Multiple graded winner American Lion up for adoption through New Vocations
Multiple graded stakes winner American Lion has been pensioned from stallion duty, gelded, and is available for adoption as a sport horse prospect at New Vocations in Lexington, Ky.
American Lion, by Tiznow, was co-bred by WinStar Farm and Dr. William Lockridge and began his career racing in the WinStar colors. After winning the Grade 3 Hollywood Prevue in 2009, he finished third in the Grade 2 Robert B. Lewis Stakes and won the Grade 3 Illinois Derby to earn his way into the 2010 Kentucky Derby, where he finished 11th. American Lion spent the final stage of his career racing under the Casner Racing banner after Kenny Troutt and Bill Casner dissolved their partnership in WinStar. American Lion concluded his racing career in 2011 with 3 wins from 9 career starts and earnings of $417,800.
American Lion entered stud at Darby Dan Farm near Lexington in 2012 before moving to River Oaks Farm in Oklahoma for the 2017 and 2018 breeding seasons. The sire of stakes winners Extinct Charm and Fight to Glory, he covered 15 mares in what turned out to be his final season, according to The Jockey Club’s Report of Mares Bred. The stallion was entered in the 2018 Keeneland November breeding stock sale, but was withdrawn prior to sale time as, according to New Vocations, former racing connections stepped in to privately purchase him. He was gelded before arriving at the New Vocations facility to begin re-training, and the organization says he could pursue a variety of sport disciplines with an experienced rider who could handle his lingering stallion habits.
“Lion can get excited and studdish if he sees a mare or if someone stops a horse by the door of his stall,” New Vocations trainers wrote on the gelding’s official adoption page. “He has transitioned to turnout with our babysitter gelding, who mostly ignores him, and they graze happily together. He can be polite on the ground with a confident handler, but can test his boundaries with someone inexperienced.”
New Vocations has successfully re-homed former stallions in recent years. Grade 2 winner Overdriven was gelded after standing five seasons at stud and was adopted via New Vocations in early 2018. He successfully transitioned into a career in the hunter ring, appearing at the New Vocations charity show at the Kentucky Horse Park in September 2018.
