Trainer George Boughey has announced that his unbeaten three-time Group One winner Bow Echo has been retired from racing due to injury.

The son of Night Of Thunder, who was ridden by Billy Loughnane in all six of his races, first saw a racecourse almost exactly a year ago when winning by four and a half lengths at Newbury.

Wins in the Ascendant Stakes and Royal Lodge Stakes then followed, before he reappeared with an emphatic win in the 2000 Guineas back at Newmarket.

He once again got the better of Gstaad at Royal Ascot in the St James's Palace Stakes, where he showed his battling qualities to win by a short head, and he would get the better of that same rival for a third time when showing a sparkling turn of foot to win the Sussex Stakes at Goodwood two weeks ago.

In a statement on X, trainer George Boughey said: "it has been the honour of a lifetime to train a horse like Bow Echo. He has given us some extraordinary days and taken everyone involved on a journey we will never forget. To retire unbeaten, having won the 2000 Guineas, St James's Palace Stakes and Sussex Stakes says everything about what an exceptional racehorse he has been.

"Bow Echo's remarkable story began with his owner-breeder, the late Sheikh Mohammed Obaid and it is a great sadness that he was not here to see what a lifetime of breeding was able to produce. Bow Echo's unbelievable constitution and extraordinary ability have set him apart.

"We will all miss seeing him at home and on the racecourse but we are incredibly excited for his next chapter and in time, to see a new generation of his progeny on the racecourse."

Billy Loughnane added: "Bow Echo has been the most unbelievable racehorse and has given me days in the saddle that I could only ever have dreamed of. To ride a horse like him at this stage of my career, and to win the 2000 Guineas, St James’s Palace Stakes and Sussex Stakes together, is something incredibly special.

“I can’t thank George and the whole team enough. George has trained him to perfection throughout his career and I feel incredibly lucky to have been Bow Echo's jockey in all six of his starts.

“Of course it’s disappointing that we won’t see him on the racecourse again, but he retires unbeaten having done everything that was asked of him. It has been a privilege to ride him and he’ll always mean a huge amount to me.”

The Sheikh Mohammed Obaid Al Maktoum-bred colt was due to line up in the Prix Jacques Le Marois at Deauville this Sunday, but will instead join an illustrious roster of stallions at Darley, a banner under which both his sire and grandsire reside.

Bow Echo is out of the Invincible Spirit mare Aristocratic Lady, who is a granddaughter of Dubawi's dam Zomaradah, a wide margin winner of the Italian Oaks.

Further stud plans will be announced in due course.

By Alex Scott (Racing TV)

Photo: Focus On Racing