Alpha Centauri and Saxon Warrior Retired With Injuries

Alpha Centauri and Saxon Warrior were both retired Sept. 16 after they sustained injuries during runner-up efforts at Leopardstown Sept. 15.

Alpha Centauri has been the star performer of the European flat season in 2018. He landed the Irish Tattersalls One Thousand Guineas (G1), Coronation Stakes (G1), Tattersalls Falmouth Stakes (G1), and Prix du Haras de Fresnay-Le-Buffard Jacques Le Marois (G1).

The Niarchos family's filly, trained by Jessica Harrington, was a hot favorite to extend her sequence of victories at the top level to five in the Coolmore Fastnet Rock Matron Stakes (G1) Saturday, but had no answer to Laurens, who beat her by three-quarters of a length.

Alpha Centauri was reported to be clinically abnormal after the race, in which she chipped a joint in her fetlock, and the decision to retire her was made Sunday afternoon.

"The decision has been made to retire Alpha Centauri. She got a chip in her right front fetlock and following discussions with the vets and with Jessie the decision has been made to retire her," said Alan Cooper, the Niarchos family's long-serving racing manager. "The pleasure she has given us all this year has been fantastic, and she was very brave yesterday under far from ideal circumstances. She has been a super mare."

Alpha Centauri won six of her 10 starts for earnings of £1,254,827 ($1,639,990) and was partnered in all her races by jockey Colm O'Donoghue.

Saxon Warrior was another star performer. He won the group 1 Racing Post Trophy last year and this season's QIPCO Two Thousand Guineas (G1) at Newmarket.

He performed with much credit in five winless starts subsequently, including at Leopardstown Saturday, when beaten a neck by Roaring Lion in a thrilling QIPCO Irish Champion Stakes (G1).

Plans had been drawn up to head to Ascot next month for the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes (G1), but trainer Aidan O'Brien revealed Sunday that he has been retired.

"He was sore when he got home from Leopardstown, so we wrapped him up, and when we took the bandages off this morning, there was a lot of swelling to his near-fore tendon," O'Brien explained. "Our vet John Halley examined him and after the horse was scanned John told me he had quite a significant core lesion to his flexor tendon.

"After yesterday's race (jockey) Ryan (Moore) said Saxon Warrior wanted to get on top of the running rail and that isn't like him. Ryan never hit him, and to battle the way he did, to be beaten only a neck, shows how brave a horse he is."

O'Brien added: "It's a big pity that we've had to retire him. He was a brilliant horse and put up his his best performance when winning the Two Thousand Guineas. We tried him over a mile and a half at Epsom and again in the (group 1 Dubai Duty Free) Irish Derby, as we thought Epsom mightn't have suited him. He went for the Eclipse and ran a smashing race only a week after the Irish Derby.

"He was very sick after Sandown and was just ready to start back in the Juddmonte International (G1). We knew he would come on a lot from York, and he did just that at Leopardstown. It's possible a mile was his best trip. He was a very talented racehorse—top class."

The son of Deep Impact won four of his nine starts for the Coolmore partners, for earnings of £1,112,467 ($1,481,978).