Coolmore have announced that Grade One winner Mendelssohn has been retired to stud.
The decision was made following his somewhat disappointing fourth place finish in the Cigar Mile on Saturday at Aqueduct - his latest start since finishing fifth in the Breeders Cup Classic behind Accelerate.
The 3yo will stay in America, and stand at Ashford Stud in Versailles (Kentucky) for the 2019 breeding season, and will be available for a fee of $35,000.
A son of Scat Daddy, Mendelssohn topped the 2016 Keeneland September Yearling sale when bought for $3 million by leading Ballydoyle owner John Magnier.
He won two of his five starts as a 2yo, with the highlight coming in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf at Del Mar, off the back of his fine second in the British Dewhurst.
However, his most memorable victory came in the UAE Derby earlier this year, where he ran away from the opposition, winning by as many as 18 lengths in a new course record at Meydan.
Since then, he has certainly began to struggle, and finished last in the Kentucky Derby when very much a leading fancy.
Having not reached his full potential, connections sadly called time on his career, but saluted a true great of the yard.
(Credit: Thoroughbred Daily News) Coolmore America manager Dermot Ryan said: "All of our team loved Mendelssohn from the first time we saw him as a yearling and he has developed into a magnificent looking horse.
"Being by our own Scat Daddy and a half-brother to Into Mischief and Beholder, you couldn't ask for a better pedigree and he showed real brilliance when winning the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf at Del Mar and the UAE Derby by a street, recording a new track record.
"He also ran some excellent races in defeat this autumn, notably in the Travers and the Jockey Club Gold Cup. We have already had a huge number of inquiries about him and I have no doubt that he will prove extremely popular."