Darby Dan acquires rights to Tapiture

Darby Dan Farm in Lexington, Ky., has acquired the breeding rights to multiple Grade 2 winner Tapiture, who will race for the remainder of the year before retiring to stud.

The 4-year-old son of Tapit is currently training at Saratoga toward a final start in the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile, in which he finished second last year. Steve Asmussen conditions the colt for owner/breeder Winchell Thoroughbreds.

“Darby Dan has such a long and storied tradition of standing top stallions, and we look forward to working with John Phillips, Robert Hammond, and the team to give Tapiture a huge chance at stud,” said owner Ron Winchell. “From day one, Tapiture has been a favorite. Our racing and farm manager, David Fiske, and Steve Asmussen and his team have always been super high on this colt, and he displayed his brilliance on several occasions as a 2-year-old and as a 3-year-old.

“There’s no question he’s one of Tapit’s best sons, and breeders are really going to like him when they see him,” he continued. “For us, it’s easy to be fully committed to supporting Tapiture with mares.”

Tapiture has won four of 16 starts over three seasons of racing for earnings of $1,476,060. His biggest wins include the Grade 2 West Virginia Derby and Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes, and the Grade 3 Southwest Stakes and Matt Winn Stakes. He also placed in six additional graded stakes.

Tapiture is out of the winning Winchell-bred Olympio mare Free Spin, whose four winners from five foals to race also includes stakes winners Remit and Retap, both by Tapit. He is from the family of Grade 2 winner Good Bid.

“We are thrilled and extremely grateful to partner with Ron Winchell on Tapiture, who is quite simply one of the most impressive individuals by his sire, Tapit,” said Darby Dan vice chairman Robert Hammond. “Tapiture has proven to be a top-class miler, and he displayed tremendous precociousness to break his maiden in a Grade 2 at Churchill as a 2-year-old, before going on to race in 13 straight graded stakes. When you combine his physical and sire power with his race record, it’s easy to see why he’s such an exciting stallion prospect.”

Tapiture will be offered on the “Share the Upside” incentive program, with a stud fee to be announced at a later time.