However, two years later, in 2004,
Dalgleish was forced to abandon his riding career after constantly
struggling to pare his six-foot frame down to his minimum weight of
8st 6lb. Indeed, Dalgleish said later that he was able to ride at 7st
3lb at the start of his career, but just two weeks after retirement
he weighed 10st 7lb. In any event, Dalgleish took out a training
licence and joined Belstane Racing Stables – which would soon
transform into Keith Dalgleish Racing, at the behest of McDowell –
in 2011.
Fast forward half a dozen years or so
and, in 2018, Dalgleish enjoyed his most lucrative season on the
Flat, with 73 winners from 735 runners, at a strike rate of 10% but,
more importantly, £849,118 in win and place prize money. In the
2018/19 National Hunt season, which runs April to April, it was a
similar story, with 28 winners from 150 runners, at a strike rate of
19%, and £222,374 in total prize money; in fact, it was the most
successful season, numerically and financially, that Dalgleish has
ever recorded in the National Hunt sphere.
Dalgleish has yet to win a Pattern
race, of any description, but has recorded several notable victories
at Listed level in his relatively short training career. The first of
them came courtesy of Chookie Royal in the Lady Wulfruna Stakes at
Wolverhampton in 2014 but, more recently, Dalgleish collected his
single biggest prize ever when Summer Daydream won the Two Year Old
Trophy at Redcar, worth £99,242.50 to the winner, in 2018.