Group 1 Winner Most Improved Retired to Coolmore Stud
Last season’s Group 1 St James’s Palace Stakes winner Most Improved whose 2-year-old half-brother Ectot was an impressive winner of today’s Group 1 Criterium International at Saint-Cloud will retire to Coolmore’s Castlehyde Stud for the upcoming breeding season. The Brian Meehan-trained son of Lawman won his maiden at Newmarket by five lengths before going straight to the Group 1 Dewhurst Stakes where he finished a close-up third behind the more experienced pair Parish Hall and Power.
After some sparkling work reports the following Spring, Most Improved was backed into 4/1 second favourite for the 2,000 Guineas behind Camelot only to be withdrawn after being found to be lame on the morning of the Craven Stakes. However he showed he had progressed from two to three when he landed the 16-runner St. James’s Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot despite an unfavourable draw.
“The St James’s Palace Stakes has a great history of producing stallions, most recently our own Mastercraftsman who has enjoyed a spectacular first season, so we’re hoping Most Improved will follow suit,” said Coolmore’s Tom Gaffney. “He’s a fine looking horse, he showed top class form at both two and three and he comes from a very good family.”
