Xtension Retired from Racing

XTENSION (IRE) (h, 7, Xaar {GB}–Great Joy {Ire}, by Grand Lodge), who won the 2009 G2 Vintage S. for trainer Clive Cox and later took back-to-back runnings of the G1 Champions Mile after his sale to Hong Kong, has been retired from racing. 

Bred by Paul McCartan, Xtension was a €15,000 TATIRE purchase in 2008, and became a prominent juvenile the following year, with a runner-up effort to Canford Cliffs (Ire) (Tagula {Ire}) in the G2 Coventry S. and a third to Beethoven (Ire) (Oratorio {Ire}) in the G1 Dewhurst S. surrounding his Vintage success. Fourth, beaten under three lengths in the 2010 G1 English 2000 Guineas, he was third in the G1 Prix Jean Prat before his export overseas. 

Trained in Hong Kong by John Moore for Mr. and Mrs. Steven Lo, Xtension outran his pedigree to be second in the 2011 Hong Kong Derby over 2000 meters, finishing 3/4 of a length behind hot favorite and subsequent two-time Horse of the Year Ambitious Dragon (NZ) (Pins {Aus}) before defeating the classy Lucky Nine (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) for the first of his two wins in the Champions Mile (video). Third in that year’s G1 Hong Kong Mile, Xtension was a respectable fifth in the G1 Dubai Duty Free S. the following season, but atoned for that effort with a 17-1 upset of the 2012 Champions Mile (video), defeating Glorious Days (Aus) (Hussonet), Lucky Nine, Ambitious Dragon and favored Cityscape (GB) (Selkirk) after overcoming serious traffic in the stretch. 

Xtension retires with earnings of HK$31,652,650 (US$4,076,601). Stud plans are pending.