Montjeu Trainer Hammond Plans Retirement At Season's End
With the US & UK racing season coming to an end, Montjeu's trainer John Hammond also be hanging up his training boots. The Man's whose glittering 33-year career included two Gr.1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe winners, Suave Dancer (1991) and Montjeu (1999). His other champions included Polar Falcon and Nuclear Debate who landed the Gr.2 King's Stand Victor Chandler Nunthorpe double in 2000.
Imperial Beauty's Prix de l'Abbaye de Longchamp Majestic Barriere victory under champion jockey Yutaka Take was another one of his career highlights. During his career, he garnered 23 such top-level victories from across the globe.
He plans to continue with "two or three projects," one of which will be to work as European representative for Australian syndicate group OTI, part-owners of the Hammond-trained Haky, a candidate for honors at this year's Melbourne Spring Carnival.
Hammond also produced the top-class fillies Sweet Stream and Sarah Lynx, whose Canadian International victory in 2011 was the trainer's most recent top-level success.