Top 3-year-olds Saxon Warrior (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}-Maybe {Ire}, by Galileo {Ire}) and Alpha Centauri (Ire) (Mastercraftsman {Ire}-Alpha Lupi {Ire}, by Rahy) have each been retired from racing after finishing second in their respective Group 1s at Leopardstown on Saturday.
G1 2000 Guineas winner Saxon Warrior finished a neck behind Roaring Lion (Kitten's Joy) in the G1 Irish Champion S., and trainer Aidan O'Brien told RTE Racing the bay had injured a tendon.
“He badly damaged a tendon in the race which was a pity and when he came home last night we wrapped him up,” the trainer said. “When we looked at him this morning his tendon wasn't in a good place. There's a tear in there and it's a big pity.”
Paying tribute to Saxon Warrior, who had also won the G1 Racing Post Trophy at two, O'Brien said, “He was an amazing horse. Coming into this year we thought he was a horse with a chance to win the Triple Crown. When he won the Guineas, Donnacha [O'Brien] was of the opinion that he was a very fast horse, but we wanted to give him a chance in the Derby. We went to Epsom, but I felt he didn't act on the track.”
After finishing fourth in the Derby, Saxon Warrior checked in third in the G1 Irish Derby before finishing behind Roaring Lion in both the G1 Coral-Eclipse S. and G1 Juddmonte International. The bay retires with a mark of 9-4-2-1 and $1,481,978 in earnings.
“The lads then wanted him to run at The Curragh; after that we decided to bring him back to a mile and a quarter, which we did do, but only seven days after The Curragh at Sandown and he was just chinned,” O'Brien said. “Then he got very sick and the plan was to bring him back for three races; he was just ready to start back at York and we wanted to run him yesterday and then back at a mile at Ascot. It's probably my fault, I probably should have kept him at a mile.”
The Niarchos Family's Alpha Centauri proved the standout filly of her generation this year, sweeping the G1 Irish 1000 Guineas, G1 Coronation S., G1 Falmouth S. and G1 Prix Jacques le Marois before finishing 3/4 of a length behind the Classic-winning Laurens (Fr) (Siyouni {Fr}) in Saturday's G1 Matron S. A winner of six of her 10 starts and runner-up in two others en route to $1,639,990 in earnings, the 'TDN Rising Star' emerged from the Matron with a chip in a fetlock, according to the owners' racing manager Alan Cooper.
“Unfortunately the decision has been taken to retire Alpha Centauri on veterinary advice and on consultation with [trainer] Jessie [Harrington],” Cooper said. “She had a chip in her right front fetlock, which you could see her feeling in the closing stages yesterday. It's not a catastrophic injury and hopefully she can enjoy a successful career as a broodmare.”
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