Justin Phillip retired to Castleton Lyons

Grade 1-winning sprinter Justin Phillip has been retired and will enter stud at Shane Ryan’s Castleton Lyons in Lexington, Ky. He will stand the 2014 season for an advertised fee of $12,500, payable on Nov. 1 terms.

The 5-year-old son of First Samurai closed out his racing career with a fifth-place finish in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint on Nov. 2 at Santa Anita Park.

Justin Phillip was purchased for $400,000 by Ahmed Zayat’s Zayat Stables as a yearling at the 2009 Keeneland September sale. Racing for Zayat and trained by Steve Asmussen, the durable horse won seven of 32 starts over four seasons, with six seconds and eight thirds, and earned $1,293,437. He picked up his Grade 1 win in the Alfred G. Vanderbilt Handicap at Saratoga Race Course this past summer and also won two other graded stakes in his career while placing in four Grade 1 events. He earned a Beyer Speed Figure of 100 or more on nine different occasions.

“We are very excited to stand Justin Phillip at Castleton Lyons and pleased to have had the opportunity to develop the next chapter in this extremely good-looking colt’s career,” Ryan said. “He has been expertly handled by Steve Asmussen and is an excellent example of a big all-American dirt horse that we hope will be well received by breeders. In addition to Justin Phillip’s race record we were attracted to this stallion prospect as his pedigree is from one of the most active female families in the stud book.”

Justin Phillip is one of five stakes winners produced by Grade 3-placed winner Avaknowsthecode, by Cryptoclearance. He is a half-brother to Grade 2 winner and sire Keyed Entry, Grade 3 winners Algorithms and Successful Mission, and stakes winner Alex’s Allure. The family has had recent commercial success, as Avaknowsthecode's yearling Tapit colt was purchased by Gainesway and Stonestreet Stables for $1.2 million at the recent Keeneland September yearling sale.

Justin Phillip joins champion Gio Ponti on Castleton Lyons’ roster. The horse will be available for inspection at Castleton Lyons beginning on Nov. 5, through the end of the Keeneland November breeding stock sale on Nov. 14, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. daily.