Cox Plate-winning trainer Colin Little bows out of racing

A run of bad luck has brought forward the retirement of Cox Plate-winning trainer Colin Little.

Trainer Colin Little has announced his retirement from racing. Picture: AAP

Sheer bad luck has ended the career of Cox-Plate-winning trainer Colin Little.

The 73-year-old Little decided to retire after a series of issues left him and training partner Matt Lindsay with no way of keeping their Pakenham stable going.

Little said his retirement was near once training ended at the Caulfield track last year.

“Once they closed Caulfield, my demise was on the horizon,” Little said.

“One staff member fell over and broke a vertebrae in his back so we were left with only Matt and the work rider.

“Matt got off a horse the other day and just laid down on the ground and said, ‘I can’t do it’ and he couldn’t move.

“He’s barely able to walk now 10 days after. He’s going to need surgery next week.

“We didn’t have any option but to relocate the horses because we couldn’t work them,” Little said.

“Within two days, we had relocated them and that’s the end of Colin Little.”

Little’s multiple Flemington winner Vassilator will be in action on his favourite track on Saturday for his new trainer Lisa Jones.

Little said he would keep an interest in racing while he relaxes in his new home at Black Rock in Melbourne’s southern suburbs.

Luke Nolen rode Colin Little’s best galloper El Segundo to victory in the 2007 Cox Plate at The Valley. Picture: Bruce Magilton

“I’ve still got a few interests in a few horses like Vassilator and a few others,” Little said.

“Maybe I’ll be able to play a bit more golf.

“It’s early days and I’m a bit tired. I’ll have a few months off and see what to do with myself after that.”

Born in Caulfield, Little trained for decades out of his Lord Lodge operation on the Caulfield Racecourse from where he prepared the 2007 Cox Plate winner El Segundo.

El Segundo won four Group 1 races among 12 wins from 35 starts. Little also trained El Segundo’s dam Palos Verdes to win the Hobart Cup and Manion Cup (both 2400m) at Group 3 level.

Little didn’t mind raiding the Sydney autumn carnival either.

Little won The BMW (now Tancred Stakes) in 2007 with Blutigeroo while his grand stayer Ista Kareem won the Sydney Cup in 2009.

While El Segundo took Little to his highest point in racing with his Cox Plate win, Little will always be grateful he trained the grand campaigner Testimony.

Testimony raced in the 1980s, winning 13 of his 49 starts and running second in the Group 1 Goodwood Handicap in 1986.

“I was pretty young and Testimony put me on the map a little bit,” Little said.

“He won 13 races in town, that’s a lot of races and not many do it.

“I’ll always have very fond memories of him.”

Originally published as Cox Plate-winning trainer Colin Little bows out of racing