Injury has forced multi-million dollar New Zealand mare Princess Coup into retirement.
Ongoing tendon problems has ended a career that peaked last year when she won her second consecutive $2 million Kelt Capital Stakes, the richest race in New Zealand.
She also won the New Zealand Oaks and the rich group two St George Stakes in Australia and retires with stakes of over $4.3 million.
Co-owner Ray Coupland said Princess Coup's breeding future had yet to be decided and he could not say whether she would remain under her current ownership interests, or whether a sale could be on the agenda.
Coupland was able to reflect on a fleeting career that began when the mare was bought for $A260,000 ($NZ315,802) in the 2005 on the Gold Coast by trainer Mark Walker and Te Akau Stable manager David Ellis.
"The second Kelt Capital was probably the highlight because of a number of reasons," Coupland told The Press newspaper.
"I had not been there the previous years and had been through a tough time with health issues leading into this year and there was a lot of emotion involved.
"Years ago in Timaru, when I started out with horses, I used to say one day I was going to race a really top horse. I suppose it was a pipe dream then, but it happened. She has given us so many thrills."
While she never won at group one level in Australia, Princess Coup consistently finished among the placings.
That included a second in the Mackinnon Stakes, the BMW Classic, the Australian Cup and the Ranvet Stakes and a third in the Caulfield Cup.
The mare was also placed in both the One Thousand Guineas and the Two Thousand Guineas when campaigned out of the Rangiora branch of Walker's Matamata stable.
She had 12 wins from 33 starts, including four at group one level.
