Top Irish jockey Mick Kinane says he's retiring

Published Dec. 16, 2009 4:52 p.m. ET

foxsports

Top international jockey Mick Kinane has announced his retirement following a 35-year career in which he won many of horse racing's glamour events, including the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe aboard champion Sea The Stars.

The 50-year-old Kinane made the decision two months after guiding Sea The Stars to victory in the Arc de Triomphe to cap the horse's 6-for-6 season.

Kinane said in a statement released Tuesday to Britain's Press Association that ``this is the time to retire from race riding.''

He said he's still fit but decided to end his career ``on an incredible high.''

Kinane won the 1990 Belmont Stakes aboard Go and Go. He's also won English Derby three times, the Irish Derby, the Japan Cup, three Breeders' Cup races and the Melbourne Cup.