Australian Champion Vancouver Retired

Australian champion 2-year-old Vancouver (Aus) (Medaglia d'Oro–Skates {Aus}, by Danehill), who capped his unbeaten juvenile campaign last year with a win in the G1 Golden Slipper, has been retired and will enter stud at Coolmore Australia later this year. Vancouver was targeting the G1 Diamond Jubilee S. at Royal Ascot for trainer Aidan O'Brien, but missed his intended European debut in The Curragh's G3 Greenlands S. at The Curragh two weeks ago after returning an unsatisfactory blood picture. O'Brien noted that the 3-year-old's condition failed to sufficiently improve.

“Vancouver's unsatisfactory blood picture precluded us from running him in the Greenlands S. at the Curragh last Saturday week,” said O'Brien. “His bloods failed to improve as quickly as we might have hoped so he missed more work last week and this week. Unfortunately we've now run out of time to get him ready for the Diamond Jubilee at Royal Ascot and the July Cup. It's very disappointing as he looked very special on what we'd seen of him at home and we were looking forward to running him.”

Bred by John Camilleri's Fairway Thoroughbreds, Vancouver was bought by trainer Gai Waterhouse for A$185,000 at the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale in 2014. The dark bay opened his career with a win in the Listed Breeders' Plate–a race that has produced sires like Sebring (Aus), Snitzel (Aus), Charge Forward (Aus) and Choisir (Aus)–earning 'TDN Rising Star' status. He followed up in the G3 Canonbury S. and the G2 Todman S. in the autumn before overcoming the extreme outside barrier 16 to win the Golden Slipper. After that win, Vancouver was purchased by a group including Coolmore and the China Horse Club. Debuting in the China Horse Club silks at three, Vancouver finished fourth in Rosehill's G3 San Domenico S., after which he was sent to O'Brien at Ballydoyle in Ireland to prepare for his European campaign. He retires with four wins from five starts and earnings of A$2,368,250.

Coolmore Australia's Tom Magnier said, “It's a major disappointment that Vancouver won't be running at Royal Ascot but he is proving very popular with breeders, so we're keen to get him here as soon as possible. He'll enter quarantine in Newmarket next week and will be on the farm here in Coolmore Australia by mid-July.”