JUST 24 hours after announcing their retirement, Britain’s double Olympic showjumping gold medallists Nick Skelton, 59, and Big Star, 14, were on show in the parade ring before the first race of the three-day festival.

Skelton, father of jockey Harry and trainer Dan, won team gold at the London Games in 2012 and took the individual gold last year at Rio, both times on Gary and Beverley Widdowson’s stallion Big Star.

GRAND PRIX

The combination also won many of the biggest Grand Prix in the world, including Aachen, Wellington, Rome and Hamburg. In January this year Skelton was awarded a CBE for services to equestrianism.

He said at Aintree: “I always said I would finish when Big Star retired and, after months of consideration, we feel that he has done everything we can ask of him and deserves to relax and enjoy his stallion duties. It is nice for us to go out on the highest note possible.”