IN winning the Cox Plate in Australia in October, Lys Gracieux had served notice that she was among the best horses in the world, and she ended her career in scintillating style in the Group 1 Arima Kinen, worth 3,000,000 yen, in Nakayama on Sunday.

The Heart’s Cry mare now retires with three consecutive Group 1 wins – the Takarazuka Kinen in June, before her Cox Plate and Arima Kinen wins. She is one of only five mares to win the final big Group 1 of the Japanese season, a list that includes Gentildonna and Daiwa Scarlet.