Pitman ready to retire

Jenny Pitman made more Cheltenham headlines yesterday, though before a single hoof had imprinted the Prestbury turf, by revealing she is to retire at the end of the season.

The Lambourn trainer, winner of the Gold Cup in 1984 with Burrough Hill Lad and seven years later with Garrison Savannah, made the shock announcement an hour before the Citroen Supreme Novices' Hurdle was due to start the 1999 National Hunt Festival.

Pitman revealed that her son Mark, rider of Garrison Savannah in the Gold Cup and now in his second season as a trainer, will take over at Weathercock House.

Fighting unsuccessfully to hold back tears, Pitman, who also won the Grand National in 1983 with Corbiere and in 1995 with Royal Athlete, as well as taking the void race with Esha Ness two years earlier, said: "It would be a great occasion if I could have a winner here over the next three days at some stage because this will be my last Cheltenham as a professional trainer.

"I signed the papers this morning which mean that Mark will be taking over Weathercock House. The reason I wanted to say this today is because the crowd here at Cheltenham, both the English and the Irish, has meant such a lot to me."

Pitman has recently been recovering from cancer. But she denied ill health was at the root of her decision to stop training, adding: "I am not ill, so don't think there is bad news following this - it is good news.

"Mark has outgrown his yard and I was probably thinking of going in a couple of years' time and I need to be fairer on my family. I am quite punishing on myself and I don't spend enough time with them. They come down and see me and I never see them. The only time I see them is when they say `I have made you a cup of tea.'

"There are things I haven't done, there are places I haven't been. I think the furthest I have been is Ireland, or Spain, or Italy. I would love to see racing in America, I would love to see the horses in Australia, I would love to see racing in Dubai."

Asked as to the most cherished achievement of her 24 years with a licence, Pitman replied: "You can't have greatest moments when you have won two Grand Nationals and two Gold Cup winners.