Charlotte Jones, one of Britain's most successful female jump jockeys, has retired from the saddle after riding her 38th winner at Cartmel on Wednesday night. The 31-year-old from Barrow-in-Furness was one of only four currently licensed women to have ridden out their claim.
Of Jones's career total of 86 winners, 85 were trained by Jimmy Moffatt, a Cheltenham Festival winner as both a jockey and trainer. Her final victory came aboard Zumbi, who was steered to his first win over fences in the last race of Cartmel's three-day May fixture.
Jones, who joined Moffatt after obtaining a bachelor of science degree and rode her first winner in 2016, said: 'Jimmy was shocked but he's pleased. It's a bit of an end of an era I suppose.' She had been planning to ride until the end of the summer but a recurring back injury prompted her early retirement.
'I was off for five weeks with two bulging discs in my back and it was affecting me in the saddle,' she told Mirror Racing. 'Since I came back it's been bothering me again and if I was walking like I was at 31, I was dreading what I would be walking like at 60.'
Jones will retire to her farm in Leyland, Lancashire, with her partner, former rugby player Sam Bedlow. She is working towards completing her trainers' modules and hopes to obtain a licence by the end of the year. 'I am very proud of my career as a jockey,' she said. 'I've been leading rider around Cartmel three times, the first conditional and female to do that. In total I am chuffed with my career and hope it bodes well for my training career.'
