Grade 1 winner Dayoutoftheoffice retired

Trainer Tim Hamm reported Wednesday that Dayoutoftheoffice, the 2020 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies runner-up who was expected to be among the key contenders for Saturday’s Grade 1 Test, has been retired. Hamm owns Dayoutoftheoffice with Siena Farm.

Dayoutoftheoffice, who finished fourth after setting the pace in the Grade 1 Acorn in her most recent start, had been working at Thistledown in anticipation of returning to Saratoga for the Test. Dayoutoftheoffice gained national attention here a year ago when she drew off to a six-length victory in the Grade 3 Schuylerville. She would go on to upset Vequist by two lengths to win the Grade 1 Frizette before finishing two lengths behind that rival four weeks later in the Juvenile Fillies.

“She has no major issues,” Hamm said. “I just believe her broodmare value outweighs her racing value at this point, that it’s just not worth putting her through the wear and tear of campaigning her the rest of the year. I called Siena and told them that, in my opinion, I just think it’s enough. When the time is right, the time is right. I thought it was an easy decision, and they were very receptive to that.”

Hamm said it’s obviously a major letdown to miss out on the opportunity to come back to Saratoga to run a contender in the Test.

“Obviously it’s very disappointing for me to miss out on an opportunity like this,” said Hamm. “She got her career off to a fabulous start, ran off the screen here in the Schuylerville, ran a big race in the Frizette, then got beat by a very good filly in the Breeders’ Cup. And she ran more than admirable against the best fillies in the country in the Acorn in her last start. It would have been a great thing to run her here again Saturday. But this is 100 percent the right thing to do. Hopefully I’ll be able to go out and find another one just like her one day.”