Ascot Gold Cup Market Shaken Up As Two-Time Winner Kyprios Retired

Aidan O’Brien and Coolmore have announced their star stayer KYPRIOS, who won two Ascot Gold Cups and two Goodwood Cups, will be retired despite returning this season with a win at Leopardstown in May.

Ascot Gold Cup Market Shaken Up With Kyprios Retired

Horse racing fans won’t see Kyprios racing on the track again – as Coolmore have said he’ll be retired at the age of 7 due to aggravating an old injury.

Kyprios will bow out having raced 21 times but won a remarkable 17 of those races – which included two Ascot Gold Cups in 2022 and 2024.

It was thought he’d be kept in training this season after a return win at Leopardstown in the Group Three Saval Beg Levmoss Stakes on May 16th (watch below).

However, after that victory his trainer Aidan O’Brien said he was concerned with the horse’s movement in the winners’ enclosure – saying he was “moving a little bit gingerly in front”.

But having been checked over Kyprios was reported to be sound the following day (Sat 17th May) – with connections saying they think he knocked his pastern after turning sharply in the winners’ enclosure.

As a result of the Kyprios retired news – this has also shaken up the Ascot Gold Cup market, where he’d been favourite for a famous third win with the best horse racing betting sites in the UK.

The good news for Aidan O’Brien is that he’s still got a strong hand in big Ladies’ Day race with last year’s St Leger first and second – Jan Brueghel and Illinois – now prominent in the market.

His trainer Aidan O’Brien said: “Kyprios was just the most incredible horse. Obviously, we had to be ultra-respectful of him. Always. When he was a little bit sore after his run at Leopardstown, we were always not going to take any risks with him. Everybody felt the same way.”

Ascot Gold Cup Betting Odds

Note: Others on request and odds subject to change

Kyprios Won Over £2.5m In Total Prize Money and Eight Group One Races

Over his career, Kyprios managed to bank staggering £2,690,414 for his Coolmore owners – winning a massive 17 of his 21 career starts.

He only finished out of the top three twice – which came during the early part of his career in 2020 and 2021.

Since then, Kyprios has finished in the top two in his last 17 races and won ALL his last nine starts.

Of his 17 career wins, eight came at the highest level – which included two Ascot Gold Cups and two Goodwood Cups – which all came in 2022 and 2024.

Kyprios was also ridden in the bulk of his races by Ryan Moore – who was on his back for 19 of his 21 career starts.

The only other jockey to ride Kyprios was Seamie Heffernan, who was 2-from-2 on the prolific stayer.

x2 🏆 Ascot Gold Cup
x2 🏆 Goodwood Cup
x2 🏆 Irish St Leger
x2 🏆 Prix du Cadran
x1 🏆 British Champions Long Distance Cup

What a career. Happy retirement, Kyprios! 🖤🤍 pic.twitter.com/j8DRDeLBM7

— At The Races (@AtTheRaces) May 27, 2025

Kyprios Horse Profile

WATCH: Kyprios Winning The 2024 Ascot Gold Cup

Kyprios provided trainer Aidan O’Brien with his ninth Ascot Gold Cup in June 2024.