Royal Ascot winning Rashabar retired

Rashabar, the horse that provided Billy Loughnane his first winner at Royal Ascot when winning the Coventry Stakes in 2024, has been retired.

Trained by Brian Meehan, the son of Holy Roman Emperor burst onto the scene with his juvenile exploits, carrying the famous Sangster silks to an emotional success under the young weighing room starlet at the Royal meeting two years ago.

He would go on that season to place in Group One company when second in both the Prix Morny and Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere, the latter won by Aidan O’Brien’s subsequent French Derby hero Camille Pissarro.

Sam Sangster of owners Manton Thoroughbreds is now exploring stallion opportunities and said: “Rashabar has been a fantastic horse to be involved with and gave us one of the most exciting days of my career when winning the Coventry Stakes at Royal Ascot for the syndicate.

“He has always had tremendous physical presence. He’s beautifully balanced, has the heart of a lion and possesses great depth and quality. I have no doubt breeders will be impressed by him, not only for what he achieved on the racecourse but also for the individual he is.”

While he would not add to his juvenile heroics, he would prove a model of consistency throughout his career, finishing outside the first four only twice in 14 starts.

Highlights at three included finishing second to Jonquil in the Greenham Stakes before finishing fourth behind Field Of Gold in the St James’s Palace Stakes back at the Royal meeting, while when upped in distance he added a second over 10 furlongs in the Group Two Prix Guillaume d’Ornano to his CV.

Meehan added: “Rashabar was an incredibly genuine, tough and talented horse. He had the speed to win a Coventry Stakes but also the constitution and class to be highly competitive in Group One company.

“He was a pleasure to train, very sound-minded, straightforward and willing, and I very much look forward to training his progeny in the future.”