Festival winner Whiteoak retired

Donald McCain’s talented mare Whiteoak has been retired after suffering a minor injury.

The seven-year-old landed the inaugural running of the David Nicholson Mares’ Hurdle at the 2008 Cheltenham Festival and finished 12th in the Champion Hurdle 12 months later.

She won a Listed event at Kempton earlier this season but having been well beaten into sixth on her latest appearance at Ascot, she will now head to the paddocks.

McCain said in a statement to Racing UK: “Unfortunately Whiteoak has picked up a minor injury. We had her scanned late yesterday evening and have just received the results.

“I wanted to let everybody know that she will not run again this year. Having spoken to the owners, it has been decided that she should go to stud to be covered in the spring.

“She has been a fantastic servant to the yard but I have never known a horse put so much into her work and her niggles have finally caught up with her.”

Whiteoak won five of her 18 career starts and was placed on a further eight occasions, amassing more than £140,000 (€154,358) in her racing career.