GEORGE DUFFIELD has announced his retirement after having given up on his battle to recover from an injured shoulder. The 58-year-old jockey was keen to pass Edward Hide's total number of winners and move to eighth on the all-time riders' list, but he has not been passed fit by Dr Michael Turner, the Jockey Club's chief medical adviser.

Duffield was hurt when a two-year-old reared up on him in the stalls at his wife Ann's base in Yorkshire in July, and he underwent surgery to repair. "I am going to pack it all in, " he said. "My shoulder was looked at three weeks ago and Dr Turner then put me through my paces. He could not pass me fit and said I would have to be looked at on a month-to-month basis.

"It was a disappointment as I would have liked to beat Edward Hide's record. However, I will now help Ann with training the Flat horses, and I can still ride out, so that will be another phase of my career."