While no reason was given for the colt’s retirement, the Godolphin Website recalled Aljabr’s race record, noting, “Godolphin now feels the time is right to end his racing career, which saw five victories from nine outings…”Aljabr is the third top Godolphin runner to be retired in recent weeks, following career-ending injuries to Dubai Millennium and Kayf Tara.
Godolphin Racing’s Aljabr, a U.S.-bred son of Storm Cat who won three group I races, has been retired and will enter stud next year at Sheikh Hamdan al Maktoum’s Shadwell Farm near Lexington, Kentucky. Aljabr was bred and foaled at Shadwell.The 4-year-old colt won the Prix de Salamandre (Fr-I) and two other races in as many starts a s a 2-year-old. The colt trained by Saeed bin Suroor was then pointed toward the 1999 Kentucky Derby but sustained a minor injury before the season’s first classic. Returned to England, Aljabr won the Champagne Lanson Sussex Stakes (Eng-I) and finished second in the St. James’s Palace Stakes. In year-end ratings, Aljabr was rated at 123 in the International Classifications, the co-second-highest rating for a European miler.This year, Aljabr was a front-running winner of the Juddmonte Lockinge Stakes (Eng-I) before finishing fourth in the Queen Anne Stakes (Eng-II) and fifth in the Champagne Lanson Sussex Stakes.