Jamie Codd Not Quite Retiring

Jamie Codd announced the end of his 22-year career after riding his 972nd winner at Tattersalls on Sunday.

Codd is finishing his career riding in point-to-points, but will continue to ride under rules.

The 39-year-old revealed the news following his win in the Tattersalls Cheltenham 4yo Geldings Maiden on the Denis Murphy trained, Supreme Gift.

He said, 'I'm retiring from point-to-points, but I'm continuing on the track. Well, as long as Gordon and Denise want me I will anyway. It's been a brilliant journey. Point-to-points have given me my career and I've met a lot of great people.'

Codd's point-to-point career started in 1999 when he rode a horse called Even Choice, trained by his father Billy. His first winner came 2 years later at Bramblestown when he steered Eyze to victory for trainer Mags Mullins.

Codd is the second-ever jockey to have ridden more than 900 point-to-point winners. Derek O'Connor being the only person to ride more than him.

He is the first rider of this century to achieve wins in every race on a single card, which he did in October 2011 at Tinahely. John Berry was the last to do so in 1988, after Brian McLernon who succeeded in 1959.

In recent years he has gone from strength-to-strength riding under rules. His win on Shaneshill in the Champion Bumper at Punchestown in 2014 was his first Grade 1 success; it seems to have only been up from there.

Codd was first titled Champion Amateur Jockey (under rules) at the end of the 2016/17 season. He rode 41 winners beating Patrick Mullins by just one.

He was on an even footing with the same rival at the beginning of the Punchestown festival last season. In the end he fell four short of Mullins, who totalled 50 wins for the season landing him the victory in the Amateur Championship.

Codd has ridden ten Cheltenham Festival winners to date, including four wins in the Kim Muir. He also made it first past the post on Envoi Allen in the Champion Bumper in 2019. Due to the regulations in place this year he, along with his fellow amateur jockeys, was not able to ride at the festival. Hence his last win at Cheltenham was on Ravenhill in the National Hunt Chase in 2020.

We imagine there will be more of these to come.