NEWS
French Derby winner Le Havre retired
Posted: Friday, July 03, 2009 3:43 PM
Prix du Jockey Club (Fr-G1) (French Derby) winner Le Havre has been retired after suffering a tendon injury during his classic victory on June 7 at Chantilly.
Trainer Jean-Claude Rouget told Racing Post on Friday that plans to run the three-year-old Noverre colt against older horses in the Prix du Haras de Fresnay Le Buffard Jacques Le Marois (Fr-G1) at Deauville on August 16 have been abandoned.
“As can happen after an extreme effort, Le Havre came out of the Prix du Jockey Club with serious tendon problems which will change the direction of his career,” Rouget said. The trainer also said he will consult with owner Gerard Augustin-Norman to determine the best destination for Le Havre to stand at stud.
Bought by Rouget for $134,910 (100,000 Euros) at the Arqana yearling sale in 2007, Le Havre won four of his six starts and earned $1,397,335 in his racing career. He began 2009 by breaking through for his first stakes victory in the Prix Djebel at Maisons-Laffitte on April 10 before finishing second to Silver Frost in the Poule d’Essai des Poulains (Fr-G1) (French Two Thousand Guineas) at 1,600 meters (7.95 furlongs) on May 10 at Longchamp.
Stretching out in distance, Le Havre turned the tables on that foe and also bested several other accomplished rivals, including Fuisse and Westphalia (Ire), with an impressive performance under Christophe Lemaire to win the 2,100-meter (10.44-furlong) French Derby by 1½ lengths.
