Al Kazeem retired due to injury

Multiple Group 1 winner Al Kazeem will return to stud for the 2016 breeding season after being retired due to a suspensory branch injury.

The 7-year-old son of Dubawi will stand at owner/breeder John Deer’s Oakgrove Stud in Chepstow, England. He stood the 2014 season at the Royal Studs in Sandringham, England, where his highly-publicized syndication included Sheikh Joaan Al Thani of Qatar, who sent, among others, two-time Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint winner Mizdirection to be part of Al Kazeem’s first book.

However, Al Kazeem only impregnated about 25 mares in his first year at stud, failing to meet the fertility requirements laid out by the stallion’s insurer. He was bought back by Deer, who returned him to the barn of trainer Roger Charlton.

"I hope he is able to add to the number of foals he has on the ground already, who are currently exciting their breeders," Charlton said. “I believe that he is the greatest training feat of my career and yet he made it so easy for me.”

Prior to his first season at stud, Al Kazeem’s victories included the Group 1 Prince of Wales’s Stakes and Coral Eclipse Stakes, and three additional group stakes in England, and the Group 1 Tattersalls Gold Cup in Ireland.

Upon returning to the racetrack, Al Kazeem won his debut in the French Group 2 Prix D’Harcourt, then finished second in the Group 1 Prix Ganay. He went back to Ireland for his final start, winning a second edition of the Tattersalls Gold Cup.

In total, Al Kazeem retired with 10 wins in 23 starts over six seasons of racing for earnings of $2,444,017.

Bred in Great Britain, Al Kazeem is out of the unplaced Darshaan mare Kazeem, who is the dam of three winners from seven foals to race. He is from the family of Grade/Group 3 winners Kanz and Diomedia.