Early Voting removed from stud duty

Preakness Stakes winner Early Voting, who entered stud at Coolmore's Ashford Stud in Kentucky this past season, will not stand in 2024 due to problems with breeding.

The son of Gun Runner was not on the stallion roster when Ashford released its fees for the upcoming year on Tuesday. The Thoroughbred Daily News was the first to confirm why Early Voting was not on the roster.

Coolmore said that Early Voting was “removed from covering duties at Ashford Stud for the 2024 breeding season due to an inability to breed, according to veterinary experts." The young stallion is the subject of an ongoing insurance claim.

Early Voting, who won the 2022 Preakness Stakes along with the Grade 3 Withers, stood for an advertised fee of $25,000 in his first season in 2023. The Jockey Club's Report of Mares Bred for the season, indicating how many mares he covered, has not yet been released. He did get mares in foal before his issues arose; there are five mares in foal to the stallion cataloged at the upcoming Keeneland November breeding stock sale.

:: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.