INKBERROW'S Tom Gretton has paid tribute to mentor Francois Doumen after the brilliant French trainer announced his retirement last week.

Doumen, 77, will go down as one of the greatest duel-purpose racehorse trainers of the modern era following pioneering victories on the flat in Hong Kong and Dubai and over jumps in Britain and Ireland throughout the 90s and early 2000s.

He will be remembered on these shores for the electric performances of horses including King George winner First Gold, staying hurdler Baracouda, and The Fellow, who became the first French-trained winner of the Cheltenham Gold Cup in 1994.

Gretton, who launched his own career as a trainer in 2009 after moving home to Worcestershire, spent a year in France helping Doumen, including a spell as the work rider of Baracouda before the horse went on to bag back-to-back Stayers' Hurdles wins at The Festival as well as four Long Walk Hurdles.

Gretton was full of praise for Doumen after ill health made his former boss call time on his fine training career.

He said: "It was a great experience for me to see the French side of things. British trainers, Irish trainers and French trainers all do things differently.

"I learned a lot during my time there and have taken a lot of that into my own career now.

"He was the sharpest trainer I have worked with and was very intelligent with everything he did.

"His PR was very good too and he appealed to the Brits.

"The reason there are now so many French-bred horses is because he came over here and won with them.

"It was great to be able to learn from him."