Songandaprayer to stand in Florida in '02

Songandaprayer, upset winner of the Grade 1 Fountain of Youth Stakes earlier this year, will stand at stud in 2002 at Marablue Farm in Ocala, Fla., trainer John Dowd confirmed on Saturday.

Dowd said owner Bobby Hurley will retain a 60 percent interest in Songandaprayer, who is scheduled to make one or two more starts before being retired at the end of the 2001 campaign. The colt has been transferred to trainer Juan Serey at Belmont, because Dowd is currently serving a 120-day suspension handed down by the New York State Wagering Board last December.

"The big choice for Bobby was whether to stand the horse in Kentucky or Florida and he decided it was best to be a bigger fish in a smaller pond," Dowd said. "Marablue were in need of a young stallion, so the deal worked out well for everybody concerned."

Dowd said the Cigar Mile would likely be the last start of Songandaprayer's career.