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Group 3-winning Coolmore Stud runner-up retired to stud after poor Caulfield showing.

Bruckner, the horse who beat home all bar Home Affairs in last year's Coolmore Stud Stakes, has run his last race with the son of Snitzel retired to stud.

Ciaron Maher Racing announced on Wednesday that the curtain had been drawn on the four-year-old's racing career after disappointing return to racing in last Saturday's Listed Doveton Stakes.

That 1000-metre event was his first start since finishing runner-up in the Coolmore Stud Stakes (1200m), three lengths behind Home Affairs, which followed a third placing in the Group 2 Danehill Stakes (1200m) and Group 3 McNeil Stakes (1200m) win.

"He (Bruckner) is an incredibly talented horse who we've invested a lot of time in getting him back to race fitness, but the reality is, despite these efforts, it is unlikely he will get back to the racehorse he was in his three-year-old season," Maher Racing said in a statement.

"It's his performances in the spring of 2021 that will hold him in good stead as a serious stallion prospect.

"His win in the Group 3 McNeil Stakes was blistering, defeating Blue Diamond winner Artorius, before running second in the Group 1 Coolmore Stud Stakes, behind multiple Group 1 winner Home Affairs.

"It is a shame that we never got to see his potential on the track as he always gave us the impression of a true autumn three-year-old, but his class was evident in the short time we saw him run.

"We'd like to thank the owners for giving us the opportunity to train the horse and rehabilitate him over the past year, but in the end the decision has been made in the best interests of the horse and we fully support that.

"We look forward to seeing his progeny on the racetrack in the coming years, hopefully they're as stunning, athletic and talented as he is."

Bruckner, who counts Aquis's Tony Fung and Widden Stud among his ownership, retires a winner of two of his seven starts with a further three minor placings.