Kyprios retired: Aidan O’Brien mentions time on the career of the Dual Gold Cup Hero after worsening of old injury

Aidan O’Brien’s Double Ascot Gold Cup winner Kyprios is retired because of the worsening of an old injury.

The seven -year -old son of Galileo leaves the track with an incredible record of 17 victories of 21 outings.

What makes his achievements all the more deserving, it is after a brilliant season in 2022 when he won all six of his races, including a first golden cup, he then missed almost 2023.

He returned for an autumn campaign and met two defeats, but last year he was better than ever in winning all seven starts, including a second Gold Cup.

The announcement of the news on X, his owners Coolmore said: “Because of a worsening of an old ring bone lesion, we have decided not to take opportunities with Kyprios and although he is currently healthy and it is doing well, the decision to withdraw him against racing.”

Kyprios was perfectly healthy until his most recent outing in the Saval Beg in Leopardstown, when O’Brien reported that he had taken a few lame steps.

The next morning the Ballydoyle Handler was able to publish a positive update, but given what he means for the people around him, the decision was made with the best interests of the horse in heart and soul.

“He has really been an incredible horse,” O’Brien told the PA press agency. “We had to be very respectful for him. In every way he is perfect, but just when he stopped a little Edgy the last day, we couldn’t take any risks.

“It was the first time he had taken a false step because he recovered from his serious injury. Everyone just wanted to do with him.

“He has been the most incredible horse, he had an incredible spirit to go with his incredible capacity.

“I don’t think another horse in the world would have returned from the injury he had.”

Many special moments have adorned the career of Kyprios, but one race on his record stands out for O’Brien – the extraordinary Prix du Cadran of 2022, when he won with 20 lengths, despite the fact that he was violently hung on him in the last Furlong.

He said: “There was in France that day when he won a long way. He just gallop home!

“He had been around once, he could see where he had to go and he just wanted to come back. He was an incredible horse, he was usually always in second gear.

“That was just unusual that Prix du Cadran, they all fell away, nothing could go with him and he was left in the front and became a bit lonely.”