CONSIDERING that he was the best two-year-old in Europe in 2013 and that he trained on to add more group victories and be Group 1-placed in each of the next three seasons, it seems almost incredible that Toormore is retiring to Dalham Hall Stud at the amazingly modest fee of only £5,000, on Darley Club terms.

Trained by Richard Hannon, Toormore won a maiden race at Leicester on his debut, beating Ertijaal and with the other 10 runners seven lengths away. Stepped up to Group 2 company next time in the Vintage Stakes at Goodwood, he finished fast to win by a neck from the very smart colt Outstrip, who won the Champagne Stakes and the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf later that year. Toormore’s third and final outing of 2013 was in the Group 1 National Stakes at the Curragh, where he stormed away to score by almost three lengths from the Phoenix Stakes star Sudirman.

Those three wins gave Toormore top spot in the two-year-old rankings on 122, with Kingston Hill on 120, No Nay Never and War Command on 119 and Australia and Outstrip on 117.

Toormore extended his winning sequence to four first time out in 2014, winning the Group 3 Craven Stakes at Newmarket by two lengths from The Grey Gatsby and Postponed. Just out of the money in the 2000 Guineas, Toormore ended that season with a second in the Group 2 Lennox Stakes at Goodwood and thirds in the Group 1 Queen Elizabeth II Stakes and a Group 2 event in Turkey.

At four Toormore was beaten only a neck by Night Of Thunder in the Group 1 Lockinge Stakes, then was fourth to Solow in the Group 1 Queen Anne Stakes, before being bought by Godolphin and comfortably winning the Group 2 Lennox Stakes at Goodwood. Another trip to Turkey saw him win the Group 2 International Topkapi Trophy by two and a half lengths, before a third to Make Believe and Limato in the Group 1 Prix de la Foret at Longchamp. Then in 2016 he scored first time out in the Group 2 Bet365 Mile at Sandown Park and was placed in three more group races, including the Queen Anne Stakes and the Sussex Stakes.

Toormore’s sire Arakan, a son of Nureyev, won the Jersey Stakes at Royal Ascot and he has sired other multiple group winners, including Dick Turpin and Trumpet Major. Toormore is a half-brother to Estidhkaar who won the Group 2 Champagne Stakes and Superlative Stakes.

Champion 2yr old colt in Europe in 2013. Won seven races, £1,069,144, from 6 furlongs to 1 mile, at 2 to 5 years including, Goffs Vincent O’Brien National Stakes, Curragh, Gr.1, International Topkapi Trophy, Veliefendi, Gr.2, Qatar Lennox Stakes, Goodwood, Gr.2, Veuve Clicquot Vintage Stakes, Goodwood, Gr.2, bet365 Mile, Sandown Park, Gr.2, Novae Bloodstock Insurance Craven Stakes, Newmarket, Gr.3, also placed second in Al Shaqab Lockinge Stakes, Newbury, Gr.1, and third in Qatar Prix de la Foret, Longchamp, Gr.1, Qipco Queen Elizabeth II Stakes, Ascot, Gr.1.

Retires to stud in 2017.

Stands at: Dalham Hall Stud, Newmarket, Suffolk, CB8 9HE, England.

Contact: Dawn, David, Franziska, Antonin or Lucie

Telephone: +44 (0)1638 730070

Email: hello@darley.co.uk

Web: www.darleystallions.com

Fee: £5,000