Racing: Zoman off to stud

ZOMAN, whose earned more than pounds 600,000 in four seasons of high class competition, has been retired to stud.

Paul Cole's horse ran outside Group One and Group Two company just twice in his career, when winning a maiden and the Group Three Scottish Classic. His owner, Fahd Salman, has sold five shares in Zoman to Newmarket's National Stud, where he will stand, while retaining the remaining 35.

Last season, Zoman won Group One races on both sides of the Atlantic, taking the Prix d'Ispahan at Longchamp and the Budweiser International in Washington. 'He was a pleasure to train,' Cole said yesterday. 'He was a very tough and consistent performer with an excellent turn of foot who always gave his best.'

Nicholas Jones, chairman of the National Stud, said: 'He is a genuine Group One horse and should be very popular with British breeders.'

Kevin Darley broke a losing sequence of 28 rides with success on Pride Of Pendle in the last at Pontefract yesterday. He is now 12 winners behind Pat Eddery, who drew a blank at Brighton, in the jockeys' title race.

It was the fifth victory of the season for Peter Calver's filly, and the trainer was quick to praise Darley's role in her winning sequence. 'I told her owner that she would need to produce the performance of her life to win again today,' he said. 'The secret of her improvement is quite simply Kevin Darley. We were having her ridden wrong until Kevin won on the filly here in June after holding her up for a late run.'