PETER Beaumont, trainer of 1993 Cheltenham Gold Cup winner Jodami, has decided to bring the curtain down on his 24-year career.

The North Yorkshire trainer will not renew his licence at the end of the month, and will hand over the reins to his assistant Patrick Holmes.

‘‘I’m 75, things get harder and any kind of work is harder,’’ confirmed Beaumont.

‘‘My assistant Patrick Holmes is renting part of the yard so I’m giving up.

‘‘My licence runs out in a fortnight. I might have a runner or two before then but we’ve been held up like everybody else.

‘‘We’ve had some good horses for the size of the yard as I’ve never had more than 30 horses.’’ Jodami was the leading staying chaser of his generation, winning the Hennessy Gold Cup in Ireland three times.

Other stars trained by Beaumont at Foulrice Farm in Brandsby, near York, include Hussard Collonges, Young Kenny, J J Henry and Bobby Grant.

Beaumont added: ‘‘Jodami was such a nice horse to deal with. I bought him privately in Ireland and he was super from day one.

‘‘Winning the Gold Cup was very special, as were his three Irish Hennessys too. The Irish took to him more than people did over here.

‘‘Jodami stayed with me until he died at the age of 23.

He had a happy retirement.

He was a great horse to have.’’ Hussard Collonges gave Beaumont a second Cheltenham Festival success when winning the Royal & SunAlliance Chase in 2002, but a subsequent injury restricted his career.

‘‘He fractured his pelvis at Wetherby and was never the same again,’’ reflected the trainer.

Young Kenny completed a hat-trick of big-race triumphs in the spring of 1999, taking the Greenalls Grand National Trial at Haydock, the Midlands National at Uttoxeter and the Scottish Grand National at Ayr.

He also won the Becher Chase at Aintree in November 2000, but suffered a fatal injury at Haydock the following February.

‘‘He was a great horse,’’ Beaumont recalled.

Beaumont remembers with great pride the day his daughter Anthea (Morshead) won the John Hughes Memorial Trophy Chase over the National fences at Aintree in April 2001 aboard JJ Henry.

‘‘Anthea is still the only girl to have beaten the professionals round there,’’ he said.

‘‘I’ve only three or four horses in at the moment and the family will be happy now I’ve decided to give up.’’ Jodami’s regular partner Mark Dwyer said: ‘‘He was unlucky not to win two Gold Cups, but he did win one and three Irish Hennessys.

‘‘No-one could have trained the horse better than Peter.

‘‘Jodami was the only horse I rode for him and we got on really well.

‘‘I was fortunate to get involved and he was a gentleman to work for.’’ Russ Garritty won the Royal & SunAlliance Chase on Hussard Collonges and also enjoyed great success with Beaumont aboard the likes of Young Kenny, Bobby Grant and Hunters Tweed.

‘‘I had quite a few big wins for Peter. He’s a gentleman and there’s no better trainer to ride for,’’ he said.

‘‘I was very fortunate that he picked me as his stable jockey. He did that for me and we had some good times together.

‘‘There’s never been a better trainer of a chaser and bringing young horses on.

‘‘He’s a proper National Hunt trainer.’’