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We are delighted to announce that Decorated Knight will retire to stand at the Irish National Stud at the end of the season.

Decorated Knight has provided us with many wonderful moments over the past few seasons and he retires sound as the winner of eight of 19 starts. He enjoyed his finest moment when swooping to victory in this year’s Irish Champion Stakes, with the likes of Churchill and Eminent in arrears, having previously been dominant in victory in the Tattersalls Gold Cup at the Curragh. He also put his exceptional turn of foot to good use when getting out of trouble to take the Jebel Hatta at Meydan in March.

“Decorated Knight owns the distinction of being the best horse bred by Blue Diamond Stud and we’re delighted that he is to stand at the Irish National Stud,” said Tony Nerses, advisor to Saleh Al Homaizi and Imad Al Sagar. “He possesses an excellent turn of foot as well as a durability that saw him win three Group 1 races this season. He is also a member of one of the most influential families of the modern era, being out of a sister to champion sire Giant’s Causeway and multiple Group 1 producer You’resothrilling, and we look forward to supporting him strongly at stud.”

In addition to the Irish Champion Stakes, Tattersalls Gold Cup and Jebel Hatta, Decorated Knight won the Group 3 Meld Stakes, Listed Winter Derby Trial Stakes and Listed Festival Stakes for Roger Charlton. He was also second in the Prince Of Wales’s Stakes to Highland Reel  and a closing second to subsequent Group 3 winner Commemorative on his sole start at two.

By sire of sires Galileo, Decorated Knight is the first foal out of Pearling, a daughter of blue hen Mariah’s Storm and therefore a sister to 3-time North American champion sire Giant’s Causeway, the sire of 31 Group/Grade 1 winners overall. Pearling is also a sister to Freud, a multiple champion sire in New York who is the sire of 46 stakes winners including Grade 1 winners Franny Freud and Giant Ryan, as well as Roar Of The Tiger, Tiger Dance and Tumblebrutus, all of whom have sired Group 1 performers from limited opportunities. Not only that, another sibling, Group 2 winner You’resothrilling, is the dam of Group 1 winners Gleneagles, Marvellous and Happily, all of whom are by Galileo.

Bred on the same Galileo – Storm Cat cross as Group 1-winning 2yos Ballydoyle, Churchill, Gleneagles, Happily and Misty For Me, Decorated Knight descends directly from Harry Isaacs’ wonderful mare Itsabet, who is also the ancestress of Group 1-producing sires Dansili, Cacique, Champs Elysees, Leroidesanimaux and Ideal World.

Decorated Knight will stand alongside Invincible Spirit, National Defence, Free Eagle, Dragon Pulse, Gale Force Ten, Worthadd, Elusive Pimpernel and Palavicini at the Irish National Stud.