Magician to retire after BC Turf, to stand at Ashford Stud in 2015

Magician, winner of the 2013 Breeders’ Cup Turf, will retire after his start in this year’s edition on Nov. 1 and begin his stud career next year at Coolmore’s Ashford Stud in Versailles, Ky., with a fee to be announced.

A 4-year-old son of leading Coolmore stallion Galileo, Magician took the 2013 BC Turf at 12-1 odds in his first start in North America. He won the Irish 2000 Guineas earlier that year. This year, Magician has won 1 of 6 starts – a Group 3 stakes in Ireland – and placed three times in Grade/Group 1 events. He enters the BC Turf off of a runner-up finish to Hardest Core in the Grade 1 Arlington Million on Aug. 16. Overall, Magician has won 5 of 14 starts and earned $2,580,402.

“Magician is a very, very good-looking horse who possesses a blistering turn of foot,” said Ashford Stud director of sales Charlie O’Connor. “Along with [European Horse of the Year] Frankel, he is one of only three colts by Galileo to win a classic over a mile, so he’s a rare commodity.”

Magician is out of the stakes-winning Mozart mare Absolutelyfabulous and is from the family of English and Irish 2000 Guineas winner Henrythenavigator, now a stallion at Coolmore in Ireland.

Coolmore also announced over the weekend that 2013 Epsom Derby winner Ruler of The World has been retired from racing and will stand at its Irish farm in 2015, with a fee to be announced.

Another son of Galileo, Ruler of The World retires with 4 wins in 11 starts and $1,648,640 in earnings. He won a Group 2 stakes in France and a Group 3 in England in addition to his classic win at Epsom. Ruler of The World is out of the Group 3-placed winning Kingmambo mare Love Me True and is a half-brother to European champion Duke of Marmalade.