Group 2 Winner Best Of Bordeaux Retired to Coolmore

Group 2-winning sprinter Best Of Bordeaux—by the same champion sire as Coolmore's Golden Slipper (G1) winner Shinzo—has officially been retired and will take up stud duties at Jerrys Plains in 2023.

The son of Snitzel  won the 2022 Roman Consul Stakes (G2) in October, but had his farewell autumn campaign curtailed by a serious bout of pneumonia, prompting the colt's high-powered connections to call time on his brief yet successful racing career.

The Kacy Fogden-trained Best Of Bordeaux, who burst onto the scene with dominant back-to-back victories in the Canonbury Stakes (G3) and Silver Slipper Stakes (G2), was bought by the Coolmore-led syndicate following his second to Fireburn in last year's Golden Slipper.

His Slipper performance, in defeating subsequent group 1 winners Coolangatta, Jacquinot, and She's Extreme after leading up the field, saw Timeform declare him to be the highest-rated juvenile male of his generation.

The first eastern state new season stallion to have his service fee announced in 2023, Best Of Bordeaux will stand at Coolmore for an introductory price of AU$27,500 (inc GST).

Gold Coast hinterland-based Fogden sent Best Of Bordeaux straight to Sydney to start his racing career, such was the early talent the colt demonstrated in trackwork and barrier trials.

"We were very lucky to have him and I certainly wish I had a few more in the stable like him, but horses like him just don't come around all that often," Fogden said.

"He was just an incredibly fast horse. People forget with horses like him just how much work they do early and maintaining that high cruising speed like he could is such a huge asset.

"It was quite daunting (going to Sydney) but we had a lot of faith in him as he was always so fast. The way he used to travel (in his work and races), he'd get that head up and he could just sprint and hold it, whereas so many horses can't do that."

A winner of three races from just eight starts, the Gerry Harvey-bred colt was a AU$425,000 (US$327,058) purchase by Fogden from the 2021 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale.

He is out of the three-time winning High Chaparral  mare Chateau Cheval, herself a half sister to group 1-winning Vinery Stud stalwart Casino Prince  and fellow stakes winners Tagus, Lord Of The Land, and Metallurgical.

"Snitzel is one of the best stallions we have seen in Australia this century and already a successful sire of sires. Like his sire, Best Of Bordeaux was a natural, forward-running speed horse..." Coolmore Australia's Tom Moore said.    

If not for Best Of Bordeaux's illness, Fogden has little doubt the rising 4-year-old could have raced on at the highest level.

"By default, he's had a big spell now and it's the best I've seen him look. What he was doing at 2 and 3 was on pure ability, he certainly wasn't a big horse and, if anything, looking at him now he looks so much stronger but unfortunately we're not going to see that on the track," Fogden said.