Former champion jockey Jim Crowley has retired from race riding, ten months after a fall at York left him with serious pelvic and leg injuries. He made the announcement on 1 August 2026, the final day of the Goodwood Festival in West Sussex.

"It's been a great career, it's just unfortunate that after my accident at York my body couldn't get back to the level I want to be to race ride again," Crowley said. He called retiring "the most difficult decision" of his life. Fellow jockeys Oisin Murphy and William Buick led the tributes, with Murphy admitting: "I didn't know he was retiring." Racing Post

Crowley, 48, was injured at York in September 2025 when his mount Almeraq clipped heels with a rival and rolled over him. He was taken to Leeds General Infirmary and underwent multiple operations on his pelvis and legs. A planned comeback was delayed further when he required another operation on his leg in early 2026, causing him to miss the start of the Flat turf season. Racing Post

Crowley had been resolute about returning. Speaking publicly for the first time after the fall, in September 2025, he vowed he would ride again the following year. Instead, he ended his comeback efforts before fully recovering, concluding that his body could no longer meet the standard the sport demands. BBC Sport

His career was a story of two codes. Crowley began as a National Hunt jockey — riding over jumps — before switching to Flat racing, where horses compete without obstacles on a level track. He rode his first Group-race winner on Hawridge Prince in the 2006 Jockey Club Cup, and went on to secure 29 wins at Group One level, the highest tier of Flat racing. He became champion jockey in 2016 and was later appointed retained rider for Hamdan Al Maktoum's Shadwell Stud, one of the most powerful breeding and racing operations in the sport.

"It's nice to announce the retirement at Goodwood," Crowley said. "It's my home track and I've had so many good days here." He was given a guard of honour by fellow riders at the Sussex course. Telegraph

"To come from jumping and do as well as I did on the Flat was amazing," he added. "I partnered some great horses and it gave me days I could only dream of." BBC Sport

Crowley plans to start training racehorses in 2027. Sky Sports

For a rider who built a second career from scratch after switching codes, a move to the training ranks follows a familiar pattern. The transition from saddle to yard is well-trodden ground. Whether Crowley can replicate his success in a different role is a question for another season.