New Approach ran his last and arguably most impressive race on Saturday when destroying his rivals by six lengths in the G1 Champion Stakes. He is now set to embark on his new career as a stallion at Darley's Dalham Hall Stud in Newmarket.
As a juvenile, he was unbeaten in five starts including the National Stakes at the Curragh and the Darley Dewhurst Stakes on this corresponding day last year at Newmarket, a series of races that saw him crowned the champion two-year-old of Europe.
Reappearing in the 2,000 Guineas he attempted to make all and was only just collared by Henrythenavigator, being beaten a nose and he had to settle for second again behind the same rival three weeks later in the Irish equivalent.
The Epsom Derby beckoned and he didn't disappoint, fighting tenaciously to the line to win by half a length from Tartan Bearer, with four-and-a-half lengths back to the third. After a short break he was third in the rearranged Juddmonte International Stakes at Newmarket after which he returned triumphant to the winner's enclosure in the Irish Champion Stakes at Leopardstown.
Sent off favourite for the Champion Stakes, the result was never in doubt as he tracked his pacemaker, Upton Grey, quickening clear to record the easiest of Group One successes in a course record-breaking time of 2:00.13.. In fact, no horse in the last 30 runnings of the Champion Stakes has got within a second of the time he recorded.
He retires the winner of eight of his 11 races, five of which were at the top level, with earnings of nearly £2,000,000, a champion and a record-breaker.
