Meydan regular and Powell favourite Dark Emerald retired

Dark Emerald, who went from being tailed off in juvenile hurdles to winning a couple of valuable handicaps at Meydan and running on Dubai World Cup night, has been retired by trainer Brendan Powell.

Lambourn-based Powell said the eight-time winner had been a star for his yard and the best he had trained on the Flat.

Owned by Ken and Carol-Anne Rhatigan, the son of Dark Angel raced 50 times and accrued £309,424 in prize-money, the bulk of that coming from his Meydan raids, which resulted in two wins and three seconds – including in a Group 2 – from 12 appearances in Dubai.

Powell said the eight-time winner had been a star for his yard and the best he had trained on the Flat. “His last couple of runs weren’t great and he’s had a couple of niggly issues – nothing serious – but he’s sound,” he said.

“We’ll give him a home and might even use him as a lead horse for the babies here. Ken and Carol-Anne have been great owners and we’ve become very close friends, going to Dubai and Ireland with him. He’s done great for us.

“I suppose his two wins in Dubai in 2015 were the highlight and he also just got beaten in a Group 2 out there that year.

“Without a doubt he’s the best I’ve trained on the Flat, although I did make a mess of him by running him in two juveniles.”

Powell added: “Richard Hughes said to me after riding him one night at Kempton, ‘Jeez, this lad would make some jumper’. He’d lost his form so I said we’d school him to see if he enjoyed it, but he didn’t really get the trip.

“I remember after his first win in Dubai over six furlongs, Rishi Persad interviewed me and said, ‘It’s a strange path to come to Dubai after running in two-mile hurdle races on winter ground’, and I just said, ‘That was the plan!’”

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