Grade One heroine Roksana retires

Suspensory injury ends mare’s career at the age of nine.

Grade One-winning mare Roksana has been retired because of injury, her trainer Dan Skelton has announced.

The nine-year-old was being prepared to defend her title in this month’s Grade Two West Yorkshire Hurdle at Wetherby, but a suspensory problem has ended her career.

Roksana will therefore go to the North Devon stud of her owners, Sarah and Nigel Faulks.

“She looks absolutely fantastic, and we were getting ready to go back to Wetherby again this year. Unfortunately she’s got a very small injury emerging in her suspensory,” Skelton posted on his official Twitter account.

“Racehorses unfortunately get injuries like this from time to time, and we have to be very careful with her.

“She’s going to be retired now and is going to stud at Sarah and Nigel Faulks’ place, who are her owners and who absolutely love her.

“For the whole team here it’s a bit of a sad day to be retiring her, but she retires effectively in one piece. She is still sound. She hasn’t hurt herself to the degree where she’s lame or anything like that.

“She’s in fantastic condition and will now go and have foals.”

Trainer Dan Skelton (left) and jockey Harry Skelton with Roksana and her connections after winning the OLBG Mares' Hurdle at the 2019 Cheltenham Festival
Trainer Dan Skelton (left) and jockey Harry Skelton with Roksana and her connections after winning the OLBG Mares’ Hurdle at the 2019 Cheltenham Festival (Simon Cooper/PA)

Roksana provided Skelton with his first Grade One triumph when she won the OLBG Mares’ Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival in 2019.

“She was our first Grade One winner,” he added.

“We took her from her very first bumper all the way to Cheltenham glory and all those other races as well. I hope you’ve enjoyed watching her.

“We’ll hopefully see her foals on the racecourse in the future, but you won’t be seeing her again unfortunately.”

Roksana won six of her 18 races and amassed GBP 280,000 in prize money.

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