LOUGH DERG, the high-class staying hurdler renowned for his toughness and endurance, has been retired.
The decision was made after he was pulled up in the Coral Hurdle earlier this month at Ascot, the scene of his win in the Grade 1 Long Walk Hurdle in 2007 and two battling victories off top-weight in Grade 2 handicaps.
David Pipe, who trains the 11-year-old for William Frewen, said: "He is full of beans and still like a lunatic but after Ascot the other day Tom Scudamore said that he was telling us that enough was enough.
"He was a one-off and it is great that he has retired in one piece."
Scudamore added: "He has done an awful lot for me and my career. I owe him an awful lot. I will never ride a tougher horse than him. "
Lough Derg won 12 times and amassed £374,512 in prize-money during his 61-race career.