Rio de la Plata retires to stud in France

Godolphin's Rio de la Plata has been retired and will join Darley's band of

stallions at Haras du Logis in Normandy. The chestnut compiled a career record

of 30-8-7-4, and earnings of £976,039.

The son of Rahy first flashed his talent with a five-length score at

Newmarket in 2007. He then landed the Group 2 Vintage at Goodwood, and was in

the money behind New Approach in that term's Group 1 National Stakes at the

Curragh and Group 1 Dewhurst back at Newmarket.

Rio de la Plata managed a first top-tier success between those efforts when

annexing the Group 1 Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere at Longchamp, and was runner-up in

the following year's Group 1 Poule d'Essai des Poulains back at the Bois de

Boulogne track.

It took a little more than three years to register a second Group 1 win in

the October 2010 Group 1 Premio Vittorio di Capua at Milan's San Siro. The Saeed

bin Suroor trainee closed a banner five-year-old campaign -- which included a

runner-up finish in the Group 1 Prix du Moulin at Longchamp -- with victory in

the Group 1 Premio Roma at the Capannelle the following month.

Rio de la Plata also ran third to Frankel in last term's Group 1 Sussex at

Goodwood, was runner-up to Excelebration in the Prix du Moulin back at Longchamp

once more and finished a short-head adrift of Zazou when trying to defend his

crown in last November's Premio Roma. He has failed to fire in four starts this

season, including a last-out fifth in the August 25 Group 3 Winter Hill Windsor.

"Rio de la Plata was a very high-class two-year-old, who proved to be notably

durable and talented over a long career at the top," Darley's Sam Bullard said.

"With those attributes, his powerful looks and his telling burst of

acceleration, plus a pedigree that is an outcross to the major lines of the day,

we are sure he will be popular with breeders."