MICK KINANE will continue to ride out at John Oxx’s stable despite bringing down the curtain on a glorious career when announcing his retirement yesterday.

The superb success of Sea The Stars this year brought about the perfect end to the 50-year-old’s career and a fitting finale to six years of formal partnership between Kinane and Currabeg handler Oxx.

Kinane notched up numerous victories at the highest level in his 34-year career but he saved his best until last with the six Group One wins of Sea The Stars, including the 2,000 Guineas-Derby-Arc treble, meant he has goes out on a high.

Kinane said: “I have decided this is the right time to retire from race-riding. At 50 I still feel fit and sharp enough to do any horse justice but, after the season I have just had in partnership with Sea The Stars, I have the privilege of being able to end my career as a jockey on an incredible high and that’s what I want to do.

“I leave with a huge sense of gratitude to all the great horses I have ridden, all the great trainers whose genius developed those champions and everybody else in racing, from the stable lads to the owners, who have made me deeply thankful for my involvement in the game. Teamwork is the key to success in racing. I have been blessed with some of the best alliances a jockey could have.”

Oxx is happy for Kinane to continue to work for him and said: “He seems very keen to keep riding. I’m sure he will be down here to ride a bit of work. Someone like that, you couldn’t get a better work rider!”

Kinane landed nearly 1,500 winners. He was champion Irish apprentice in 1978 and worked for Michael Kauntze, Dermot Weld and also Aidan O’Brien from 1999 to 2003.

He won the Belmont Stakes in America for Weld on Go And Go in 1990, as well as the Melbourne Cup on Vintage Crop in 1993. He also partnered the likes of Montjeu to success in the Arc and King George, as well as Derby successes on Galileo and Commander In Chief.

TODAY’S NAP: Catch Bob (12.50pm Hexham).