Dual purpose trainer Francois Doumen is retiring with immediate effect, according to Racing Post, as he battles an illness that has plagued him since last winter. The 77-year-old Doumen trained Jim and Tonic (Fr) (Double Bed {Fr}) to win the G1 Hong Kong Cup and the G2 Dubai Duty Free in 1999 and 2001, respectively, and his stars in the jumps realm included Baracouda (Fr) (Alesso), First Gold (Fr) (Shafoun {Fr}), The Fellow (Fr) (Italic {Fr}) and Nupsala (Fr) (Laniste {Fr}).
“After my hip operation I really wasn't able to be present on the gallops in the morning and it showed in the fact that the horses weren't ready at the start of the season,” Doumen told Racing Post. “[Wife] Elizabeth had to take my place on the training tracks and I thought it unfair to keep asking of her to do that all the time. I don't want to just get by, to make the best of it, I would rather do the best I can or stop. Now I have to go to a facility in Creil every day for two months for treatment. Fortunately they don't work at weekends. But I would rather stop completely because I already have two months when I can't work.”
Doumen reverted to training solely flat runners seven years ago, and his last group winner was Aim To Please (Fr) (Excellent Art {GB}) in last year's G3 Prix Bertrand de Tarragon.
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