Sussex Stakes winner Mohaather has been retired after picking up what his connections have described as "significant bone bruising" in his near hind fetlock.
Trained by Marcus Tregoning, the Sheikh Hamdan Al Maktoum-owned colt came out on top in this year's stellar renewal of the Group One feature at Glorious Goodwood, where he had Circus Maximus, Siskin and Kameko immediately behind him.
Sheikh Hamdan’s racing manager Angus Gold said in a statement: "Towards the end of last week it was noticed that Mohaather was not moving as well as he had been immediately after the Sussex Stakes.
"Precautionary X-rays were taken over the weekend which have revealed significant bone bruising in his near hind fetlock joint; unfortunately this will put paid to the rest of his campaign, and as a result Sheikh Hamdan has taken the decision to retire the colt to stud.
"Mohaather won Group races as a two, three and four-year-old and reserved his best effort for his last outing, where he beat the winners of this year’s English and Irish 2,000 Guineas, together with dual Group One Royal Ascot winner Circus Maximus, quickening from an impossible position inside the last two furlongs in the manner of a top-class miler.
"While it is sad that he will not get the chance to take on the best of the milers in the Queen Elizabeth II at Ascot and the Breeders’ Cup at the end of this year, he retires at the top of his game, and on behalf of HH Sheikh Hamdan Al Maktoum I would like to thank Marcus Tregoning and his team for the outstanding job they did with him."
As well as the Sussex Stakes, Mohaather won the Summer Mile at Ascot this season, having suffered an unfortunate passage in the Queen Anne Stakes at the Royal meeting.
Paying tribute to the son of Showcasing, Tregoning said: "It’s a blow, but the horse retires intact, that’s the main thing.
"The Goodwood win was fantastic. If he couldn’t get the win at Royal Ascot, to beat two Guineas winners and the Queen Anne winner in the Sussex Stakes was brilliant.
"When you watch it again, he had to pull round them all, giving away three lengths, and he still absolutely hammered them.
"He was a very good horse, and we were incredibly lucky to have had him. I don’t think I’ve seen one – in my time anyway, including my time with Dick Hern – with two bursts of electric speed. I haven’t seen that before.
"He also got the mile really well, yet he had a sprinter’s turn of foot. We actually tried to get Dayjur to stay a mile, because commercially they are more valuable and there are so many sprinters standing at stud. In his case, it didn’t work.
"We followed the same path with this horse, knowing we could drop back to sprinting if we had to, but he proved he could get the trip really well, and he was never stopping at the end of a mile."
Mohaather landed the Greenham Stakes on his first three-year-old start, but had to miss the 2019 2000 Guineas and most of the season after a setback. His win in the Sussex was a first at the top level for Tregoning since Sir Percy won the Derby in 2006.
Stud plans will be announced at a later date.
