What a horse! What a stayer!
So wonderful to see an 8-year old entire horse still racing at the highest level. Here is the full coverage–wonderful race, wonderful reception for the horse by the crowd afterwards:
And here is a great interview with his trainer:
Edited to correct: he is 7, not 8, years old. Still marvelous.
No more million £ bonuses ! Stradivarius has bagged too many !
He’s an amazing example of what happens when you take care of a great horse and keep them in training.
Not a gelding, he is entire.
Clearly I thought he’s a gelding since he’s been around so long, since you never see a multiple Group 1 winning stallion around at his age, lol. Thanks!
His owner Bjorn Nielson has no economic need to send his stallion off to stud and is someone who enjoys the sport not just the business of racing. The horse is with John Gosden who is a horseman as well as a trainer, with a topnotch team working for him, so Stradivarius is pampered by the best. Based in Newmarket, there are many options to keep the horse interested and fit on a variety of training gallops and Gosden says the horse “trains himself now”. Stradivarius has a good life and happy horses win races. It is a lovely thing to see. The crowd reaction at York showed the affection the racing public has for such a wonderful horse.
When he does go to stud I’m sure he will get some excellent mares. I hope he proves successful in his (yet to be) second career because the TB breed as a whole benefits from such a robust campaigner. Yeats comes to mind.
Interesting reading;
I think one of the reasons that Stradivarius is still running is the fast that he is a stayer, and don’t have the same breeding value as a middle distance horse. I love seeing him race though and it is so good for racing.
He won again. Not the strongest field, but heck, he beat who showed up.
He was just playing with them lol
The filly got up for 2nd.
Ascot Gold Cup today; Stradivarius is going for his fourth win.
This is a really good article about the now 8yo horse. He’s quite a character and his owner is very fond of him.
Edit: Damn. He finished 3rd.
Well, third is nothing to sneeze at. 
Have any of the Queen’s horses won? It must be strange , her not being there. I’m sure she must be watching on T.V. though.
I think she’s only had the one runner so far. Reach For The Moon was favored in the Group 3 Hampton Court today, but got beaten by 7-1 shot Claymore.
It’s been a rowdy Royal Ascot meeting so far. Irad Ortiz got a 5-day ban for careless riding (color me surprised) when finishing last on Golden Pal in the King’s Stand on Tuesday. Frankie Dettori has had a horrible meet. Yesterday he had trouble getting the blindfold off of Lord North before the gates opened in the Prince of Wales.
And check out the finish of today’s Norfolk Stakes.
Apparently Ortiz was looking at a horse that was behind the gate and was taken by surprise when the gates opened. Was that the careless riding incident? He said he almost fell off.
That was too bad about the Norfolk interference. Seem as if the jockey could have done more to control the horse and still won the race.
Still hoping for the Queen to win one!
Great article. Love this:
"It’s taken more thinking at the yard to keep him interested when the work can be repetitive. For the last couple of years they’ve mixed it up, galloped him in different places and walked him back through town.
“John tells me that Stradivarius looks at himself in every window. I’m sure he probably blows himself a kiss too as he walks past.”
Actually I was wrong about the race. It was Ortiz’ ride on Love Reigns in the Queen Mary (Gr.II) that got the stewards’ ire. Ortiz “allowed his mount to drift left without correction” a sixteenth of a mile in.
I’m shocked that the winner of the Norfolk didn’t come down.
I think the winner of the Norfolk didn’t come down because the stewards did not think the offense changed the results of the race. However, the jockey will probably get days. I hope he gets a lot of days–I thought two horses behind him were going down for a moment.
Paul Hanagan got 10 days. It’s the first time I have ever heard a jockey agree that he deserved to be penalized, though he did say he thinks 10 days is a little harsh.
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