Artax sold to Brazilian investors

Artax, the champion sprinter of 1999, the year he won the Breeders’ Cup Sprint, has been sold to Brazilian interests, according to the Blood-Horse.

A son of Marquetry out of the Apalachee mare Raging Apalachee, Artax was formerly owned by John Smicklas and Randy Gammill and stood at Diamond G Ranch near Edmond, Okla., for a fee of $2,000 live foal. He began shuttling to Brazil for the Southern Hemisphere breeding season in 2009 under a three-year lease agreement with Adriano Quadros’s Haras Henrique Waihrich, and was expected to cover 100 mares in Brazil last year.

According to records, Artax has sired six stakes winners, including Grade 1 winner Friendly Michelle and Grade 2 winner Diabolical. His progeny have total earnings of $13.6 million.