Grade 1 winner Gabriel Charles retired

Gabriel Charles, the Grade 1 winner who was plagued by a variety of ailments in a career spanning nearly four years, has been retired because of a tendon injury, trainer Jeff Mullins said on Thursday.

Gabriel Charles is a candidate for stallion duty, though no plans have been finalized, Mullins said.

Owned by Michael House and Sam Britt, Gabriel Charles won 4 of 12 starts and earned $604,400. He won three stakes, most notably the Grade 1 Eddie Read at Del Mar last July.

Throughout his career, Gabriel Charles overcame pelvis and tendon injuries. He was sidelined after undergoing colic surgery last summer and finished second in his only start this year in the Grade 3 San Francisco Mile at Golden Gate Fields in April.

The tendon injury was detected last month.

“The Eddie Read was the pinnacle of his career,” Mullins said. “The race at Golden Gate Fields was remarkable. It was almost like winning.”

Mullins praised the “heart, tenacity, and athletic ability” of Gabriel Charles, a 6-year-old by Street Hero. “He overcame a lot of things and came back,” Mullins said.

Gabriel Charles was scheduled to be shipped to a farm in Temecula, Calif., on Friday. Mullins said Gabriel Charles was not happy when he was taken out of training.

“He’s pretty upset he can’t go to the track,” Mullins said.

– additional reporting by Jay Privman