Superstar stayer Stradivarius has been retired after a long and successful career on the track.
After notching an incredible 20 wins from 35 starts, owner-breeder Bjorn Nielsen declared: “The music has stopped for Stradivarius.”
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The eight-year-old has taken a while to recover from a bruised foot sustained on the eve of this month’s Doncaster Cup, prompting connections to call time on his racing career.
“He has been trotting and cantering but it has taken longer to get over the bruised foot than we thought,” Nielsen said. “We felt it would be unfair to ask him to come back again as a nine-year-old next season after his enforced time off.”
Stradivarius managed to score on 18 occasions at Group level and would have been the dominant force for even longer had the likes of Trueshan and Kyprios not emerged in recent seasons.
Among Stradivarius’ big wins were four Goodwood Cups, three Yorkshire Cups, three Gold Cups and three Lonsdale Cups, to leave his prize money totalling £3,458,968 plus £2,000,000 in bonuses.
Stradivarius Major Wins
Queen’s Vase (2017)
Goodwood Cup (2017, 2018, 2019, 2020)
Yorkshire Cup (2018, 2019, 2022)
Ascot Gold Cup (2018, 2019, 2020)
Lonsdale Cup (2018, 2019, 2021)
British Champions Long Distance Cup (2018)
Doncaster Cup (2019, 2021)
Sagaro Stakes (2021)
He was once so prolific over longer distances that the Stayers’ Million series was discontinued after he bagged the bonus on two occasions.
Stradivarius kicked off his final campaign with victory in the Group 2 Paddy Power Yorkshire Cup before finishing third behind Kyprios and Mojo Star in June’s thrilling Gold Cup at Royal Ascot.
A brilliant three-way battle with Kyprios and Trueshan in the Goodwood Cup proved to be Stradivarius’ last dance as he went down by a neck to Aidan O’Brien’s emerging force in the division.
So, what’s next for Stradivarius? Well, the son of Sea The Stars has been earmarked to stand at the National Stud in Newmarket.
While staying stallions are hardly all the rage, Nielsen is confident his horse will prove popular.
“He wasn’t at all one-dimensional,” Nielsen said. “His turn of foot was there for all to see, and I for one will be supporting him with mares next year. Who would not want to breed from a filly by Stradivarius, with all the attributes he showed?”
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