Fan favourite Stradivarius, the winner of more than £3.4 million in prize money, has been retired.
For years the chestnut starred on the track with jockey Frankie Dettori, taking three Ascot Gold Cups which topped their list of achievements.
Stradivarius, who landed the summer feature by ten lengths two years ago, won 20 races from 35 appearances on the track. Among the haul was four Goodwood Cups, three Lonsdale Stakes and two Doncaster Cups.
Trained by John and Thady Gosden, the eight-year-old was especially popular for his longevity on the track and having as much character as talent.
“It has been a fairytale from start to finish,” said owner Bjorn Nielsen.
"He had great presence when he went to the races, which the crowds loved, and his overall soundness was rare to see in any horse – never mind one of his age. He is a tribute to John Gosden, who has trained him so brilliantly for so long.”
Connections decided to call time on Stradivarius' career after he took longer than expected to recover from a bruised foot. He thrilled the crowds for one final time with a close second in the Al Shaqab Goodwood Cup this summer.
Ridden by Andrea Atzeni, the son of Sea The Stars pushed this year's Gold Cup hero Kyprios all the the way to the line, losing out on a memorable victory by just a neck.
It added another £107,500 to his record, which began with a couple of low key efforts in maiden races six years ago. But as Gosden increased the distance his stable star raced over, it brought out his star quality.
With Dettori in the saddle, Stradivarius won five Group 1 races, including at Royal Ascot, where the top rider was presented with his trophy by the Queen. There was no crowd in attendance for the pair's biggest triumph in 2020, due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Stradivarius defied fears about the rain-softened ground to stride clear of the opposition, joining only Sagaro (1975‑77) and Yeats, who added a fourth Gold Cup, in the record books.
“Even with no crowd I’m feeling quite emotional,” Dettori said at the time.
Dettori and Stradivarius' partnership came to a shock end when the 2022 Gold Cup unfortunately did not go to plan – and the stayer met trouble in running for the second year in a row.
Atzeni was aboard for the final run at Goodwood and now Stradivarius will become a stallion at the National Stud in Newmarket.
