Jim Crowley, the 2016 British champion jockey who had switched from jumps to the flat, took the "hardest decision" of his life on Saturday and retired.

The retained rider to top owner/breeders Shadwell announced his decision at the end of the Qatar Goodwood Festival, where he rode the sprinter Battaash to win a record four…

The 48-year-old was given a guard of honour by his former weighing room colleagues including Ryan Moore, Oisin Murphy and Saffie Osborne. Crowley switched from the jumps to the…