Group 1 winner Mercurial retired

Group One winner Mercurial has been retired from racing and will now embark on a new career as an eventer.

The seven-year-old son of Burgundy won six of his 46 starts for trainer Stephen Marsh, highlighted by his victory in the 2024 edition of the Gr.1 Telegraph (1200m) where he fought out a tight finish with Express Yourself.

He also placed in the Gr.1 Railway (1200m), Gr.3 J Swap Sprint (1400m), Gr.3 Spring Sprint (1400m) and Gr.3 King’s Plate (1200m), and earned more than $605,000 in prizemoney.

He finished ninth over 1200m at Ellerslie on Saturday and the decision was made to call time on his lucrative career.

“He has been retired and he gets a nice new home as an eventer,” Marsh said.

“He took us to a lot of the big dances and he won a Group One. He was a model of consistency and he retires a sound horse that needs the paddock and the next stage of life where he will be well looked after.

“He has been great and he has given us all a really good ride.”