Jockey Sammy Jo Bell, whose highlight in the saddle came when riding two winners as an apprentice at the 2015 Shergar Cup, has retired from race riding, she told Racing Post. The 27-year-old has said she has received a temporary placement position at York Racecourse.
Bell was off for 10 months after sustaining a serious injury in May 2016, and had 16 winners last year following a career-best 28 the year before. She rode 82 winners in total and earned £740,951 in British prizemoney.
“It's something I've been thinking about for quite a long time,” Bell told Racing Post. “I came back from the injury, but I didn't really get out of it what I'd wanted. I rode 16 winners from 167 rides last year, which is good, and I know a lot of people would cut their arm off to have that, but it wasn't enough for me. I tried as hard as I possibly could when I came back. I felt I rode as good as I ever had. I don't think there was anything I could've done differently and there are no rides I look back on and think of as awful. Even so, I'm 27 and I think you have to draw a line somewhere. I've decided it's time to move on.”
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