Main Sequence retired due to tendon injury

Main Sequence, the champion turf horse and older male of 2014, was retired Monday with a tendon injury following his seventh-place finish in the July 5 United Nations Stakes.

Main Sequence, a 6-year-old gelding, has a 15 percent tear in the middle of his tendon, according to trainer Graham Motion, and the decision was made not to try to bring him back to the races. He was bred and is owned by the Flaxman Holdings of the Niarchos family.

“He’s had some sickness in the leg since the race, and we’ve been evaluating him ever since,” Motion said. “It’s an injury that he could come back from, but he’s a champion, and it’s not something the family has chosen to do.”

Main Sequence was sent to Motion in early 2014 from Britain. He was 4 for 14 in his career at that point and had lost 10 consecutive races dating to May 2012.

Main Sequence became ill after shipping to the United States, and it was not until last July that he made his U.S. debut in the United Nations. He broke poorly and rallied from ninth to win the 1 3/8-mile race by a neck over Twilight Eclipse.

He went on to win his next three starts, all in Grade 1 races: the Sword Dancer at Saratoga, the Joe Hirsch Turf Classic at Belmont Park, and the Breeders’ Cup Turf at Santa Anita. He was honored with two Eclipse Awards.

Main Sequence won his 2015 debut in the Mac Diarmida at Gulfstream Park in February and then was sent to Dubai, where he finished seventh in the $6 million Dubai Sheema Classic.

He never got untracked in the July 5 United Nations and was beaten almost eight lengths.

“The good news is that the horse is absolutely fine,” Motion said. “We had an amazing run, and these things never last forever.”

Main Sequence, a son of 2003 sprint champion Aldebaran, concludes his career with nine wins from 21 starts and $3.4 million in earnings.

Main Sequence was a quirky horse who broke slowly in his races, had an explosive kick, and then would wait on horses after making the lead. His margin of victory in his five U.S. wins ranged from a head to three-quarters of a length.