Aptitude to go to Juddmonte

LEXINGTON, Ky. - Prince Khalid Abdullah's Grade 1 winner Aptitude, 10-length winner of the Oct. 6 Jockey Club Gold Cup, will retire to his owner's Juddmonte Farms in Lexington at the conclusion of his racing career, the Lexington farm announced Friday evening.

The farm has not established a stud fee yet for the 4-year-old A.P. Indy colt, who will race at least through the World Thoroughbred Championships Breeders' Cup Classic at Belmont on Oct. 27.

Trained by Bobby Frankel, Aptitude has captured two Grade 1 races this year, the Jockey Club Gold Cup at Belmont and the Hollywood Gold Cup at Hollywood Park, though the latter victory came on the disqualification of winner Futural.

Aptitude also won the Grade 2 Saratoga Breeders' Cup Handicap and finished third in the Grade 2 Californian Stakes this year.

As a 3-year-old last year, Aptitude finished second to Fusaichi Pegasus in the Kentucky Derby and to Commendable in the Belmont Stakes. Earlier that season, he finished second in the Grade 3 Gotham Stakes and third in the Grade 2 Wood Memorial.

To date, Aptitude has a career race record of 13-5-4-2 and earnings of $1,845,410.

Aptitude, a Juddmonte homebred, is out of the Northern Dancer mare Dokki, who also is the dam of the Grade 1-winning Seattle Slew filly Sleep Easy.