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Barney Roy, winner of this year’s St James’s Palace at Royal Ascot, has been retired to stud.
The Richard Hannon-trained colt also finished second in the 2000 Guineas at Newmarket and was beaten just a nose by Ulysses in the Eclipse at Sandown during the 2017 campaign.
He signed off with a disappointing ninth place behind Cracksman in last month’s Champion Stakes and will now stand at Dalham Hall Stud for a fee of £10,000.
Hannon told http://www.darleyeurope.com: “Barney Roy is by far the best colt I have trained and the most athletic horse I have seen. We look forward to seeing his yearlings at the sales.”
Sam Bullard, director of Darley stallions, added: “Barney Roy was the leading miler of his generation, and ran with great credit over 10 furlongs too, beaten only a nose in the Eclipse in a time that would have won him almost any other running.
“If his stock inherit his zestful way of running and ferocious tenacity in the finish, they will surely do well.”
http://www.attheraces.com/news/2017/November/17/barney-roy-retired-to-stand-at-dalham-hall-stud
This comes after it was confirmed he would stay in training and be aimed at the Lockinge.
Personally, I think this is a ridiculous decision, and to hail him as the “leading miler of his generation” and “by far the best colt I have trained” absolutely ridiculous. I know it’s their job to hype their stallions up, but to me it would have made more sense to keep him in training next season and dominate the mile division, if he is that good.
Couldn’t agree more. Was about to post the same thing myself! Think he’d have made a cracking four year old
Hmmm. Why retire a horse for a fee of £10k when you could push his price up a good bit more the following season? Unless you thought you couldn’t keep him sound….
I think they screwed up this horse. Easy to say in hindsight but if they had another go after the St James, they surely would have kept him to a mile. The experiment of putting him up in distance clearly backfired and the Hannons don’t have a great record historically with their middle distance horses anyway.
Completely routed by Cracksman in his final race (as was everything else in that race, to be fair) must have influenced their decision that he wasn’t a progressive type.
I think they screwed up this horse. Easy to say in hindsight but if they had another go after the St James, they surely would have kept him to a mile. The experiment of putting him up in distance clearly backfired and the Hannons don’t have a great record historically with their middle distance horses anyway.
Completely routed by Cracksman in his final race (as was everything else in that race, to be fair) must have influenced their decision that he wasn’t a progressive type.
I agree wholeheartedly wth you on the first point. Granted he barely would have got his conditions after Ascot anyway, but Godolphin potentially had a special colt – the time figures of what he did in the St. James Palace Stakes would indicate as much – but they were so desperate to keep him and Ribchester apart, and for what?
Some people are full of in hindsight criticism.
but they were so desperate to keep him and Ribchester apart, and for what?
When an owner has the (in all probability) Champion Miler in Ribchester – and another horse fully effective at 10f in Barney Roy – why not try and have both a Champion miler and a 10f Champion? Barney Roy came within a nose (and a fast diminishing nose at that!) of beating Ulysses in the 10f Eclipse… which turned out to be is only run at the distance that was on his preferred surface. Form which if anything is better than his Mile form. After the Eclipse it seemed more likely Barney would prove better than Ulysses at 1m2f, starting a shorter price than the Stoute horse in the International. Beforehand looked as if Coolmore would get a soft lead with Cliffs Of Moher up front and turn it in to a test of speed for favourite Churchill. So can understand them changing tactics, but sectionals imply Barney went too fast too soon. In the circumstances doing well to stay within a neck of Churchill. Wouldn’t have beaten the improved Ulysses anyway.
Did not race for almost two months afterwards, so did he have a setback? Faced going softer than previously in the Champion and given his action that was probably against him. Emphasis also more on stamina, but he was beaten before stamina became an issue. Strongly suggesting would have struggled had he run against his stable companion (and favourite) in the QEII… And if going was against him there it was against him had he gone the mile route in the Sussex too.
Had Barney remained in training – without Ribchester – would’ve started out at a mile and a decision made on what distance after that. But he was fully effective from 1m to 10f. Am a little surprised they haven’t kept him in training at four, think it’s likely Barney might not have been 100% sound.
This comes after it was confirmed he would stay in training and be aimed at the Lockinge.
Personally, I think this is a ridiculous decision, and to hail him as the “leading miler of his generation” and “by far the best colt I have trained” absolutely ridiculous. I know it’s their job to hype their stallions up, but to me it would have made more sense to keep him in training next season and dominate the mile division, if he is that good.
What if the horse is difficult to train and/or difficult to keep sound, may be he’s got a new problem in his wind or something? If due to unsoundness the public rarely gets to hear the real reason for retirement; because it may put off prospective clients.
