Caulfield Cup hero Duke De Sessa will return to Ireland following his retirement from racing after suffering a leg injury.
The $2 million import amassed close to $4.4 million in prizemoney across his career, highlighted by his commanding front-running win in the 2024 Caulfield Cup, where he held off the late surges of Buckaroo and Land Legend.
That victory completed a remarkable afternoon for trainer Ciaron Maher, who had earlier captured the $20 million The Everest in Sydney with Bella Nipotina.
For jockey Harry Coffey, celebrating his 29th birthday, the success aboard Duke De Sessa was an emotional milestone that resonated widely.
Maher’s assistant trainer Johann Gerard-Dubord confirmed the seven-year-old’s retirement to Racenet on Monday, saying a recent setback made the decision clear.
“He’s retired, he’ll go back to Ireland where he started his career,” Gerard-Dubord said.
“He doesn’t owe anything to anyone so we just want to make sure he’s got a happy life now. He deserves to be looked after.”
The Lope De Vega gelding most recently trialled at Randwick on January 27 under Chad Schofield but did not pull up sound, prompting connections to call time on his racing career.
