Four-time Group 1 winner Our Ivanhowe (Ger) (Soldier Hollow {Ire}–Indigo Girl {Ger}, by Sternkoenig {Ire}) has been retired from racing with stud options in the works, www.racing.com reported Tuesday morning. The Mar. 18 G1 Ranvet S. victor was lame in his off foreleg afterwards and was scratched from Saturday's G1 The BMW after failing a fitness test.
“”We always had it on or radar, win lose, or draw the Ranvet was always going to be his swansong,” co-owner Rupert Legh told www.racing.com Tuesday. “There was really nothing left for him. You don't get wet tracks in Melbourne and we know he's a superstar, but he just needs a bit of cushion. He's a four-time Group 1 winner, he's a very kind-natured horse and we don't want to bury him on hard tracks.”
Bred by Gestut Schlenderhan and a winner of the G2 Oppenheim-Union-Rennen at three, Our Ivanhowe–who raced as Ivanhowe in the Northern Hemisphere–progressed to take both the G1 Longines Grosser Preis von Baden and Munich's G1 Pastorious-Grosser Preis von Bayern as a 4-year-old. Tabbed a German highweight at 11-14 furlongs that year, he was purchased from Gestut Schlenderhan by these connections with the intent to contest the G1 Caulfield and G1 Melbourne Cups. From 14 runs Down Under, the Lee and Anthony Freedman trainee's best performance bar the Ranvet was when he captured the G1 Doomben Cup over 2000 metres during the Australian fall last year. His favoured heavy ground finally materialized in the Ranvet, where he drew off to win by 3 1/4 lengths under Kerrin McEvoy. Our Ivanhowe retires with a mark of 24-7-2-1 and $1,453,283 in earnings.
The 7-year-old son of Soldier's Hollow (Ire) has several studs in both hemispheres showing interest, but no plans have been finalized yet.
Added Legh, “We've got a couple studs both in Europe and here talking to us at the moment. “We thought, why don't we go out on top and it's coming into April and it's time to find him a nice home and start building a nice book for him.”
Out of Indigo Girl (Ger), who was third in the G1 Preis der Diana (German Oaks), Our Ivanhowe is the second winner of four to race and lone stakes winner. Indigo Girl is a half-sister to German SWs Irulan (Ire) (Monsun {Ger}) and Indian Breeze (Ger) (Monsun {Ger}) and GSP Iolith (Ger) (Monsun {Ger}). Third dam Indian Pearl (Ger) (Gulf Pearl {GB}) was the champion 3-year-old filly in Germany in 1978.
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