As uncommon as a million-dollar sales horse can be within a foal crop, one that goes on to win a U.S. classic has proven even harder to find. Tapwrit’s victory in the Belmont Stakes made him just the fourth horse to win a Triple Crown race after changing hands at auction for $1 million or more.
Tapit keeps finding higher bars to clear. For three consecutive years, he has broken the single-season earnings record for a North American-based sire while leading the continent’s general sire list – this, after coming out of the gate by establishing what was then an earnings record for a freshman sire. The sire of several champions and classic winners, he reached the $100 million mark in career earnings last season, doing so faster than many of his contemporaries.
Two years after rocking Belmont Park by completing his Triple Crown sweep, American Pharoah was far from New York’s racing action last Saturday. The 5-year-old stallion has completed his second season at Coolmore’s Ashford Stud in Kentucky and now has some downtime before heading to Australia this summer for his first Southern Hemisphere shuttle season.
Kentucky Derby winner Orb got off the mark with his first winner on Sunday, as Earth won his debut on the Gulfstream Park turf.
Unbeaten Mastery has arrived at Claiborne Farm, looking to a future as a stallion after his promising racing career was curtailed by injury.
Hall of Famer and Horse of the Year Holy Bull died last week at age 26 at Sheikh Mohammed Al-Maktoum's Darley America base at Jonabell Farm in Lexington, Ky. The son of Great Above won 13 of his 16 career starts, including, in his 1994 championship season, Grade 1 scores in the Florida Derby, Metropolitan, Haskell Invitational, Travers, and Woodward Stakes.
Last Saturday, Tapit joined the honor roll of sires of American stayers with the victory of his son Tapwrit in the 149th Belmont. The Belmont win was the third for a son of Tapit.
Aldrin, a half-brother to perennial leading sire Tapit, has been retired from racing and will debut at stud in 2018 at O’Sullivan Farm in Charles Town, W.V.
Queen's Plate pedigree analysis: King and His Court
Holy Bull, a Hall of Famer, 1994 Horse of the Year, and prominent sire, was euthanized Wednesday at Sheikh Mohammed Al-Maktoum's Darley America base at Jonabell Farm in Lexington, Ky., due to the infirmities of old age. He was 26.
