Gosden: Stradivarius retires as one of the greatest
TRAINER John Gosden says Stradivarius has earned the right to be regarded as one of the all-time great stayers after his retirement was announced at the age of eight.
Stradivarius’ record of three wins in the Ascot Gold Cup matches that of Sagaro, the iconic stayer from the 1970s, and is only bettered by the four of Yeats, while he won the Goodwood Cup a record four times.
Bred and owned by Bjorn Nielsen, Stradivarius won 20 of his 35 races and netted almost £3.5million in prize money, plus £2m in bonuses.
Gosden said: ‘He has to be (regarded as an all-time great stayer). He sort of did it all. He is an eight-year-old stallion and it is remarkable to have attained what he did and have that longevity.
‘He was kept in training this season to run in three races – the Yorkshire Cup, Ascot Gold Cup and Goodwood Cup – and ran to the highest level in all three.
‘To maintain his form to the end of his career is a testament to him and his constitution and probably his joyous approach to life.
‘He really enjoyed his training and was very vociferous – always shouting and saying hello to everyone. He is an incredible character, he’s family.’
A bruised foot had prevented Stradivarius from running since he was edged out by a neck when second to Kyprios in the Goodwood Cup in July. With Autumn ground conditions starting to turn against the eight-year-old, who was at his best on fast, dry ground, Gosden said the time was right to draw stumps.
He added: ‘It is incredibly important to go out at the top. Like a great boxer, if you come back for too many bouts it’s not a clever place to be. That was important.
‘The horse has a great following and it was right to do the correct thing by him.’
What differentiated Stradivarius on the track was that he was a rare beast – a stamina-packed stayer with a lethal turn of foot. His record could have been even better, with his last two runs in the Ascot Gold Cup turning into tactical nightmares for his regular jockey Frankie Dettori.
The pair’s much-debated length-and-a-quarter third to Kyprios in June was a contributory factor in Dettori and Gosden briefly splitting, and the Italian was replaced by Andrea Atzeni in Stradivarius’ final race at Goodwood.
Dettori posted a tribute to his old ally on Twitter yesterday, saying: ‘He’s been a part of my life for the past six years. A good friend, a wonderful horse, so many great times together. It was an honour for me to ride him and I will miss him a lot.’
Stradivarius heads to the British National Stud in Newmarket where he will begin covering mares in spring.