REDCAR Racecourse has wished prolific jockey Ben Curtis "all the luck in the world" following his decision to continue his career in America.

Curtis has been a regular rider at Redcar in recent seasons and rode his 1,000th winner at the track when Merrijig, trained by John Berry, won here last September.

However, the Irishman has decided to continue his career in the US for the "foreseeable future" following a successful winter in Louisiana, riding at Fair Grounds racecourse in New Orleans.

Curtis finished fourth in the Fair Grounds jockey championship with 43 winners, and the 34-year-old has chosen to stay in the US rather than return to the UK.

In a statement, Curtis said: "Life is too short to ignore your dreams and I have managed to put a big tick against one of mine, which was to ride a winner in America. After a fantastic winter at the Fair Grounds, the four months in New Orleans have given me 43 winners, fourth in the championship and in excess of $1.5 million in prize-money – more than I could ever have expected.

"I have always thrived on new challenges and adventures, and it is with this ideology that I have made the decision to follow my dreams and embrace the opportunity to continue my career in America for the foreseeable future."

Redcar general manager, Amy Fair, said: "On behalf of everyone at Redcar, we want to wish Ben all the luck in the world. It was an honour for us to be the setting for his 1,000th winner last season, and he has been one of our most successful jockeys in recent seasons, so he'll be a big miss with our racegoers."

Another Redcar highlight for Curtis came in June 2019 when he rode a four-timer on Rain Cap, Production, On The Line and Leo Davinci.

• Main picture shows Ben Curtis riding his 1,000th winner at Redcar on Merrijig last September.
• Inset picture, Curtis after completing his 2019 four-timer with Leo Davinci