Racing: Flight grounded

FURTHER FLIGHT has retired. Barry Hills's grey, whitening as he approaches the end of his 13th year, has brought joy to crowds for a decade, a one-horse rebuttal of the jumping brigade's jibe about Flat-racers sticking around for five minutes.

In that time, the 12-year-old's 24 successes have included an unprecedented five Jockey Club Cups from 1991 to 1995 - no horse has won a Pattern race as many times in a row - an Ebor Handicap (1990), two Goodwood Cups (1991- 92), a Doncaster Cup (1992) and a St Simon Stakes.

His final competition took the form of the Listed NGK Spark Plugs Stubbs Rated Stakes Handicap at Newmarket yesterday, in which he was fourth to the Cesarewitch runner-up Etterby Park - a position he filled in the 1990 race - his ageing limbs failing to match the paces which claimed those five Jockey Club Cups over the same course and distance.

n Nottingham have called an inspection for Monday's meeting, which will take place tomorrow at 9am. Thursday's meeting was called off when the course was waterlogged.