Daaher retired to stud

Daaher, who most recently finished third in the Stymie Handicap at Aqueduct on March 1, has been retired to stud at Nashwan Stud, the stallion division of Shadwell Farm, in Lexington, Ky.

Daaher, a 4-year-old Awesome Again colt, will stand for $30,000.

Shadwell announced Daahers retirement Friday after scintigraphy scans revealed torn and injured ligaments in his right front ankle, according to the announcement.

He lugged in the last half of that race pretty severely, trainer Kiaran McLaughlin said. We had to think something was bothering him. There was no inflammation or heat in the ankle, but further tests diagnosed the problem.

Daaher, winner of the Grade 1 Cigar Mile last fall, was winless in two starts this season. He began the year with a seventh-place finish in the Donn Handicap on Feb. 2, a finish that McLaughlin now believes might have been affected by the injury.

Shadwell owner Sheikh Hamdan al-Maktoum purchased Daaher for $375,000 at the 2005 Keeneland September yearling sale. The colt went on to earn $455,163 in two seasons and won both the Cigar Mile and the Grade 2 Jerome Handicap last year. He retires with 4 wins and 2 thirds from 9 starts.

A son of the two-time Canadian stakes winner Irish Cherry, Daaher is a full brother to dual Grade 1 winner Spun Sugar. He was bred in Ontario by Yvonne and Dagmar Schwabe.