A week of retirements from the world of Australian horse racing

News updates are coming thick and fast this week. We are right in the middle of the top races in the autumn yet news of careers coming to an end dominate the stories. Thankfully there is one of a new career just starting to level the playing field a little bit.

Time called on the Alligator Blood return

The will he or won’t he story has finally come to an end on the won’t side. Heat was found in a leg after work this week so one of the gutsiest horses to grace Australian horse racing in recent years has been officially retired.

It was thought that time was up on his career when he was injured before the autumn races in 2024. He had not been seen in a race since finishing third in the Cantala Stakes at Flemington in November 2023.

It was an audacious plan hatched to bring him back as he was struggling to do nothing. That return looked closer than ever of late when he was back in work but heat in a different leg to the original injury has been enough to send him back out to pasture. The seven-time Group 1 winner has been one of the most popular runners in training in recent seasons.

One last race for Atishu before the sales

The end of season broodmare sales will be full of household names once more this season. A run in the Queen of the Turf at Randwick on Saturday afternoon will be the last time that Atishu graces a racetrack in action. It will be race 51 in her career with more than $5.8 million in prize money won.

She has won three Group 1 races in her career so is sure to gain plenty of interest at the Gold Coast Broodmare Sales. If she can add a fourth this weekend, that is going to be ramped up a notch further. To do it, she needs to beat a field containing the likes of Fangirl and Stefi Magntica over 1600m.

Nash Rawiller’s son to retire

Campbell Rawiller has announced his plan to hang up his riding boots after the meeting at Kyneton on Thursday. The 24-year-old has saluted almost 200 times in a career that has seen success on the flat and over jumps.

It is the latter where he has seen his biggest career success, winning the Australian Hurdle in 2023. Rawiller will still be involved in the sport, the family name will ensure that he is going to be able to keep his eye in.

Declan Maher to strike out on his own

After eight years with his brother Ciaron, Declan Maher has made the announcement this week that he will be starting out on his own as a trainer. A move to Gold Coast with 20 boxes available will be made after the May carnival meeting at Warrnambool.

The stable of Ciaron Maher lost David Eustace last year to Hong Kong. Eustace showed what a great grounding it is working with Maher by having early success, including a treble at Sha Tin over the weekend.

Declan has been a large part of the operation for almost a decade now. That experience is going to stand him in good stead ahead of embarking on a new venture.

Although retirement news is often sad, Declan Maher's starting a new career is a positive story to come out of the week. The horse racing bookmakers will be wary of a man who has the experience with a big stable he does!