Gr.1 winner Ocean Road forced to retire

Qatar Racing’s star four-year-old filly Ocean Road – winner of the Gr.1 Gamely Stakes at Santa Anita on May 30 – has sadly been forced to retire from racing through injury.

Trainer Brendan Walsh told BloodHorse that Ocean Road, who had been training for last Saturday's Diana Stakes at Saratoga, had torn a ligament in her front leg.

Ocean Road was 2 wins from 2 starts for Walsh after making her final start for British trainer Hugo Palmer when sixth in the Gr.1 Breeders’ Cup Filly And Mare Turf at Del Mar last November,

During her time in Britain, Ocean Road was placed in two Stakes races as well as finishing sixth in the 2021 Gr.1 Oaks.

Walsh explained: “We just noticed some heat in that leg last week, it wasn't specifically after a work or anything like that.

“We just noticed an area and after ultrasounding it we found a tear.

“She was a filly with a lot of upside but unfortunately these things happen in this game.

“At least she won a Grade 1 and she'll be fine. It's not a horrible injury but it's something that doesn't allow us to go any further."

Ocean Road will be given the best of care and allowed plenty of time to recover before a stallion is decided for her next career as a broodmare.

She retired with a 3-1-2 record from eight starts for earnings of $351,772.