Former British champion conditional jockey David Walsh has quit race-riding for the second time.
The 25-year-old, who spent two years on the sidelines after being handed a month's ban for failing a drug test in 1997, has decided to call it a day seven months after making a comeback.
Once rated one of the brightest young stars in the weighing-room, he has not ridden since Valentine's Day and his agent Chris Broad said: "David has given up, for definite.
"I think the struggling with his weight was getting on top of him. It has always been a problem, even as a conditional.
"When you don't ride every day it is more difficult, and then he had a fall at Haydock which put him off for three weeks, and he decided he has had enough.
"It is a shame as he is a nice lad and a good rider."
Walsh had suffered weight problems after serving his suspension - imposed after traces of amphetamines were found in a post-race drug test.
He ended up working on a building site before relaunching his riding career in Australia.
After resuming in Britain in July he had six winners from 138 rides this season, gaining the latest at Catterick last month on Sailor Jack for Ginger McCain who supplied five of his winning mounts.
But it was all a long way removed from the early part of his career when he looked firmly destined for the top.
He gained 34 victories to share the claimers' championship with Barry Fenton and looked to have a bright future.
At the time he was riding for Nigel Twiston-Davies' stable, to which he had been attached since moving from Ireland four years previously, and also benefited from the backing of Martin Pipe.
And he showed he could handle the pressure of riding in the big races when he was handed the Cheltenham Gold Cup ride on David Nicholson's Barton Bank.
Walsh had the slipshod jumper foot perfect at each of the stiff Cheltenham fences and inspired the gelding to his best run in years, finishing second to Mr Mulligan in the Blue Riband of steeplechasing.
He was rewarded by keeping the ride at Aintree the following month and repaid the faith by steering him to victory in the Martell Cup Chase - the gelding's first win since 1993 and the biggest victory of Walsh's career.
