Q: Why are you retiring now?

MO’D: I have been thinking about it since last year. I reached 40 years of service on June 9th this year and that was my goal. Last Christmas we received our work schedule for the year and I only marked in my dates into my own diary as far as August. On the Tuesday of Punchestown I told [IHRB chief executive] Darragh O’Loughlin I had decided to retire during Galway. We had a good chat and that was it. Giving everyone three and a half months’ notice has given me a chance to thank all the local stewards, track managers and officials I work with around the country.