Keeneland: Millionaire Rahystrada retired at age 9

Rahystrada, the only horse to win the Arlington Handicap three times, has been retired after finishing fifth in an allowance race Thursday at Keeneland in Lexington, Ky.

Owner Robert Courtney Jr. said he and trainer Scooter Hughes had “decided it’s time to give the horse a good life” in light of the two subpar performances that ended the 9-year-old gelding’s 46-race career. Rahystrada had finished 11th in the Aug. 17 Arlington Million in his previous start.

“It’s been a very humbling, very moving experience to own a horse like this,” Courtney said. “He was loved by many people.”

Based at the Thoroughbred Training Center in Lexington, Rahystrada, a Kentucky-bred by Rahy, won 14 races, the most notable being his victories in the Arlington Handicap in 2010, 2012, and 2013. An earner of $1,383,730, the gelding will live out his days at Courtney’s Stonebridge Farm near Lexington.