Search For A Song: Two-time Irish St Leger heroine retired after Prix Royal-Oak second
Search For A Song won the Irish St Leger in 2019 as a three-year-old and again in 2020 for the Dermot Weld team; she is expected to head to stud with owners Moyglare; Iresine won the Prix Royal-Oak to give Marie Velon her first Group One
Sunday 23 October 2022 15:52, UK
Two-time Irish St Leger winner Search For A Song has been retired following her gallant runner-up effort in the Prix Royal-Oak at ParisLongchamp on Sunday.
Dermot Weld's five-time winner looked like she might bow out with victory when taking over from long-time leader Rajinsky, travelling smoothly, as the field entered the home straight.
However, her challenge ended at the two-furlong pole when the Jean-Pierre Gauvin-trained favourite Iresine came past with a winning run and stayed on strongly to the line to back up his success in the Prix Foy and also provide jockey Marie Velon with her first Group One victory.
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The Moyglare Stud-owned Search For A Song plugged on gamely for the silver medal and trainer Dermot Weld, who was in the French capital for the six-year-old's swansong, was full of praise for the daughter of Galileo as the curtain came down on her on-track career.
He told Sky Sports Racing: "I'm delighted, and I've been honoured to train her. She's been a wonderful mare to train and she's done us proud. She's won two Classics, a couple of Group Ones, multiple Group One-placed and she was champion staying filly in Europe two years running.
"For a six-year-old I'm so proud of her to come back and run a cracking race - full marks to the winner, he must be a very good horse.
"She's been a very genuine, tough staying mare. The winner is rated 118 and she's put up a wonderful performance as she always does. We're very proud of her."
