internal bleeding after the accident and very nearly died that day," Crowley recalled.
