Group 1 Caulfield Guineas winner Golden Mile to resume racing career

After spending the last seven months at stud following a potentially career-ending injury, Golden Mile is set to resume his racing career. The 2022 Caulfield Guineas winner has already started training, and could make his comeback sometime this horse racing season.

The son of Astern and Calaverite’s last start was the Group 2 Victory Stakes at Eagle Farm on May 4, 2024. Golden Mile finished third, nearly three lengths behind winner Antino.

Surprise announcement confirms return

While the rest of us were reading up on horse racing tips to learn about the best bets for this weekend’s big Group 1 races, Godolphin Racing and head trainer James Cummings made a surprise announcement on social media that Golden Mile was back in action.

“After missing much of the breeding season due to injury, Golden Mile will return to training,” the short statement said.

The Group 1 winner was previously retired to stud out of Darley’s Victoria farm, with a price of $16,500 per service.

Gold Mile gelded

Nor Godolphin or Cummings have disclosed when the Group 1 winner will be back or when we can expect to see the five-year-old in trial races.

However, Monday’s announcement did reveal that Golden Mile will be returning to racing as a gelding.

This led to fans speculating that the Group 1 winner may be experiencing fertility problems.

“Infertility issues too then?” one horse racing fan asked on X (formerly Twitter) under Godolphin’s announcement.

“Suspect he isn't very fertile but then again neither is Extreme Choice,” another added, referencing Mick Price’s Blue Diamond Stakes winner Extreme Choice who has underwhelmed since being sent to stud in 2017.

Others chose to be more positive. “Can't Wait to see Golden Mile race again,” one user said.

History with Godolphin geldings

One of the reasons fans are confident speculating about Golden Mile’s fertility is that Godolphin have done this before with another of their Group 1 winning horses.

Godolphin’s 2018 Randwick Guineas winner Kementari was also recalled after a short season away as a stud after he was deemed too infertile to be profitable as a breeder for the top racing outfit.

Kementari went on to make 30 starts as a gelding. He won four of those starts, including the Group 2 Gilgai Stakes at Flemington in October 2021. Kementari earned over $300,000 in prize money from just that victory, far more than he probably would have earned as a stud.