TRAINER Charlie Appleby has been left devastated after 2,000 Guineas hero Ruling Court was put down.
The superstar Godolphin three-year-old colt won three of his six career races and amassed more than £600,000 in earnings.
GettyRuling Court gave owners Godolphin a Guineas weekend to remember when he won the Classic for the colts[/caption]
But vets were forced to euthanise him due to complications suffered from laminitis – which, broadly speaking, is a disease of the hooves.
A statement from Godolphin read: “The impressive winner of this year’s G1 2,000 Guineas at Newmarket, Ruling Court has sadly been euthanised following complications due to laminitis.
“His Classic win was part of a history-making weekend for Godolphin and he was never out of the frame in all six of his starts.”
Trainer Appleby said: “Everyone at Godolphin is deeply saddened by the loss of Ruling Court.
“He gave everyone a fantastic day at Newmarket in May and he will be sorely missed.
“I would like to thank all of the team, who did everything they could to save him.”
Ruling Court won on debut at Sandown in July last year before finishing third to The Lion In Winter in the Group 3 Acomb at York the following month.
He was off the track then until an easy Listed win at Meydan in Dubai in March this year.
That teed him up nicely for his 2,000 Guineas victory at Newmarket in May.
There he beat subsequent Group 1 monster Field Of Gold under a well-timed ride by William Buick.
He was pulled from the Derby due to unsuitable ground then finished third to Field Of Gold in the St James’s Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot.
His final run was a third-place finish in the jaw-dropping Coral-Eclipse at Sandown last month, when Aidan O’Brien’s Delacroix beat John & Thady Gosden’s Ombudsman in an all-time thriller.
The son of Justify was bought by Godolphin, the ruler of Dubai’s global racing powerhouse, for around £2million in May 2024.
He had previously been entered in this month’s Juddmonte at York and had an entry for the Arc de Triomphe in October.
But sadly those – and what could potentially have been a very lucrative career at stud – are things of the past.
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