After earlier speculation that Peter Moody’s champion Fastnet Rock colt Hinchinbrook would be retired following his scratching from the Group 1 Golden Jubliee Stakes at Royal Ascot due to injury, connections have now confirmed the official retirement of the star colt.

Hinchinbrook was one of the leading fancies for this Saturday’s Golden Jubilee Stakes in England along with fellow Aussie Star Witness, however this morning he was withdrawn from the feature after he suffered a serious suspensory ligament strain.

The injury has since been further assessed and its seriousness has seen trainer Peter Moody along with the horse’s owners make the decision to retire Hinchinbrook immediately.

“It was a major disappointment for the whole team yesterday on discovery of his injury at Newmarket as the horse was going into the Group One Golden Jubilee in great shape and with a great chance,” Moody said in a statement on his website.

Hinchinbrook will begin his career as a stallion this season, standing at Yarraman Park Stud in the Hunter Valley, New South Wales.

Throughout his promising but short-lived career Hinchinbrook started 14 times for two wins and seven minor placings earning a tidy $590,300 in prize money having raced solely in stakes company.

What turned out to be his swansong race was a brave second behind boom galloper Hay List in the Group 1 All aged Stakes (1400m) at Randwick on April 23.

John McNair’s five-year-old State Of Liberty gelding Hay List is facing his own injury issues, the dual Group 1 winner likely to be ruled out of the entire spring season due to a leg infection.

A son of well-performing sire Fastnet Rock, Hinchbrook is from Snippets mare Snippets’ Lass and is therefore a three-quarter brother to 2006 Oakleigh Plate winner and fellow stallion Snitzel.

Hinchinbrook’s two track triumphs came in the Group 3 Skyline Stakes (1200m) at Randwick on March 13, 2010 and the Listed Canonbury Stakes (1100m) on February 13 last year which were his opening two career races.

He is also a multiple Group placegetter having run third to Brightexpectations in the Group 2 Pago Pago Stakes (1200m) and third to Yosei in the Group 1 Inglis Sire’s Produce Stakes (1400m) in the autumn of 2010; as well as running a game third in both the Group 1 Oakleigh Plate (1100m) and Group 1 William Reid Stakes (1200m) this year.