O'Meara and Tudhope hail popular stalwart Suedois as Group 1 winner is retired

David O'Meara and Danny Tudhope on Friday paid tribute to Group 1-winning globetrotter Suedois, describing the popular stalwart as a "legend of a horse" after his retirement at the age of nine.

A Group 3 winner in his native France for Christian Baillet before joining the Yorkshire-based O'Meara at the end of his four-year-old season, Suedois would take his career earnings to over £1.5 million thanks to a series of sterling performances around the world for owners Steve Parkin and George Turner.

Over the course of 32 starts for O'Meara, Suedois recorded four lucrative successes on three different continents, most notably the Grade 1 Shadwell Turf Mile Stakes at Keeneland in 2017.

"For a horse like him to have amassed the prize-money he has is quite phenomenal really," O'Meara said. "There are plenty of top-class Group 1 horses that don't accumulate what he has in his career in terms of prize-money and he'll definitely be missed around the yard."

He added: "He wouldn't have had the best of joints and we just felt that it possibly could be catching up with him so we felt it was best to call it a day with him."

Suedois leads Lord Glitters off the training track at Santa Anita before last year's Breeders' CupCredit: Edward Whitaker

O'Meara's handling of the ten-time winner was impeccable. Having initially thrived over sprint distances, the trainer managed to condition Suedois to excel over seven furlongs and a mile – a move that served the gutsy campaigner very well according to regular rider Danny Tudhope.

"David did a great job with him and to initially begin sprinting before developing into a horse that stayed a mile opened plenty of doors for him," explained Tudhope.

"He was a very tough horse and that was probably the main thing about him. You knew what you were going to get from him every day he turned up."

The jockey added: "Even as a nine-year-old earlier this year he was still able to win at Meydan in a handicap off a big weight. I'm sure those looking after him enjoyed their travels with him."

Asked for his personal highlight aboard Suedois, Tudhope said: "It has to be his win in the Shadwell Turf Mile at Keeneland. That was fantastic. It was a brilliant race to win and he was fantastic on the day."

"He was a legend of a horse," added O'Meara. "Anything from six furlongs to a mile suited him fine, all ground came alike to him.

"Steve [Parkin] sponsors the Clipper Logistics Boomerang Stakes so the day he won that Group 2 at Leopardstown on Irish Champions Weekend in 2017 was obviously special for him."

O'Meara may be losing one of his most prominent campaigners, but the yard recently received a boost with Group 2 winner and German Derby third Royal Youmzain joining the team.

The five-year-old will now run in the colours of Mohammed Bin Hamad Khalifa Al Attiya, owner of dual Royal Ascot hero Baghdad.

"Royal Youmzain looks a lovely individual and we're delighted to have him," said his new trainer. "Andreas Wohler did a wonderful job with him in Germany and hopefully we can continue to look after him as best as possible. He looks as though he should stay a mile and a half fine."

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