The Last Lion, winner of the Group 1 Middle Park Stakes last month, has been purchased by Godolphin and will take up stud duties at Kildangan Stud in Co Kildare in 2017. A fee will be announced at a later date

He is the latest speedy two-year-old to be retired at the end of his juvenile career. The trend became popular after Dark Angel was retired in 2007 after winning the Middle Park Stakes.

An ultra-tough and competitive performer, The Last Lion is by Choisir. Trained by Mark Johnston, he raced 10 times this season, never once finishing out of the first three. His victory in the Middle Park Stakes saw him defeat a high-class field.

The Last Lion made a winning debut in the Brocklesby Stakes in the opening week of the turf flat season. He went on to finish a close second in the Group 2 Norfolk Stakes at Royal Ascot, beaten only half a length.

The Last Lion resumed winning ways with a facile victory in the Listed Dragon Stakes at Sandown.

After placed efforts in the Group 3 Molecomb Stakes and the Group 2 Gimcrack Stakes, The Last Lion stormed to victory in the Group 3 Sirenia Stakes over six furlongs at Kempton in early September.

Thriving on his demanding campaign, he returned to action just six days later at Doncaster, dropping back to five furlongs to run the Royal Ascot winner Ardad to half-a-length in the Group 2 Flying Childers.

His final start of the season saw him at his very best, winning his Group 1 on good-to-firm ground with an impressive front-running effort, holding off Blue Point with Mehmas fully three lengths away.

After the race, The Last Lion was officially rated the best two-year-old colt in Europe level with Caravaggio and Churchill on Official Ratings. He is also rated higher than Dark Angel, the last Middle Park winner to retire at the end of his juvenile season and now a much-prized stallion.

His dam, who has bred two other stakes winners, was placed in both the Cheveley Park Stakes and Moyglare Stud Stakes as a juvenile. She, in turn, is a half-sister to champion two-year-old filly and Irish 1000 Guineas heroine Tarascon.

Sam Bullard, director of Darley stallions, said: “The Last Lion is a good-looking horse who was an extremely tough and precocious performer. He put up a truly outstanding performance to win the Middle Park Stakes from a top field. To get out early and progress all season long as he did shows a real love of the game, and if he transmits that and his durability to his stock, he will be a valuable addition to the stallion ranks.'

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