Trainer Nicky Henderson and connections have come to the final decision to retire the great Might Bite that at the age of 11 years old having been nearing the end of his career for sometime, but now officially will not be seen on the track again.
The Cheltenham Gold Cup second back in 2018 has not been the same horse since that season where he rounded off his campaign off in style to land the Betway Bowl at Aintree.
The 10 year old has won four Grade One races during his esteemed career including a Cheltenham festival winner in one of the most dramatic RSA Chases since the race was established and taking the King George in 2017.
Henderson was hoping more than anything to get his chaser back to his best but now becoming a veteran in the sport his connections have made the tough decision to end his life as a racehorse and move him on to pastures new.
(Credit Unibet) Henderson said in his Unibet blog: "It is a sad day at Seven Barrows as we have decided to call time on the career of Might Bite who has been retired after we came to the conclusion that perhaps he wasn’t enjoying his racing quite as much as the good old days but it’s great that he ends his life on the track a perfectly sound and happy person and on his own terms, which is the most important thing.
"He was owned by a tremendous group of guys who absolutely adored him and he gave them so much pleasure during what was an incredible journey.
Can Nicky Henderson get Might Bite back on track this season? Read what the trainer says about his stable star's "disaster year" and how he hopes he can bounce back like Sprinter Sacre before him ⬇https://t.co/JvJnJomMtx pic.twitter.com/zoacbgnMVX
— Racing TV (@RacingTV) October 22, 2019
"But all good things must come to an end and he will now go off to Charlie Barnett, former Aintree supremo, and enjoy a life at his place where he’ll go out hacking and just have a lovely time, which is what he deserves.
"It was an amazing journey, but not one without a few hiccups along the way and I suppose the most memorable would have been when he tried to visit the Guinness Village at Cheltenham en route to winning the RSA.
"That was a tremendous race, and a fine spectacle for everyone there that day, but what made it even more significant was that we had the second, Whisper, so I would have been happier if the judge had called a dead heat!
Although henderson is sad to see him go understands that the time is right and can look back on fond memories off the horse and know he took him as far as he could.
Henderson added in his Unibet blog: "He was one of the most amazing characters you’ll ever come across and was the most gorgeous looking horse you will ever see; he had so much presence about him and stood out more than anything else in the parade ring and was in the Sprinter Sacre sort of mould.
In fact we pretty much purchased him on looks rather than anything else because at the time his sire, Scorpion, wasn’t as popular as he is now so we took a bit of a shot in the dark but it was definitely worth it and he ended up winning just shy of £607,000 in prize money and ten of his twenty five starts which is quite phenomenal.