FEHILY’S FINALE COULD BE OUT OF THIS WORLD
JOCKEY Noel Fehily believes he has a chance of ending his 20-year career on a winning note with three rides at Newbury today.
The 43-year-old, who announced he was retiring after winning on 50-1 shot Eglantine Du Seuil at the Cheltenham Festival, has three rides on Prabeni (2.40), Out of this world (3.15) and Get In The Queue (5.00)
Appropriately, Fehily rides Prabeni for Charlie Mann, the Lambourn trainer he joined when arriving from Cork in 1998.
He rode his first winner for Mann in November of that year — Ivy Boy at Plumpton.
Since then Fehily has ridden over 1,300 winners including two Champion Hurdles on Rock On Ruby (2012) and Buveur D’Air (2017), two King George VI Chases on Silviniaco Conti (2015 and 2016) and the Queen Mother Champion Chase on Special Tiara (2017).
Fehily said: ‘I am not sure if Prabeni has a winning chance, but it is nice I have a ride for Charlie.
‘ Out of this world in the Mares’ Hurdle will go well. She has been a little disappointing in her last two starts but she is better than that.
‘We like Get In The Queue in the Bumper a lot. I am hoping the ground will not dry up too much so he can run. He could have had a massive race in the Cheltenham Festival Bumper if he had run. Hopefully, he can go to Newbury and win which will be even better for me.’
An understated, sympathetic jockey, Fehily’s career got more successful as it went on.
Injuries disrupted him, including a triple leg fracture and a broken neck sustained last year.
But it was appendicitis in January, and the subsequent complications, which persuaded Fehily that now was the right time to retire.
The jockey, who had winning rides on two great Champion Chasers, Altior and Master Minded, added: ‘I broke my neck on the final day of last season at Punchestown. If I had been told then I had to stop, I would have been very upset because I wasn’t ready, but I am now. I feel it is the right time.
‘There comes a time when you have to say enough is enough.’