“The music has stopped” – legendary stayer Stradivarius is retired | Horse racing news

“The music has stopped for Stradivarius.”

With those words, owner-breeder Bjorn Nielsen ended one of the most popular and enduring horses of the modern era on Monday. The eight-year-old dog has been slow to recover from the foot injury he suffered last month, prompting connections to withdraw him to stud.

Stradivarius now joins the Newmarket National Stud stallion roster after a distinguished career which saw him win four Goodwood Cups, three Ascot Gold Cups, three Lonsdale Cups and twice the Doncaster Cup. The local-bred chestnut has won 20 of his 35 starts in seven seasons to earn £3,458,968 at the racetrack.

“He trotted and galloped, but it took longer to get over the bruised foot than we thought,” Nielsen said of his Sea The Stars son. “We felt it would be unfair to ask him to return at the age of nine next season after his enforced leave.”

Stradivarius’ retirement will be much lamented by a racing public who have taken him to their collective hearts. A hallmark of his exemplary career was his consistency at the highest level. His latest start saw him succumb by a neck to Kyprios in his bid for a fifth Goodwood Cup in July. His duel with the eventual winner made the crowd rise.

“It was a fairy tale from start to finish,” Nielsen said. “Until this setback, he had never been on medication and had never missed an engagement due to injury. He had a great presence when he went to the races, which the crowds loved, and his toughness general was rare to see in any horse – let alone one his age. He is a tribute to John Gosden, who trained him so brilliantly for so long.

The standout performance within Stradivarius’ dominance of the Remaining Division came when it won the 2020 Gold Cup at Ascot by ten lengths from Nayef Road. He got this victory on soft ground even though the relations always felt he was at his best on a fast surface.

7 years of racing
35 races
20 wins
18 group wins
£3,458,968 in career earnings
7 groups 1

Thanks for the memories, Stradivarius pic.twitter.com/WYLYNF3lGU

— Racing Post (@RacingPost) September 26, 2022

When asked if this represented a sad day for him personally, Nielsen replied, “Yes and no. It’s been a thrill to watch him run all these years, but you always know they can’t last forever. We had considered stopping him at the end of last season but he showed us that he wanted to return, which was remarkable in itself.

“In the end we decided to keep him in training for three races and he raced in all three, winning the Yorkshire Cup for the first time and then having bad luck at Ascot and Goodwood. But whenever he showed, the fire was still there.

“He was constantly prolific, going around in circles, winning all those remaining races over and over again. Even if I’m lucky enough to win the Derby or the Arc at some point in the future, I know I’ll never have another horse like him. He was very popular with the public. It was just a joy from start to finish.