Unbeaten star Bow Echo has been retired, trainer George Boughey announces

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Superstar Bow Echo has been retired from racing through injury, with Billy Loughnane describing the unbeaten three-year-old as an "unbelievable racehorse who has given me days in the saddle that I could only ever have dreamed of".

Bow Echo leaves the track with a perfect record from six starts, having completed a remarkable Group 1 treble in the 2,000 Guineas, St James's Palace Stakes and Sussex Stakes.

His team had been strongly considering a run in the Group 1 Prix Jacques le Marois at Deauville on Sunday, but his thrilling victory over old rival Gstaad at Goodwood will now go down as his last appearance after he sustained an injury in training to his left fore fetlock.

His trainer George Boughey said: "It has been the honour of a lifetime to train Bow Echo. He has given us some extraordinary days and taken everyone involved on a journey we will never forget.

"To retire unbeaten, having won the 2,000 Guineas, St James's Palace Stakes and Sussex Stakes says everything about what an exceptional racehorse he has been."

His Sussex victory made him only the sixth horse in Pattern history to complete that top-level treble in the same season, with Frankel the last to achieve the feat in 2011.

Bow Echo: the fifth straight winning favourite on day two

Bow Echo (right) beats Gstaad in the Sussex Stakes on his final appearanceCredit: Edward Whitaker (racingpost.com/photos)

Boughey added: "Bow Echo's remarkable story began with his owner-breeder, the late Sheikh Mohammed Obaid, and it is a great sadness that he was not here to see what a lifetime of breeding was able to produce.

"We will all miss seeing Bow Echo at home and on the racecourse, but we are incredibly excited for his next chapter and in time, to see a new generation of his progeny on the racecourse.

"Bow Echo's unbelievable constitution and extraordinary ability have set him apart."

Loughnane: 'He'll always mean a huge amount to me'

Ridden by Loughnane in all six of his starts, Bow Echo provided the jockey with his first Classic winner, while the colt's Group 1 victories account for three of Loughnane's five top-level wins.

“Bow Echo has been the most unbelievable racehorse and has given me days in the saddle that I could only ever have dreamed of," said Loughnane. "To ride a horse like him at this stage of my career, and to win the 2,000 Guineas, St James’s Palace Stakes and Sussex Stakes together, is something incredibly special.

“I can’t thank George and the whole team enough. George has trained him to perfection throughout his career and I feel incredibly lucky to have been Bow Echo's jockey in all six of his starts.

“Of course it’s disappointing that we won’t see him on the racecourse again, but he retires unbeaten having done everything that was asked of him. It has been a privilege to ride him and he’ll always mean a huge amount to me.”

George Boughey and Billy Loughnane celebrate after Bow Echo's win in the Betfred 2,000 GuineasCredit: JOHN GROSSICK

Bow Echo made the perfect start to his career with a four-and-a-half-length success in a Newbury maiden before landing the Listed Ascendant Stakes at Haydock. He then announced himself as a Classic contender with victory in the Group 2 Royal Lodge Stakes at Newmarket on his final start as a juvenile.

The Night Of Thunder colt went straight to Newmarket for the 2,000 Guineas on his first start as a three-year-old and, having spent much of the year as the ante-post favourite, was sent off at 9-2, the only time in his career when he was not sent off favourite.

Despite that, he blitzed the field in a stunning display to record the joint-highest 2,000 Guineas-winning performance on Racing Post Ratings since Frankel's 133 in 2011, with a rating of 127.

He beat 3-1 joint-favourites Gstaad and Distant Storm at Newmarket, with the Aidan O'Brien-trained runner-up becoming his main rival in his final two enthralling races, with Bow Echo getting the better of him at Ascot and then Goodwood.

Homebred by Sheikh Obaid, Bow Echo’s pedigree is certainly worthy of a future stallion, being a son of the reigning champion sire Night Of Thunder and a grandson of the all-conquering Dubawi.

Bow Echo is the second foal out of the three-time winning Invincible Spirit mare Aristocratic Lady, a half-sister to two stakes winners including the Group 1-placed Royal Rhyme.

Billy Loughnane celebrates after winning the St James's Palace StakesCredit: Edward Whitaker (racingpost.com/photos)

Liam O'Rourke, director of studs, stallions and breeding for Godolphin and Darley, said: "While it is very disappointing that we will not get to see Bow Echo on a racecourse again, he has been an outstanding flagbearer for his champion sire Night Of Thunder and is no doubt one of the most exciting stallions to retire to stud in recent years.

"Although his injury will prevent him from running again, he is otherwise in great health and we are immensely proud of all his achievements.

"Our thanks must go to George Boughey and all the team at Craven House, who have handled him superbly throughout his remarkable career."

Despite Darley's statement following news of Bow Echo's retirement, no official stud plans have been finalised for the unbeaten star. However, Sheikh Mohammed’s breeding empire already houses Sheikh Obaid’s other recent stars Rosallion, Inisherin and Triple Time.

It's impossible to know the ceiling of an unbeaten horse

Analysis by Harry Wilson

How good was Bow Echo? It is a shame we are having to use the past tense so soon about an unbeaten miler who won the 2,000 Guineas, St James’s Palace Stakes and Sussex Stakes and who deserved to retire after winning on the track, not after suffering an injury.

However, now that he has been retired, the question of where he ranks among the greats at the distance will no doubt be pondered. As always, it is difficult to offer a conclusive answer because it is impossible to know the ceiling of an unbeaten horse until they lose.

Bow Echo (right) gets the better of Gstaad (left) in the St James's Palace Stakes at Royal AscotCredit: Justin Tallis (AFP via Getty Images)

There is no doubt Bow Echo produced a special performance when winning the 2,000 Guineas. His Racing Post Rating of 127 has been bettered only by Frankel (133 in 2011) and King's Best (128 in 2000) this century, while his winning Topspeed figure of 120 was the highest recorded in the 2,000 Guineas since Frankel’s monstrous 132 in 2011.

Bow Echo followed in the footsteps of Frankel by winning the St James’s Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot and the Sussex Stakes at Glorious Goodwood after his 2,000 Guineas win. Although he confirmed his superiority over Gstaad on both occasions, the gap between the pair closed and he was unable to improve his RPR, with figures of 123 and 125 respectively.

Although he was never going to match Frankel in ability and ended his career 2lb shy of Kingman on RPRs, Bow Echo undoubtedly deserves to be ranked among the best milers we have seen – his peak RPR of 127 equals the best figure Baaeed managed as a three-year-old, although 4lb shy of that one's best over a mile.

Whatever the figures say, he will be remembered as one of the best winners of the 2,000 Guineas we have ever seen, and he should also be heralded for proving that you don’t need to be the biggest juvenile to make an impact at three.

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