Dual Group 1 winner I Wish I Win has been retired from racing

At the age of six, I Wish I Win has been retired from racing. Owner Waikato Stud has announced that he will be coming home to them to enjoy his dotage after coming back lame from a piece of work on Tuesday

Hidden away as a foal at Waikato Stud

The early days of I Wish I Win have been well documented. Hidden away as a foal because of a severe deformity in his legs, it was not far off a miracle that a horse with the start that he had even made it to the racetrack at all.

Not only did he make it to the track, he became the top-rated sprinter in the world! He made a winning start to his racing career in New Zealand and would finish second in a Group 1 on just his second visit to the track. It was the early signs of a star.

12 million in prize money won in 25 races

After nine runs in New Zealand and a pair of Group 1 places, I Wish I Win would move to Australia. He would salute on his debut for Peter Moody in a Caulfield handicap. An official rating at that time of just 84, his odds of $2.90 in hindsight look like a gift.

It would not take him long to make an impact at a much deeper level. Just nine weeks after his debut for Moody, he saluted in the Golden Eagle at Rosehill. That contest was worth $5.25 million to the winner with Fangirl chasing him home in a close second.

His autumn prep to start 2023 saw him hit the frame in both the Lightning and the Newmarket before he broke his Group 1 maiden in the T J Smith. In all three of those races, he was last in the early stages, showing his trademark finish as those in front of him started to tire.

A second Group 1 would come the following season when saluting in the Kingsford-Smith Cup at Eagle Farm in June 2024. He would just come out on the right side of a battle with the iron mare Bella Nipotina that day with soft ground helping his stamina come to the fore late on.

Final race behind Mr Brightside

The Futurity Stakes at Caulfield on February 22 was the last race of his career. Mr Brightside just held off Tom Kitten that day with I Wish I Win filling out the places in third. He was beaten 0.3l in total in that race, his strongest run of the season. With his Group 1 wins coming in April and June, he was coming to his top part of the year.

In 25 career races, I Wish I Win saluted seven times. He also finished both second and third on seven occasions to hit the frame in 21 of his starts. It was a career of remarkable consistency but two of the four out-of-the-frame runs came in his final four races.

Pulling up slightly lame on Tuesday was classed as enough for him by his owners. At the age of six and given the start that he had with his legs, it was the decision that was in the best interests of the horse. That should be applauded.

I Wish I Win was the highest-rated sprinter in the world at one point during his career. That he even got to the track was remarkable, for him to be the best going was beyond anything his connections could have hoped for.