Qewy retired as Appleby hails the career of versatile eight-year-old

Qewy, one of the best all-rounders of the last decade, has played his last innings following his sixth in the Group 3 Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Flemington on Saturday.

There have been few more versatile performers in racing than the eight-year-old son of Street Cry who had 29 starts in all - 20 outings on the Flat, seven starts over hurdles and two tries over fences.

Qewy was sent off favourite to make it win number seven on Saturday but he faded into sixth behind Vengeur Masque and trainer Charlie Appleby has decided to grant the crowd favourite a happy retirement.

Appleby said: "We are delighted with the job he has done for us. He has become a bit of a local favourite down here but he's done more than enough. We'll take him home with us and find him a nice home."

Qewy has certainly saved his best for Australia in recent years. He won the Geelong and Sandown Cups during the Spring Carnival in 2016 with a fourth-placed finish sandwiched in between in the Melbourne Cup.

Despite advancing in years, he began the 2017 Spring Carnival in style by bravely fending off Kiwia in the Bendigo Cup but connections decided to sidestep another crack at the Melbourne Cup in favour of the less demanding Group 3 on Saturday.

Unfortunately that decision did not have the desired effect as he failed to cope with Geelong Cup winner Vengeur Masque and trailed in seven lengths behind in sixth. It was a rare blot on his copybook.

Over a career that spanned over five years, Qewy won six times and earned £462,785 in prize-money.

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