Showing posts with label Belmont Stakes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Belmont Stakes. Show all posts

Monday, 14 October 2013

Legendary Camelot Retires

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The 2012 Derby winner Camelot, who narrowly missed out on racing's Triple Crown last year, has been retired.

Owners Coolmore Stud said the colt, who also won the 2,000 Guineas before coming second to Encke in the St Leger at Doncaster, will start a breeding career in 2014.

Trainer Aidan O'Brien said: "He was the perfect racehorse, a beautiful horse with a terrific action.

"Speed, class and a super-intelligent horse to go with it - he had it all."

The four-year-old would have been the first horse since Nijinksy in 1970 to win the three English Classics in one season and claim the elusive Triple Crown.

Following the St Leger, Camelot finished down the field in the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe.

He was then struck down with a bad bout of colic and although he returned to win a Group Three race at the Curragh, he finished behind Al Kazeem in the Tattersalls Gold Cup.

A fourth place finish in the Prince of Wales's Stakes at Royal Ascot in June - again behind Al Kazeem - was the son of Montjeu's final outing.

O'Brien added: "Unfortunately we never saw the same brilliance on the racecourse as we had done before his colic operation, but he was showing signs of it at home in recent weeks so it's obviously disappointing that he won't get the opportunity to run again."


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Friday, 8 June 2012

I'll Have Another is Retired


I'll Have Another has been retired to stud after injury ended his career.

The three-year-old had earlier been withdrawn from Saturday's $1 million Belmont Stakes with a swollen tendon.

The colt was bidding to be the first horse to win the Triple Crown of the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes since 1978.

"Though it's far from tragic, no-one died or anything like that, it's extremely disappointing," said trainer Doug O'Neill.

I'll Have Another Kentucky win

The three-year-old won the 138th Kentucky Derby in May, starting at odds of 15-1, and winning by one and a half lengths

"This is extremely tough for all of us. I feel so sorry for the whole team. We've had such an amazing run."

Bought by Canadian businessman J. Paul Reddam for $35,000, the horse won $2.7m during his racing career but could now earn double that in stud fees.

Reddam felt that the horse could have run on Saturday, but he did not want to take a risk.

"He's not lame, he could have run," Reddam declared. "But we have to do what's best for the horse.

"If he can't compete at the top level, he's done enough. History is going to have to wait for another day."

I'll Have Another was odds-on favourite to win Saturday's race, where his closest challenges were expected to have come from Union Rags and Dullahan.

Union Rags could only finish seventh in the Kentucky Derby, while Dullahan was in third, and both horses were left out of the Preakness to focus on the Belmont.