‘Determination, Talent, And Class’: Breeders’ Cup Turf Winner Tarnawa Retired

Last year's Breeders' Cup Turf winner Tarnawa has officially been retired from racing, trainer Dermot Weld told racingpost.com on Thursday. The Aga Khan's 5-year-old daughter of Shamardal retires with a record of nine wins from 18 career starts, and earnings of $4,508,464.

“We saw her race for four seasons and she got better with every run,” Weld told racingpost.com. “She's right up there with the very best I've ever trained because she had some terrific qualities of determination, talent and class.”

Tarnawa was undefeated in 2020, capturing the Group 1 Prix Vermeille and G1 Prix de l'Opera before beating the boys in the G1 Breeders' Cup Turf at Keeneland, giving the world-travelling Weld his first win at the World Championships. She returned in 2021 to run second in both the G1 Irish Champion Stakes and the G1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, then did not fire in this year's edition of the Breeders' Cup Turf at Del Mar.

“She was in great form coming into the race but had an exceptionally tough race in the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe on extremely testing ground. She gave her all in trying to win the Arc,” Weld continued. “Combining that with the long travel to California just took the edge off her. She looked magnificent and everything was right with her, but the mental sharpness just wasn't quite there.”