Fairy Godmother, a leading contender for the 1000 Guineas at Newmarket, has been retired from racing following a setback in training.

Winner of the Group 3 Albany Stakes at Royal Ascot last year, the Night Of Thunder filly missed the second half of her juvenile season with a niggling injury which has flared up again. A spokesperson for Ballydoyle told The Irish Field on Friday afternoon: "It's the same thing she had last year and it was felt that it would take too long to wait for her to come right again. She will be covered by Wootton Bassett."

Out of the Siyouni mare Scintilating, Fairy Godmother was bred by Ballyphilip Stud. She was bought by Coolmore for 425,000gns at Book 1 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale.

Second on her racecourse debut at Naas in late April of last year, she reversed that form on her next start, winning the Group 3 Coolmore Stud Irish EBF Fillies Sprint Stakes at Naas by a neck in mid-May.

In a field of 16, Fairy Godmother was sent off the 15/8 favourite for the Albany Stakes at Royal Ascot but she looked to have no chance of winning two furlongs out, having been stopped in her run multiple times.

Pulled left by jockey Ryan Moore, she finally found a clear passage a furlong out and motored home to win by three-parts of a length.

"I gave her an impossible task and she got me out of a hole," Moore said afterwards. "There was a wall of horses in front of me and around me. It's incredible that she was able to win from that position. All credit to her, she's a very good filly."

Fairy Godmother was the ante-post favourite for the 1000 Guineas for most of last summer, but did not race again in 2024 due to a setback in training. She was being targeted at the Group 1 Cheveley Park Stakes, a race ultimately won by her stable companion Lake Victoria, who went on to be champion European two-year-old filly and the new 1000 Guineas favourite.

Just days ago Aidan O'Brien informed the media how well Fairy Godmother had worked at the Curragh a week earlier. "We were very happy with her," he said then. "She worked seven furlongs with an ease in the ground and she got it very well. She did an unusual thing at Ascot and it's very possible she cold go the Guineas without a run."

Sadly, just a few days after her trainer had spoken so highly of her, the filly was to suffer a career-ending injury on the gallops.

READ MARK BOYLAN'S THREE-PAGE BALLYDOYLE STABLE TOUR IN THE IRISH FIELD THIS WEEKEND