‘Dream horse’ Sir Busker set to enjoy happy retirement

Connections of the evergreen campaigner Sir Busker have paid tribute to their grand servant after he bowed out following his 60th career start at York on Saturday.

The nine-year-old has been trained by William Knight and owned by the leading racing partnership Kennet Valley Syndicates throughout his eight seasons in action, collecting over £660,000 in prize-money to dwarf the €25,000 sum he was purchased for as a yearling.

A seven-time winner who was also the runner-up on 12 occasions, the gelding took his owners to many a big meeting and did them proud time and again – notably winning the Silver Royal Hunt Cup at the 2020 Royal meeting.

He hit upon a rich vein of form in 2022, when a profitable spell in the Middle East was followed by creditable efforts in the Lockinge and the Queen Anne before a well-deserved victory in the Group Two York Stakes.

Connections’ fearless campaigning was rewarded once again in the Juddmonte International at the same track later in the term, where he finished third behind Baaeed and Mishriff in what was arguably a career-best performance.

It was during a later trip to Dubai that he would suffer an eye injury that almost saw him lose the eyeball itself, but with an operation and the care of Knight’s team he was nursed back to health to resume his career.

A win back at York last term was therefore an emotional event for his owners, and after crossing the line for a 60th time at the weekend they have decided the moment is right to call time on his career and allow him to step into a new role as a hack and galloping nanny to his younger stablemates.

“It was great to see him on Saturday, I know it wasn’t the result we all wanted but he came back safe and sound and that is the most important thing,” said Sam Hoskins of Kennet Valley Syndicates.

“That was his 60th race, he was won over £660,000 in prize-money and he has just been the dream syndicate horse. It has been an amazing journey along the way.

“He started off as a two-year-old rated in the 70s and he went up to those lofty ratings when winning the York Stakes in 2022 and finishing third to Baaeed in the Juddmonte International.

“He nearly lost an eye in Dubai as a seven-year-old, he lost all his condition and when he came back he didn’t seem like the same horse.

“He gradually put that condition back on and started running well on the all-weather, then he came back and won at York last year and gave us all an incredible day.

“He nearly won at Sandown this season but in the end the ground was a little too quick, and it was a little too quick for him at York too.

“It’s the right moment for him to bow out and I’m delighted that he’s going to stay on at William Knight’s to lead the babies.

“He will be William’s hack, it’s lovely that he and everyone in the yard will get to still see him and he can hopefully impart his knowledge on the younger horses.

“He’s much-loved in the yard, they’ve always done such a fantastic job with him over the years and he absolutely loves being there.

“He’s quite well known in Newmarket, people like picking him out of the string in the morning. He’s just been an amazing, amazing horse – the dream horse for a syndicate.”