Group 2 winning mare Aretha has been retired after trailing the field home in the Group 2 Foxbridge Plate (1200m) last Saturday, with a stallion yet to be selected for the daughter of Charm Spirit.

The winner of the Group 2 Matamata Breeders' Stakes (1200m) at two, Aretha was also placed at Group 1 level in the Sistema Stakes (1200m) and the Manawatu Sires' Produce (1400m) as a juvenile.

She returned to claim the Group 3 Gold Trail Stakes (1200m) at three but failed to show her best thereafter. “We have made the decision to retire her,” owner and breeder Greg McCarthy said. “We thought we were on track, but she pulled up a bit scratchy behind on Saturday and it only made sense to proceed if we thought she could win a Group race.

“She seems to have had her best days. “Back in March, we thought her run at Tauranga (for third) had a lot of credit and we were keen to see whether we had got back on track, but with the lockdown we had to step back and wait.

“Everything had seemed to be going to plan, but it is not until you get to the pressure of a race that you know whether they have that last few percent.”