World traveller Bolshoi Ballet retires to The Beeches Stud

Aidan O'Brien's dual top-level American turf winner Bolshoi Ballet has been retired from racing and will stand under the Coolmore National Hunt banner at The Beeches Stud. His fee is due to be announced in the coming days.

A son of Galileo who won as a two-year-old in a maiden at Leopardstown, he returned as a three-year-old to the same track and recorded a Classic trial double in the Derrinstown and Ballysax Stakes. After running in the Derby at Epsom, Bolshoi Ballet went on to strike in the Grade 1 Belmont Derby and ran in the US on three more occasions that season.

He missed the vast majority of 2022 but returned for another Grade 1 across the Atlantic for Ballydoyle at the end of August when running out a four-and-a-half length winner of the Sword Dancer Stakes at Saratoga.

“Bolshoi Ballet is an exceptional looker and walker, extremely genuine and clean-winded,” said O’Brien. “He had the class to win a Group 1 over a mile and a quarter and also stayed a mile and a half well.”

Robert McCarthy of The Beeches added: “I was very taken with Bolshoi Ballet when we went to see him at Ballydoyle earlier in the year. 

“He’s a super looking horse with real presence about him, a great colour, plenty of size and a very good walk. I have no doubt that breeders will be impressed when they come to see him.”

Bolshoi Ballet was bred by Coolmore affiliates Lynch-Bages and Rhinestone Bloodstock out of the unraced Anabaa mare Alta Anna, a half-sister to French Oaks second Abbatiale. He is a brother of Australian and Irish Group scorer Southern France, among a handful of other winners.

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