Jonathan Sheppard, the Hall of Fame trainer whose horses have excelled on dirt, on turf, and, especially, over steeplechase fences, announced on Monday that he is retiring from American racing, though he will maintain a small stable in Ireland. Sheppard, 80, has been the champion trainer by wins in the steeplechase world 26 times, and the leading earner 29 times, both records. He was inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in 1990. A release announcing his retirement said that Sheppard has “won every race and prize worth winning in American steeplechase racing over a 56-year career.” Horses trained by Sheppard have won 15 Eclipse Awards, mostly for champion steeplechase horse. His most celebrated horse was Flatterer, the four-time steeplechase champion whom he also co-bred. On the flat, Sheppard’s Eclipse winners were Forever Together, the 2008 female turf champion, and Informed Decision, the champion female sprinter the following year. Both were owned by George Strawbridge Jr.’s Augustin Stable, Sheppard’s longtime patron. He also trained William T. Young’s Storm Cat, a Grade 1 winner who became America’s foremost stallion in the 1990s. :: Click to learn about our DRF's Free Past Performance program. “People undoubtedly will ask why I am retiring now,” Sheppard said, in the release. “There’s no one single reason, and the reasons combined to say that now was the time to step back from American racing. I always wanted to go out on top, and the past year’s championships checked that box. “I had a flare-up of my Lyme Disease last year that kept me away from the horses and the races. It’s in remission now, but in fairness to my owners, I didn’t want to have another Lyme episode interfere with their horses’ careers. … And, I just turned 80, so it seems to be a good time to pass the reins to a younger generation here in the U.S. I’m not ready to retire completely, and that’s why I am retaining a small stable in Ireland for now.” Jonathan E. Sheppard was born Dec. 2, 1940, in the Hertfordshire hamlet of Ashwell, approximately 45 miles north of London. His father, Daniel, was a Jockey Club handicapper, and as a result Sheppard was exposed to racing at an early age. Sheppard moved to the U.S. in the early 1960s to begin his training career. Between the jumps and the racetrack, Sheppard has accounted for almost 21,000 starts, and he has won 3,426 races. His career earnings total $88.7 million.