Powerscourt retired to Ashford Stud

Powerscourt, the Arlington Million winner, was retired on Tuesday, costing the Breeders' Cup Turf one of its favorites.

Trained by Aidan O'Brien, Powerscourt has not run since his Million heroics on Aug. 13.

O'Brien said Powerscourt was not pre-entered in the Turf on Monday.

"He wasn't right yesterday morning," the Irish trainer said Tuesday, "so we decided not to send him."

Subsequently, O'Brien and owner Susan Magnier decided that it was time to retire the 5-year-old Powerscourt.

will stand next year at Ashford Stud in Kentucky for an as-yet undisclosed fee. In a career that included victories in the Group 1 Tattersalls Gold Cup and the Group 2 Great Voltigeur Stakes, Powerscourt won 5 of 21 starts for earnings of $1,912,272.

Powerscourt had been considered for both the Man o' War and the Turf Classic at Belmont this fall, but failed to travel across the Atlantic on both occasions as nagging setbacks had interfered with his preparation. He worked well last Thursday and appeared set for a return to the United States, where he had arguably run the three best races of his career. In addition to his overpowering three-length Million victory over Kitten's Joy this year and his third in last year's BC Turf, Powerscourt was disqualified from a victory in last year's Million, a race in which he crossed the line 1 1/2 lengths in front of Kicken Kris.

Having celebrated his 36th birthday last Sunday, O'Brien will still arrive in New York next week with a powerful arsenal. According to O'Brien, Ace, just a length behind the undefeated Shakespeare in the Turf Classic, will replace Powerscourt in the Turf. Recent Prix de l'Opera runner-up Mona Lisa, an unlucky seventh in Arlington's Beverly D., will run in the Filly and Mare Turf, as will Ad Valorem, sixth in the Shadwell Turf Mile at Keeneland last time out.

O'Brien said he will also bring Ivan Denisovich over for the Juvenile. Out of 1993 Distaff winner Hollywood Wildcat, Ivan Denisovich is a three-quarter brother to 2000 Mile champ War Chant. His best effort was a victory in the Group 2 July Stakes at Newmarket.

But the most keenly anticipated O'Brien invader is Oratorio. The winner of a pair of Group 1, 1 1/4-mile races on turf, the Eclipse Stakes and the Irish Champion Stakes, Oratorio is a Danehill 3-year-old who will be making his dirt debut in the Classic.