Four-time Group 1 winner Ghaiyyath (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}-Nightime {Ire}, by Galileo {Ire}) has been retired from racing after exhibiting muscle soreness. He will stand at Darley’s Kildangan Stud next year.
Bred by the Weld family’s Springbank Way Stud, Ghaiyyath was a standout from the start being out of the G1 Irish 1000 Guineas winner Nightime. He cost Godolphin €1.1-million at the 2015 Goffs November Foal Sale and showed promise soon after joining trainer Charlie Appleby, breaking his maiden at second asking at two before taking the G3 Autumn S. Ghaiyyath ran just once at three, winning the G3 Prix du Prince d’Orange, and after taking the G2 Prix d’Harcourt to kick off his 4-year-old campaign he made waves when winning the G1 Grosser Preis von Baden by 14 lengths. That performance prompted a 2019 G1 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe bid, but after making the running over the very soft going Ghaiyyath faded to tenth.
The bay put that blip-his only off-the-board finish in 13 starts-firmly behind him this year as a 5-year-old, however. After kicking off proceedings with an 8 1/2-length score in the G3 Dubai Millennium S. in February, he returned to Europe to best last year’s G1 Derby winner Anthony Van Dyck (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) in the G1 Coronation Cup and none other than Enable (GB) (Nathaniel {Ire}) in the G1 Coral-Eclipse and Magical (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) in the G1 Juddmonte International. Ghaiyyath was last seen finishing second to Magical in the G1 Irish Champion S. on Sept. 12, and had been set for a bid at the Breeders’ Cup before his setback.
“Ghaiyyath has had a fantastic career winning nine of his 13 races,” said Appleby. “His high-class cruising speed and relentless style of galloping was a joy to watch and as I have said before, this year he came together both physically and mentally and looked the finished article. It is obviously disappointing not to be taking him to the Breeders’ Cup but the exertions of a long season, which started in Dubai in January, were starting to show and the decision has been made to retire him. He was an outstanding part of the Moulton Paddocks team and I know that his numerous top-level successes gave our principal, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed, a great deal of pleasure.”
Ghaiyyath is bred on the same Dubawi over Galileo cross that has produced Darley’s exciting young sire Night Of Thunder (Ire). Ghaiyyath’s page was enhanced after his purchase as a foal when his half-sister Zhukova (Ire) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}) won a pair of Group 3s in Ireland for Dermot Weld and the GI Man O’ War S. in the U.S. before being bought by Godolphin for 3.7-million gns at Tattersalls December in 2017. Zhukova has yearling and colt foals by Dubawi, while Nightime has a yearling full-brother to Ghaiyyath bought by Godolphin for €1.2-million from Goffs November last year and a colt foal by Kingman (GB) slated to sell at the same sale next month.
Joe Osborne, managing director of Godolphin in Ireland, said, “Ghaiyyath is a great addition to our roster: his superior ability as a racehorse combined with his looks and his pedigree will make him a sought-after option for breeders. We are delighted he will be standing at Kildangan Stud next season.”
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