Racing: Adore Me retires after career-ending injury

Adore Me will start a hot favourite in the Auckland Trotting Cup at Alexandra Park tonight. Photo / Sarah Ivey

New Zealand's champion racing mare Adore Me has been retired after suffering a career-ending injury in Friday night's Auckland Trotting Cup.

The Australasian record holder for a mile by a pacer, Adore Me suffered a fractured sesamoid bone when running second, beaten a nose in the Cup at Alexandra Park.

"The injury is in no way life threatening but the prognosis for her racing again wasn't good after she was x-rayed yesterday," said co-trainer Mark Purdon.

"And she is so valuable the decision to retire her to stud was obvious." Just seven days ago Adore Me set the record for the fastest mile by a pacer outside of North America when she clocked 1:47.7 at Menangle, outside Sydney.

She then recorded one of the bravest performances of her career when she finished second in Friday's Cup after galloping briefly at the 450m mark, which is when her injury is thought to have occurred.

Adore Me was New Zealand's champion three and four-year-old of the last two seasons but her career went to another level when she smashed the world record for 3200m standing start winning New Zealand's greatest harness race, the New Zealand Cup at Addington in November.

She then recorded a series of huge summer performances which left little doubt she is the greatest female harness horse produced in the Southern Hemisphere.

The five-year-old enters retirement after 36 starts for 26 wins and seven placings for $1,677,032 in earnings, including 12 group one wins.

She will be bred from starting later this year.