Veteran trainer Eric Alston is ready to call it a day

The 78-year-old has achieved some great success during a career which has spanned across more than four decades.

Alston has contested some of the top races around the world from his Edges Farm Stables on Chapel Lane in Longton.

He built up a reputation as being something of a dab hand with sprinters, notably enjoying great success at the turn of the century with the popular Tedburrow, who recorded 21 career victories, including three at Group Three level.

He is perhaps best known for his association with Reverence, however, with whom he won two Group One prizes in the Nunthorpe Stakes at York and the Sprint Cup at Haydock Park in2006.

Numbers of horses in training at the veteran’s yard had been slowly shrinking over the last few years and he revealed that being able to spend more time with Sue, his wife of more than 50 years, was a big factor in his decision.

Speaking at Haydock Park last week, where he had two runners on the card, he said: “It’s something I’ve been thinking about for a while because of my wife Sue, who’s not very well. I had to go sometime!

“We’ve nine horses this year, so the number has been dropping down slowly.

"We’ll go on until the end of November and I think we’ll call it a day then.

“I’ve had some fantastic days.

"I remember having a treble at Hamilton on the day of our 50th wedding anniversary.

"I couldn’t have picked a better day for that really!

“Reverence was a fantastic horse and so was Tedburrow, who’s still with me at home.

"He’s in good order, which is amazing for a 30-year-old.

“I love Haydock and I’d have loved to have had a winner today, but the filly (Oneforsue) just did a bit too much too soon.

“I’m not sure what I’ll do after I retire.

"I’ve never been to a football match in my life, so you never know, I could pop to Deepdale!”