The Coolmore Ireland stallion roster has been boosted with the late addition of outstanding Wootton Bassett colt Constitution River with a routine end-of-season veterinary evaluation revealing a tendon issue.
Winner of the Group I Eclipse Stakes and the French Derby, Constitution River has been retired from racing contrary to initial thinking that he would stay in training at four.
Aidan O’Brien explained the sudden retirement: "It's incredibly disappointing. At the end of every year, we do a routine veterinary MOT on all the horses, and unfortunately, they found a lesion on his left front tendon. There was no guarantee he would be ready for his major targets next year and we never want to push them or take any chances, so the right thing to do is retire him now. To be honest, he was the horse we were most looking forward to staying in training next year. Both ourselves and Ryan thought he was one of the most brilliant three-year-olds we've had here, but that’s life unfortunately, and he has done more than enough to earn his place in the stallion yard."
Constitution River proved himself a dominant force at three this year, capturing two of Europe's most prestigious Group 1s.
He overcame the dreaded wide draw in the Gr.1 Prix du Jockey Club - with Lope de Vega being the only horse to win the race from a wider berth – and still recorded the third-fastest time since the distance was adjusted 21 years ago.
He then cemented his superstar status when dominating the Gr.1 Coral-Eclipse with ease to win by three lengths. These performances followed a brilliant seven-length victory in the Listed Dee Stakes in a race-record time, heralded by Timeform as one of the best classic trial victories in years, and his earlier success as a Gr.2 Futurity Stakes-winning two-year-old.
Welcoming the new addition, Coolmore’s Director of Sales, David O’Loughlin, said: “It is disappointing not to see him run on and perform to the best that everyone knew he was capable of, but we are absolutely delighted to have him in the stallion yard. He is a phenomenal physical specimen. To overcome a nightmare draw in stall 15 to win the stallion-making Prix du Jockey Club showed real class, and his performance in the Coral-Eclipse was exceptional. He is a serious talent with a proper stallion’s pedigree, and breeders are going to love him.”
By sire of sires Wootton Bassett, Constitution River is the first foal out of a sister to multiple Group 1-winning champion Wonderful Tonight, from the family of Champion Sire Camelot. He will stand for a fee of €25,000.
