Connections salute 'wonderful' servant Tullius on veteran's retirement

Tullius, the admirable gelding who gave members of the Kennet Valley Thoroughbreds syndicate that owned him such a thrill with a handful of Group victories, has been retired after sustaining a minor injury on his last outing at Goodwood in May.

A son of Le Vie Dei Colori, Tullius showed useful form for Peter Winkworth, but on his retirement was switched to Andrew Balding, for whom he won the Suffolk Handicap at Newmarket's Guineas meeting on his first start in 2012.

A brace of Listed wins at Windsor and York followed before Tullius captured his first Group victory in Salisbury's Sovereign Stakes.

He delivered further Pattern wins each year from 2014 to 2016 – Sandown Mile, York Stakes and Diomed Stakes – and also performed with credit at the highest level, finishing second in the 2014 Lockinge and fourth in both that year's Queen Anne Stakes and Queen Elizabeth II Stakes.

Kennet Valley's racing manager Sam Hoskins described him as "wonderfully consistent".

"His two runs as a nine-year-old proved that he still maintained his ability and love for racing but, after a minor injury sustained following his fourth in the Festival Stakes at Goodwood, the decision was made to retire him and to begin the early stages of retraining with Andrew Balding's former assistant Chris Bonner and his wife Claire," said Hoskins.

"A great character who's an athlete through and through, we are hopeful of finding him a new active career to pursue in the coming months.

"Tullius has been the most wonderful horse for a syndicate to own and, along with Andrew's team, his KVT owners wish him all the very best and say 'thank you' for all the incredible memories along the way."

Tullius won 11 of his 42 starts and £500,317 in prize-money.