Aidan O’Brien’s talented colt Camille Pissarro, winner of last year’s French Derby, has been retired from racing following a leg injury sustained in the Coral-Eclipse at Sandown last month.

The three-year-old son of Wootton Bassett suffered a hairline fracture to his fetlock — comparable to a human ankle — when finishing fourth, just two-and-a-half lengths behind Delacroix in a thriller that also saw Ombudsman narrowly denied. That finish has set up a much-anticipated rematch between Delacroix and Ombudsman in next Wednesday’s Juddmonte International at York.

Camille Pissarro retires with three wins from 11 career starts and more than £1.1 million in earnings. A Group 1 winner of the Prix Jean-Luc Lagardère on Arc day last season, he proved himself against the best again this year. After a 174-day layoff, he returned in March to finish a close second to Big Gossey at the Curragh, followed by a third-place effort behind stablemate Henri Matisse in the French 2000 Guineas two months later.

His finest moment came on June 1, when he unleashed a devastating turn of foot to capture the French Derby over 1¼ miles, earning the £700,000 first prize. O’Brien praised Ryan Moore for an “incredible ride” that day, noting that Christophe Soumillon, who rode Camille Pissarro in the Coral-Eclipse, had also been impressed with the colt’s ability.

Soumillon reported that the colt hung left-handed in the closing stages at Sandown and was later found to have lost his left-fore shoe. Veterinary checks after the race confirmed the fetlock fracture, ending his season — and his career.

The news comes alongside confirmation that another O’Brien runner, multiple Group 2 winner Diego Velazquez, will also be retired at the end of the season.

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