Qatar Racing's Grade 1 winner Ocean Road retired due to injury

Qatar Racing's Ocean Road, an impressive winner of the Gamely Stakes, has officially been retired from racing.

Trainer Brendan Walsh told BloodHorse that the four-year-old filly, who had been training towards last Saturday's Diana Stakes at Saratoga, had torn a ligament in her front leg.

"We just noticed some heat in that leg last week, it wasn't specifically after a work or anything like that," said Walsh. "We just noticed an area and after ultrasounding it we found a tear. I'm afraid that's that."

The daughter of Australia began her racing career for Hugo Palmer, losing her maiden status at Lingfield as a juvenile before running third in the Oaks Trial and sixth in the Oaks itself behind Snowfall.

After placing in the Pride Stakes, Ocean Road was sent overseas for a bid in the Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf. She ran a respectable sixth at 75-1 odds at Del Mar in what would be her last start for Palmer.

Once joining Walsh's barn over the winter, the filly began to fill out and mature into her frame as a four-year-old. She grabbed the public's attention during the Keeneland spring meet after exhibiting an explosive last-to-first stretch kick in a paceless allowance optional claiming race to score by a nose.

Shipped out west to Santa Anita for the Gamely, Ocean Road didn't disappoint, circling the field again to defeat top southern California turf mares Going To Vegas and Going Global.

"She was a filly with a lot of upside but unfortunately these things happen in this game," said Walsh. "At least she won a Grade 1 and she'll be fine. It's not a horrible injury but it's something that doesn't allow us to go any further."

Ocean Road has retired with a 3-1-2 record from eight starts for earnings of $351,772. Breeding plans are undecided at this time.

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