Champion two-year-old and multiple Group 1 winner Belardo has been retired and will stand at Kildangan in 2017. A limited number of lifetime breeding rights will be sold in the son of Lope De Vega.

Belardo earned Championship honours at two with a victory in the Group 1 Dewhurst Stakes, but the finest victory of his career came this season when defeating eight Group 1 horses including Limato and Euro Charline to triumph by a length in the Group 1 Lockinge Stakes at Newbury. He ends his career rated 126 by timeform, higher than his sire Lope De Vega.

He followed up that victory by running the star US mare Tepin to half a length when finishing second in the Group 1 Queen Anne Stakes at Royal Ascot with five Group 1 winners including Toormore, Ervedya and Amazing Maria among those behind him. No colt achieved a higher timeform rating at this year’s Royal Ascot.

Belardo made a winning debut for trainer Roger Varian in the June of his two-year-old season. He stepped up to Pattern company for an impressive performance in the Listed Washington Singer Stakes over seven furlongs at Newbury, winning by nearly four lengths.

Belardo finished his season with a victory in the Group 1 Dewhurst Stakes on Future Champions Day, winning by two lengths to be crowned European Champion two-year-old of 2014.

At three, Belardo was beaten only a length and three-quarters behind Gleneagles when fourth in the Group 1 Irish 2,000 Guineas, and had that rival well behind him when finishing fastest of all to finish second to the top-class Solow in the Group 1 Queen Elizabeth II Stakes at Ascot in October.

Sam Bullard, Director of Darley stallions, commented: “Belardo showed true class and grit in winning both the Group 1 Dewhurst Stakes at two and the Group 1 Lockinge Stakes at four. As a Champion juvenile and a Group 1 miler at three and four, he offers breeders speed, class and precocity, as well as being from the outstanding sire line of our own Shamardal as a son of Lope De Vega.”