Personally I do rate Barney Roy the “leading miler of his generation”, ie the best 3 year old miler. I’d have Barney a pound ahead of his 2000 Guineas conqueror Churchill. Not having the experience to win that day, but improving in the St James’s Palace. Now I can understand others believing it was the other way around, that’s up to them. But to say it’s “absolutely ridiculous” is in itself imo ridiculous when it’s only a matter of a pound or two… And how is Hannon Junior calling Barney “by far the best colt I have trained” “absolutely ridiculous”? Which colt of his would you have anywhere near Barney Roy, Degaussed?
Value Is EverythingMust have found a physical issue or something with him to do a 180 on the decision to keep him in training, if no issues then this makes no sense as what do they have to gain packing him off to stud. He was not an unbeaten colt and would have been very capable of adding to his rep (and his solitary G1 win) had he bagged any further 8-10f G1 races next season.
Hannon’s comments purely a case of over egging his pudding to big up his stud career. It is a very arguable point that he can be considered the leading miler of his generation as we never had a definitive answer as to whether he or Churchill was the best but I would have slightly sided with Churchill.
And how is Hannon Junior calling Barney “by far the best colt I have trained” “absolutely ridiculous”? Which colt of his would you have anywhere near Barney Roy, Degaussed?
Hannon Jr. has been very bullish on Barney all year and I think he goes down as one of his best, its just a shame he ends his career early on 2 runs on unsuitable ground. I think they were going down my route of thought with him being sired by Excelebration, who was a mudlark, so expected something more, especially in the champion stakes.
His effort in the Eclipse was superb, that late burst to nearly grab Ulysses was thrilling. It was his 2000 guineas run that tuned me into this horse as I thought he was incredibly unlucky that day with the course nearly breaking him in half. 5/2 for the St. James was a steal in my opinion.Anyway, just going down memory lane to mention that Toronado and Olympic Glory would push Barney quite close to being the best miler he’s trained.
At the end of the day it is Godolphin retiring this horse so there can’t be too much that can be said against Mr. Hannon. Stallion details make decent reading anyway as he is a Greenham and St. James victor, 2000 guineas placed, eclipse placed and 3rd in a juddmonte international. I was looking forward to seeing him again but hey ho never mind.Fair points about Olympic Glory and Toronado, Chivers. But I expect Hannon Junior meant “trained” exclusively. ie He took over Olympic Glory and Toronado at the beginning of their four year old careers, when they were both already top class.
Value Is EverythingI said all season that I thought he was generally overrated for what he actually did.
I think last years 3 year old crop of miler Colts was massively below average.
Churchill – Dominated as a two year old but never progressed.
Barney Roy – Showed a decent turn of foot but never gave the impression to me that he was a top class colt.
Al wukair – Unlucky in the U.K Guineas and arguably the best of the three.
That’s your 1-2-3 from a poor 2017 renewal of the 2000 Guineas.
Puzzling decision, especially given earlier signals that he would stay in training. Given that, and the previously announced retirement of Ribchester (and Churchill, over at Coolmore), this looks a bit of an after-thought. I’m of the view that this will be a soundness issue (4×4 Danzig plus Storm Cat) – either that, or they’ve worked out he might not add to his value at 4. After all Cracksman may yet go over 10f, and there is the potential of Winx as well over a mile in the Lockinge and at Royal Ascot, followed by the Eclipse/Juddmonte.
There’s no way Hannon would of retired Barney Roy other than if he was not sound in one way or another
When have the Hannon’s ever retired a horse at the end of it’s 3 y/o campaign….? Answers on a postcard
This horse barely ran as a two year old and was lightly enough raced as a 3 y/o
Even if he showed no more improvement which would of been unlikely he would still of been the flag bearer at the head of the mile division.
Gaelic Warrior Gold Cup Winner 2026
Where does Winter fit into the 3yo miler hierarchy in everyone’s opinion?
The best. She’d have beaten Churchill and Barney Roy, given the chance to do so.
Beat the Bank must be fav for the Lockinge now on ratings.
Gaelic Warrior Gold Cup Winner 2026
We’ve been told to really look forward to next year’s flat season with Enable, Cracksman, Order Of St George and Harry Angel all staying in training but as Nathan touched upon, with the retirement of Barney Roy it now means that the shortest priced British or Irish trained horse for next year’s Queen Anne is Beat The Bank at 20/1 (then Zonderland at 33/1). This division will be laughably weak next year and you can only imagine how far Winx or World Approval would win that race if they come over. It must be long odds-on that the Queen Anne will be won by a foreign raider.
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