Gord Irwin told Trot Insider this morning that seven-year-old Camluck mare Invitro has been retired from racing.
The career winner of 35 races and $2,383,597 in purses last raced on Saturday night at Mohawk Racetrack in the eliminations for the Milton Stakes. The brown mare finished sixth by more than six lengths, pacing her mile in 1:52.1 for her partner in the race bike, Paul MacDonell.
"I retired her Saturday night after the Milton elims," said Irwin. "I always said that she would tell us when she had enough, and I think she has shown that -- I think she's tired.
"After the race on Saturday, Paul told me that he didn't think she had her heart in it [racing] anymore and that it was time [to retire her]."
Irwin -- who took over Invitro's training duties from Doug Brown after her two-year-old season -- bred Invitro along with Murray and Patricia Ross of MMR Stables Inc. The connections owned the mare until January of 2007, when Irwin took over full ownership of the speedy mare.
Invitro, who is out of the Albatross mare Keystone Trinidad, retires with a record of 35-30-11 and $2,383,597 in purses from 106 starts, having taken her mark of 1:50 over the seven-eighths mile Woodbine Racetrack course at age four.
"I've taken Invitro to Brampton, ON to Dr. Moira Gunn," said Irwin. "She's going to stay there until D. Gunn comes back from Lexington. Several farms have shown interest in Invitro, but no agreements are in place at this time."
Invitro raced outside of Ontario only once in her career, and missed getting a cheque only four times up until the end of 2007.
Irwin told Trot Insider that he attributed much of Invitro's success to MacDonell, and that his fondest memories of Invitro were when she won the Ontario Sires Stakes Super Final at age three and when she was named the Woodbine Entertainment Group's Horse of the Year in 2004.
Over her career, Invitro won multiple OSS Gold finals, the Super final at three, the Flamboro Breeders, Ontario Masters Series, the Canadian Breeders Championship, the SBOA Stakes and the Roses Are Red to go along with multiple triumphs in the Open and Preferred ranks.
"My biggest concern for Invitro right now is that she go to a top-class farm and receives a dignified retirement, which she certainly deserves," said Irwin.