Tom Scudamore calls time on riding career after Leicester tumble
The 40-year-old made the decision to call time on his riding career after being unseated from Ya Know Yaseff at Leicester on Thursday, with the fall prompting him to reassess the future.
He told the Daily Mail: “I had a concussion 10 days ago and I have been concussed a few times in the past. At my age you have to be careful. I feel I have had a bit of a warning and falls I could take in the past are harder to take now.
“There was no concussion after my fall at Leicester but I got a right kicking and I thought I have had my warning now.
“Not everybody gets to go out on their own terms but I am. I am not retiring, I am just changing job, although I don’t know what that job will be yet!”
Scudamore rode over 1,500 winners during his career, with Thistlecrack’s 2016 victories in both the Stayers’ Hurdle and King George VI Chase his most high-profile successes.
The rider hails from a racing dynasty, with his father Peter an eight-times champion jockey over jumps, while his grandfather Michael rode Oxo to victory in the 1959 Grand National. His brother, Michael, is also a successful trainer.
Scudamore rode his first winner in 1998 and recorded his best seasonal tally in the 2014-15 campaign when he partnered 150 winners.
He also enjoyed a long association with the David Pipe yard, following in the footsteps of his father who was stable jockey for Pipe’s father, Martin.
Four Of The Best
Thistlecrack (peak Timeform annual rating: h174p, c174)
Scudamore first took the ride on Thistlecrack in the 2015 Sefton Novices' Hurdle - which the pair won by 13 lengths - and he was on board for all 17 of the horse's subsequent outings.
The pair combined for ten victories, including a sequence of nine wins in a row which included the World Hurdle at the 2016 Cheltenham Festival and the King George VI Chase just nine months later.
Thistlecrack produced an impressive performance when winning the King George as a novice, but it would prove to be the final success of his career as injuries held him back. He did still produce a borderline top-class effort in defeat when runner-up to Clan des Obeaux in the 2018 King George, however.
Grands Crus (h171, c157p)
Grands Crus progressed rapidly over hurdles during the 2010/11 season but had the misfortune of bumping into a peak-form Big Buck's at Cheltenham and Aintree, and had to settle for second behind that staying hurdle great.
A switch to chasing looked likely to pay off when Grands Crus won his first three starts over fences (all under Scudamore), including a very strong edition of the Feltham Novices' Chase in which he beat Silviniaco Conti and Bobs Worth.
However, he seemed to experience a physical issue which led to him finishing weakly and prevented him from fulfilling his potential over fences.
It should not be forgotten he was a top-class hurdler in his prime, though.
Dynaste (c171, h158)
Dynaste was a very smart hurdler - he finished runner-up to Big Buck's in the 2012 Cleeve Hurdle - but he quickly developed into an even better chaser.
He won four of his five starts as a novice chaser, with his sole defeat coming when runner-up in the Jewson Novices' Chase at the Cheltenham Festival.
He would get his Cheltenham victory the following season, however, when he ran out a decisive winner of the Ryanair Chase.
The Giant Bolster (165)
Scudamore's partnership with The Giant Bolster got off to an inauspicious start with a fall in the Mildmay Novices' Chase at Aintree in 2011, and he was unseated when they next teamed up in the Paddy Power Gold Cup!
However, plenty of good days were to come, including two placed efforts in the Cheltenham Gold Cup.
The Giant Bolster was runner-up to Synchronised in 2012 and, after finishing fourth in the following season's renewal, was a close-up third behind Lord Windermere in 2014.
Johnson hails ‘great role model’
Former champion jockey and weighing-room colleague Richard Johnson has led the tributes to Tom Scudamore following the announcement of his immediate retirement.
Scudamore partnered over 1,500 winners, taking him into the top 10 most successful National Hunt jockeys of all time, a list in which Johnson also proudly sits.
While Scudamore never managed to emulate his father, Peter, and be crowned champion, he spent most of his career up against the record-breaking Sir Anthony McCoy.
“Tom is a great fella and was always brilliant to ride against and sit next to in the weighing room, so I’m surprised but at the same time he’s had a fantastic career and I’m not shocked he’s decided this is the right time for him,” said Johnson.
“It was the same with me. In your own head if you are happy, that’s the right time.
“He’s been a brilliant jockey but even better than that, he’s a great role model for the young jockeys coming through. He has conducted himself brilliantly over the last 20 years and he’s got a lot to be proud of.
“He’s had a very consistent career, obviously he’s had a great association with the Pipes, he was great to deal with and easy to get on with which is important.
“I’m a little bit surprised, but delighted he’s gone out on his own terms. He’s got children and I can assure him he won’t be bored because with children you are busier after you retire!
“As a jockey you are always looking for good horses. He had plenty but then Thistlecrack came along and he was his main horse and the one people will associate with him winning the King George and those types of races.
“When people were looking for a jockey if their normal jockey was injured, Tom was always one of the names to be sought after so he’s got a lot to be proud of.”
Peter Scudamore, a multiple champion jockey himself, knew the day was coming but admitted to still feeling a little “numb”.
“It’s mixed emotions. We’ve been very close throughout all his riding career. Most days we spoke,” he said.
“There is an element of surprise, but at the same time there is a feeling of relief. He’s 40 years of age, so I suppose it was inevitable one day.
“I wasn’t shocked, but a little numb I suppose I would say.
“I had lots of records in my career but I think he’s got more than that, he’s got huge respect within the industry and perhaps I should have taken a leaf out of his book!
“The one day that always sticks out in my career is Next Sensation in the Grand Annual, trained by his brother, Michael.
“I was stood with Luce (Lucinda Russell) in the stand by the second-last so we could just see the last fence. On the first circuit the horse made a terrible mistake and he went down and I thought it was all over, but he came back up again.
“It was AP’s (McCoy) final ride at the Festival, it was a very emotional race, my dad had won it and I’d won it too so that was very special.
“I might have ridden more winners than Tom, but in Thistlecrack he rode a horse probably better than I ever came across. Some may say Carvills Hill, but Thistlecrack achieved more on the track.
“He’s made me very proud.”
Scudamore did not ride many for Colin Tizzard but after winning the Grade One Sefton Novices’ Hurdle at Aintree on Thistlecrack, it was a partnership that was never broken.
Tizzard concentrated on Scudamore’s achievements out of the saddle and simply said: “He was a credit to the industry.
“Everyone else can say whatever they want about him as a jockey, I’ll leave that to them, but he was a credit to the industry.”
Scudamore was linked to the Pond House stables of Martin and then David Pipe throughout his career and the latter tweeted: “Happy retirement @tommyscu!!
“Thank you for your support, dedication, hard work & talent in the saddle for all these years! We have made a great team and share some wonderful memories & fantastic winners. I’m glad you’re going on your own terms and wish you well for the future.”
- Racecards
- Fast results
- Full results and free video replays
- Horse racing news
- Horse racing tips
- Horse racing features
- Download our free iOS and Android app
- Football and other sports tips
- Podcasts and video content
Safer gambling
We are committed in our support of safer gambling. Recommended bets are advised to over-18s and we strongly encourage readers to wager only what they can afford to lose.
If you are concerned about your gambling, please call the National Gambling Helpline / GamCare on 0808 8020 133.
Further support and information can be found at begambleaware.org and gamblingtherapy.org.
