Thursday, 9 September 2010:
Champion jockey Shane Dye is weighing up an offer to continue his career in India after severing ties with racing in Mauritius.
Dye has parted company with trainer Rameshwar Gujadhur - his second split with a Mauritius stable in the space of two months.
"The association between (the) Rameshwar Gujadhur Stable and Shane Dye has come to an end," a Mauritius Turf Club website report said.
"In fact, the stable trainer has declared that he has decided to part company with Shane Dye without elaboration on the reasons for his decision."
Ian Paterson, the former Australian steward who has worked in Mauritius for the past three years, confirmed Dye would no longer be riding in the island nation.
"I have spoken to Shane and he has been made a lucrative offer to ride in Mumbai," Paterson told AAP.
"He told me he is still tossing up the offer."
Dye moved to Mauritius last year when he failed to reignite his career in Sydney after eight years riding in Hong Kong.
Linking with the successful Gilbert Rousset stable, Dye won the Mauritius jockeys' title with 29 winners. He is sixth in this year's premiership race.
Dye split with Rousset to ride for Gujadhur but could only ride one winner for his new stable in a seven-meeting stint.
Paterson said Dye's renowned flamboyance in the saddle was often seen - if not always understood - by the local racing scene.
"There were times (during Dye's stay) where Mauritius had never seen the type of riding tactics he employed," the steward said.
"Mauritius is a small track and the rails is always the favoured spot with the locals.
"But as soon as it would rain, Shane would go five wide because he had walked the track and the locals hadn't seen that before.
"He definitely brought a new professionalism to racing here."
Dye, who turns 44 this month, left Sydney in 2009 as the most successful Group One jockey riding in Australia.
The New Zealand-born jockey became a favourite with Australian punters after winning the 1989 Melbourne Cup on Tawrrific and became the king of racing's babies winning the world's richest two-year-old race, the Golden Slipper, four years in row from 1989 to 1992.
He was no stranger to controversy during his Australian career, confirmed by the scrutiny - which continues to this day - over his beaten Caulfield Cup ride on Veandercross in 1992.
Dye was involved in a serious race fall in Hong Kong in 2006 but amazed doctors when he returned to the saddle three months later.
He is believed to be holidaying with his son Nicholas as he decides on his immediate future.
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