Royal Ascot hammer blow as superstar horse Kyprios retires just weeks before third Gold Cup bid
ROYAL ASCOT has been dealt a hammer blow - after superstar horse Kyprios' retirement was confirmed.
Aidan O'Brien's all-conquering monster was to go for a third Gold Cup on June 19.
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Kyprios has been retired from racing just weeks before his bid for a third Gold Cup
Credit: The Times
But a flare up of an injury has forced connections to announce his retirement aged seven.
Owners Coolmore posted on X: "Kyprios Retires.
"Due to an aggravation of an old ringbone lesion we have decided to take no chances with Kyprios and although he is currently sound and doing well the decision has been made to retire him from racing."
Trainer Aidan O'Brien had insisted publicly as was well with the awesome stayer, who won 17 of his 21 races, after he turned awkwardly following his last win at Leopardstown earlier this month.
Kyprios had just won the Saval Beg in Ireland at odds of 1-14 when he moved gingerly in the winner's enclosure.
Footage seemingly from the following morning showed him moving well.
But, as ever, the markets told the real story with stablemate Illinois smashed in for the Gold Cup seemingly out of nowhere.
Kyprios' price shot up as a result and, though it did move back in in the following days, the writing was really on the wall.
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It's a sad end for a true icon of racing, who won a staggering £2.7million on the track - and was beaten just twice since May 2021.
But connections, who nursed him back from the brink of death over the winter of 2022, always said they would never risk him.
More to follow.
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