Joseph O’Brien’s international star State Of Rest has been retired from racing. The four-time Group 1 winner will begin a new career at stud after an MRI scan carried out by Australian officials ahead of a possible defence of his Cox Plate crown in October uncovered an issue. It means the four-year-old son of Starspangledbanner would not pass Racing Victoria protocols in order to travel to Melbourne.
A statement from O’Brien said: “Everyone here at Carriganog Racing is so disappointed that State Of Rest’s racing career has come to a sudden end. He was without question a remarkably talented, durable and consistent performer. We asked a huge amount of him throughout his career and he delivered every time.
“He won Group/Grade 1 races on three different continents in the face of a wide variety of tracks, ground conditions and race tempos. It all came alike to him. He had the most incredible constitution and will to win. We’ll miss him greatly, but we look forward to training his progeny in the years ahead.”
State Of Rest won five of his 13 career starts and was first successful at the top level in last August’s Saratoga Derby in New York. He followed that with a narrow in Australia’s top middle-distance contest, the Cox Plate at Moonee Valley, under Irish jockey Johnny Allen.
Back in Europe this year he began the season with victory in the Prix Ganay at Longchamp, finished third to Alenquer in the Tattersalls Gold Cup, before making all under a superb Shane Crosse ride to land the Prince Of Wales’s Stakes at Royal Ascot. State Of Rest subsequently beat only one home behind Inspiral in the Prix Jacques Le Marois over a mile at Deauville.
Separately it has emerged that Inspiral will bypass next week’s Colmore Matron Stakes at Leopardstown in favour of waiting for the following month’s QEII at Ascot. It rules out a “Champions Weekend” clash with the Irish 1,000 Guineas heroine Homeless Songs, and leaves the latter a warm 6-4 favourite to successfully return to Group 1 action.
The John and Thady Gosden team are choosing to wait with Inspiral in order to give her more time to bounce back from a gutsy success in the Marois.
Wednesday’s home action is at Gowran, where Colin Keane and Billy Lee continue to slug it out for the jockeys’ championship. Lee is currently one ahead of his rival 71 to 70.
Keane’s linkups with champion jumps trainer Willie Mullins are always to be noted ,and they combine for the bumper winner Hermine in the concluding mile and six maiden.
Jessica Harrington runs three in this, including The Very Man, a versatile sort, part-owned by former Irish rugby international Rob Kearney.
Apart from the newcomer Shadow Analysis, Hermine is the most inexperienced runner in the contest. However, she could hardly have won more impressively on her racecourse debut at Kilbeggan when jockey Jody Townend’s biggest problem appeared to be pulling her up afterwards.
