Brendan Powell could saddle his first runners as a trainer as early as next month, he revealed today.
The Irishman, who has been considering his future for some time, will tomorrow bring the curtain down on his riding career at Hereford where he has four booked mounts.
He is due to move to his new yard later this month with his first runners expected in July.
"I didn't want to pack in riding," Powell said with a slight tone of regret, "but you get to a certain age and there is another career ahead of me.
"The new yard is near Winchester and will be finished in three weeks' time and then we'll move in. It's only about 55 minutes from where we live now.
"With a bit of luck I could have my first runners by the middle of next month."
Powell, 39, who rode his first winner on Button Boy at Windsor in 1983, is on the lookout for horses.
He said: "I've got a few promised at the moment and I'll have to work on that.
"As far as who will ride them is concerned, I'll get the horses first. But I'd like to use Adrian Maguire as much as possible."
The retiring jockey, who won the Grand National on Rhyme 'N' Reason in 1988, will ride Sunburnt in a novice chase and Primitive Star in a handicap chase for Bob Buckler tomorrow, plus Coolree Lord for Peter Beaumont in a selling handicap chase.
Both Buckler and Beaumont have supported regularly Powell over the years, however, his best chance of going out on a winner could lie with the Charlie Mann-trained Radar in the concluding novice hurdle.
"I have four rides and three would have a chance," he said. "Primitive Star and Peter Beaumont's horse could go well but the one in the last has a good chance."
Powell has plenty of memories from Hereford.
"Hereford - I broke my collar-bone there, I've broken my wrist there," he recalled with a touch of humour, "but I've ridden plenty of winners there as well."
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