Steve bids farewell after racing career spanning half a century

After spending half a century working in the racing industry Steve Dunlop was given a special send off by his colleagues at Godolphin’s pre-training yard in Newmarket’s Hamilton Road on Friday.

Steve, who celebrated his 65th birthday on Saturday, began his racing life at trainer Nigel Angus’s Cree Lodge yard next to Ayr racecourse in Scotland back in 1968 when he was just 15. It was the start of a career that saw him work at some of Newmarket’s best know studs as well as for a legendary Australian trainer, Colin Hayes, and finally for Sheikh Mohammed.

“I have been very lucky all my racing life I have worked for some very good people and some very good horses,” said Steve. One of those horses was this year’s Dubai World Cup hero Thunder Snow who Steve was filmed lunging for a film about Godolphin racing later shown on Emirates Airlines flights. “He was broken in here and as a yearling he was just picked out for the film, we had no idea he would go on and win a world cup,” said Steve.

Before joining Godolphin Steve had worked for studs including Hadrian, Derisley Wood and Sandwich which is part of the Cheveley Park breeding operation where he spent 18 years and was stud groom. There the foals through his hands included Pivotal, now 18 and one of Newmarket’s most sought after stallions. One of Steve’s first plans for his retirement will be a trip to Australia to visit his 84-year-old mother Betty, who has lived there since the family emigrated back in 1972.