New Zealand superstar Mufhasa, who raced as King Mufhasa in Australia, has been retired after pulling up lame following a trackwork gallop on Tuesday.
King Mufhasa finishes his racing career with an amazing ten wins at Group 1 level including two victories in Australia. Photo by: Race Horse Photos Australia
King Mufhasa was nearing a return to racing following two impressive barrier trial victories but managing owner David Archer elected to retire the nine-year-old rather than forced him to come back from the sesamoid bone injury.
“Mufh has done damage to a sesamoid bone and we have decided to retire him,” Arche told The Waikato Times.
“He is happy and well and is looking forward to his retirement as a recreational pony, which was what was planned about now in any event.
“We are proud of our boy and we are rapt we were able to give him a little more time doing what he loves most – running, which he has done in recent times as shown by his two easy trial wins and that wonderful second in the Windsor Park over the last couple of months.
“We love him, and look forward to spending his retirement with him, which we and Amy Doran will be doing.”
King Mufhasa started his racing career with a victory at Ruakaka on May 30 in 2007 and in 61 subsequent starts recorded twenty victories, ten of which were at Group 1 level, and accumulated almost $3.5 million for connections.
The Pentire gelding recorded his maiden Group 1 win in the 2009 Telegraph Handicap (1200m) and scored another win in the Group 1 Waikato Draught Sprint (1400m) before making his Australian racing debut with a third place finish behind Vision And Power in the Group 1 George Ryder Stakes (1500m) at Rosehill Gardens.
King Mufhasa failed to fire in the Group 1 Doncaster Mile (1600m) and failed to fire during the 2009 Spring Racing Carnival but returned to his best form with a victory in the 2010 Group 1 Fairdale Classic at Otaki.
He returned to Australia and finished third in the George Ryder Stakes once again and was unable to record his maiden race win across the Tasman; finishing sixth in the Group 1 BTC Cup (1200m), ninth in the Group 1 Doomben 10,000 (1350m) and seventh in the Group 1 Stradbroke Handicap (1400m).
The tough gelding had his best year in 2011 and won the Telegraph Handicap, Waikato Draught Sprint and Group 1 Makfi Challenge Stakes (1400m) before claiming his first victory in Australia in the Group 1 Toorak Handicap (1600m) at Caulfield.
He added to his incredible Group 1 tally with a win in the Captain Cook Stakes and returned to Australia to upset Cox Plate winner Pinker Pinker in the Group 1 Futurity Stakes (1400m) before finishing fourth in the George Ryder Stakes.
King Mufhasa recorded his final win at Group 1 level in the Windsor Park Plate but continued to race well in 2013, finishing a narrow second behind Pierro in the George Ryder Stakes, before being found lame after running in the Group 1 Champions Mile (1600m) at Sha Tin.
The nine-year-old had a number of setbacks during the 2013 Spring Racing Carnival, being plagued by wet tracks and quarantine issues, but returned to the races with an impressive second place finish behind Xandau in the Windsor Park Plate in what proved to be his final race start.
King Mufhasa was prepared by Stephen McKee for the majority of his racing career and was transferred to the care of Bruce Wallace at the end of 2012.
