Diamond Jubilee sprint sensation Merchant Navy retired to take up stallion duties
Aidan O'Brien's Australian import will move back Down Under to cover an extensive book of mares
DIAMOND JUBILEE winner Merchant Navy has run his last race and will head to Australia to take up duties as a stallion.
The Royal Ascot hero was being aimed at the July Cup but connections have now decided to retire the Group 1 winner instead.
The colt joined trainer Aidan O'Brien from Australia earlier this summer with a view to winning at Royal Ascot, and the four-year-old did exactly that.
Despite the wayward attentions of US raider Bound To Nowhere, he ended up being too strong for his field in the Diamond Jubilee Stakes, seeing off City Light to run out a game winner.
With a Group 2 victory picked up along the way, it has been a very successful trip over for the son of Fastnet Rock, who now retires having picked up £950,000 in prize-money.
O'Brien had harboured ambitions of running the talented sprinter in the July Cup, but those plans have now been shelved in favour of starting a stallion career as soon as possible.
O'Brien told Press Association Sport: "He's an incredible horse for what he did. We thought it was kind of impossible to do what he did.
"When he won the first day we thought he hadn't had enough time to acclimatise, but obviously he did.
"He won with a penalty and the weights all against him, and then he went on to Ascot and did the same thing.
"He was an incredibly natural horse. He had a great mind, was a great mover, was a very clean-winded horse and was very tough and genuine.
"It was a privilege to have him."
latest in horse racing
Coolmore tweeted: "Dual G1 winning #RoyalAscot hero Merchant Navy (Fastnet Rock) has been retired and arrived @coolmorestud this morning where he will enter quarantine before travelling to @CoolmoreAus where the world-class sprinter will cover an outstanding first book of mares #CoolmoreSires."
Merchant Navy follows a long line of Australian sprinters to have made a successful visit to Royal Ascot, including Takeover Target, Scenic Blast and Black Caviar.
Although he was trained by Aidan O'Brien for his Royal win, the majority of his career was spent under the care of trainer Aaron Purcell from his base in Warrnambool.
ALPHA FEMALE Big plans ahead for stunning Coronation Stakes winner Alpha Centauri
The Australian handler was responsible for the colt's success in the Group 1 Coolmore Stud Stakes and a close third in the Newmarket Handicap.
The horse that beat him that day, Redkirk Warrior, is a likely contender in the July Cup.