Classic-winning colt, Galileo Gold, has run his last race and has been retired owing to a soft-tissue injury picked up during his run in the Al Shaqab Lockinge Stakes.

The son of Paco Boy finished ten-lengths behind Ribchester in Newbury’s Group 1 mile contest just over a week ago, which on the face of it appeared somewhat disappointing.

Al Shaqab’s racing manager, Harry Herbert, said: “It’s a great shame, real sadness all round. It’s a soft-tissue injury that meant we couldn’t carry on with his career at this stage of the season. It’s very sad.

“His run in the Lockinge was very disappointing, but obviously in the cold light of day there’s a reason for it. It’s a shame we couldn’t go on with his career because the horse has absolutely exploded from three to four.

“Everyone who saw him in the Lockinge would agree with that. He had been working very well.

“We were very excited what he might achieve this year, but he’s a great looking horse, with a great pedigree, good constitution and a fantastic brain. He has a lot of ticks in the right boxes for a stallion career ahead.”

Having begun his career in a York maiden in May 2015, just under 12 months later he went on to give Al Shaqab their very first Classic winner when landing the Qipco 2,000 Guineas.

Not only that, he was giving his young, up-and-coming trainer Hugo Palmer his first Classic winner on these shores.

It’s a great shame, real sadness all round

Although unable to land the Guineas double in Ireland, he came back to form at Royal Ascot by seeing off Ballydoyle’s The Gurkha in the St James’s Palace Stakes.

His three subsequent runs in 2016 couldn’t yield another success, but he put up a brave show to only narrowly go down to The Gurkha in the Sussex Stakes at Glorious Goodwood.

A winner of five of his 12 starts, Galileo Gold amassed over £960,000 in prize-money for his connections.

He will go to stud but no decision on that count has been made.