RICH and Sussanah Ricci are set to become thoroughbred breeders for the first time. The leading owners have traditionally sold their retired racemares at public auction but they have decided to keep Champion Hurdle winner Annie Power.

Speaking to The Irish Field, Rich Ricci said: “We have never bred from one of our mares, but Annie will be our first.

“We are very excited about it and are looking forward a new adventure. We will not be getting into breeding in a big way, but if one was ever going to give it a go, you would want to start with a mare like Annie Power.”

Winner on all but two of her starts over hurdles, the Shirocco mare won five Grade 1s, and in 2016 she became the first mare in 22 years to claim the Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham when she was re-routed to the two-mile championship in the absence of stablemate Faugheen. She went on to win the Aintree Hurdle by 18 lengths a month later but did not race again.

In April of this year it was announced she was in-foal to Camelot.