2010 Breeders' Cup Sprint champion Big Drama retired

Barbara D. Livingston

Big Drama, shown galloping at Churchill Downs last Wednesday, is headed to Ocala, Fla., for some rest before beginning stallion duty next year.

LOUISVILLE, Ky.-  Big Drama, winner of the 2010 Breeders’ Cup Sprint and reigning Eclipse Award champion sprinter, has been retired , trainer David Fawkes said Sunday morning at Churchill Downs.

Big Drama ended his career on Saturday finishing seventh in defense of his title in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint.  Big Drama, a 5-year-old homebred son of Montbrook owned by Harold Queen, led throughout to capture last year’s  Sprint by 1 1/2 lengths under jockey Eibar Coa.

Big Drama, who retires with a record of 11 wins in 19 starts and earnings of $2,746,060, made only three starts in 2011. Aside from his performance in the Sprint, he also set a six-furlong track record winning Gulfstream Park’s Grade 3 Mr. Prospector in January and captured Calder’s Whippleton Stakes on Sept. 4.

“I don’t know how much he liked the track yesterday,” said Fawkes when asked about Big Drama’s disappointing effort in the Sprint. “Ramon [Dominguez] said he just didn’t have any punch leaving the gate and he kind of wound up hung out wide chasing the leaders and spinning his wheels. He just wasn’t himself.”

Fawkes said missing a scheduled prep in the Grade 1 Vosburgh four weeks ago  did not help his cause. Big Drama spiked a fever less than 24 hours prior to the Vosburgh and was scratched the morning of the race.

“At least if he’d have run in the Vosburgh it would have given us a little better line on him coming into the Sprint,” said Fawkes.

Big Drama was scheduled to leave Churchill Downs early Sunday afternoon for his owner’s farm in Ocala, Fla.

“Mr. Queen will make an announcement regarding where he’s going to stand stud later this week,” said Fawkes.