JUST like everyone else, Barry’s retirement caught me by surprise.
I don’t think anyone saw it coming so he did well to keep it quiet from all of us.
But he goes out on a high and that’s all you can ask for in this game.
Five Festival winners was amazing for him and his family, and especially after the injuries he’s had in recent seasons.
Being able to hang up the saddle on his own terms is what will mean the most. Us jumps jockeys can be forced into retirement at any moment.
And what a jockey Barry was. You only have to look at what he achieved and the wins he notched up on the big stage, that was no fluke.
The likes of Sprinter Sacre and Moscow Flyer showed him at his best. He was second to none on horses like that.
They were good horses, but he helped make them great horses.
But I’ll always remember him for the duels we had on My Tent Or Yours and The New One.
Every year we’d meet at Cheltenham and in the Christmas Hurdle! And then later on Buveur D’Air came along. What were the chances?
He was brilliant in the saddle but superb out of it too. He’d always be on hand for advice when I was coming through the ranks, and not just with me, with everyone.
Even if I was on the favourite and he was riding something else, he’d always be up for a chat beforehand and that’s what a lot of us will miss I think.
There’s a big job going now, though, and I’ve had my business card re-printed…
I’ve ridden for JP a few times and you never know in this game!
