O'Brien hails "incredible" Kyprios as star stayer is retired

Aidan O'Brien hailed  Kyprios  as "incredible" after it was announced announced on Tuesday morning that the star stayer had been retired.

The outstanding seven-year-old won 17 of his 21 races, including two editions of the Gold Cup, and earned his connections almost £2.7 million in prize-money. The joy he gave racing fans with his potent combination of stamina, speed and courage was incalculable and, as an entire, he will now begin a second vocation as a stallion.

A statement from Coolmore on X read: "Due to an aggravation of an old ringbone lesion we have decided to take no chances with Kyprios and although he is currently sound and doing well the decision has been made to retire him from racing."

The condition of Kyprios has been under close scrutiny since he gained a third triumph - and ninth successive victory - in the Saval Beg Levmoss Stakes at Leopardstown 11 days ago.

He was again using the Saval Bag as a stepping stone towards an intended defence of his Gold Cup crown at Royal Ascot next month. 

The  son of Galileo took the prize in workmanlike fashion by a length and a half from Dallas Star at odds of 1-14 and initally all seemed well as he posed for post-race photographs with his connections.

However, trainer Aidan O’Brien revealed to Racing TV’s Gary O’Brien that his equine win machine had subsequently walked away “gingerly”.

“He came back in perfect and when he went to walk off (out of the winner’s enclosure) he was moving a little bit gingerly in front," O'Brien said. "He was feeling something walking away.

“We'll investigate and see what it is. It could be something and it could be nothing. With his history, every race is a big race and we take it day to day."

O'Brien issued an upbeat bulletin a couple of days later but Kyprios has been uneasy in the Gold Cup betting, with his stablemate Illinois usurping him as favourite in some lists even before Tuesday's announcemnet.

Kyprios won the biggest staying race of the year in 2022 and 2024, but missed the 2023 renewal when on the sidelines.

His curtain falls with him still being at the peak of his powers. He has an official rating of 122, which has never been higher. 

Kyprios had won last month’s Vintage Crop Stakes before taking the Saval Beg – the same path he took before his Gold Cup victories in 2022 and 2024, when he enjoyed unbeaten seasons.

He needed one more Gold Cup triumph to draw level with staying greats Sagaro and Stradivarius. Yeats claimed four victories for O’Brien between 2006 and 2009.

Kyprios also won two editions of the Goodwood Cup, with his neck defeat of Stradivarius in the 2022 edition being a race for the ages.

Other highlights included a spectacular 20-length romp in the Prix du Cadran later that year despite hanging across the track.

O'Brien has four other horses engaged in next month's Gold Cup, withthe stable's Illinois now hot favourite.

"He’s been an unbelievable horse really. We had to be very respectful of him. In every way he is perfect but just when he pulled up a little bit edgy the last day we couldn’t take any risks.

"It was the first time he’d taken a false step since he recovered from his serious injury. Everyone just wanted to do right by him.

"He’s been the most incredible horse, he had an incredible mind to go with his incredible ability.

"I don’t think any other horse in the world would have come back from the injury that he had.

"There was that day in France [the Prix du Cadran] when he won by a long way. He was just galloping home really!

"He’d been round once, he could see where he needed to go and he just wanted to get back. He was an incredible horse, he was just always in second gear most of the time.

"That was just unusual that Prix du Cadran, they all fell away, nothing could go with him and he got left in front and got a bit lonely.