Tom's Ready will stand at Spendthrift Farm upon retirement

Grade 2 winner Tom’s Ready will begin his stallion career at Spendthrift Farm in Lexington, Ky., upon his retirement.

A 3-year-old son of More Than Ready, Tom’s Ready most recently won the Grade 2 Woody Stephens Stakes on June 11 at Belmont Park.

Tom’s Ready has won 2 of 11 starts racing for owner GMB Racing and trainer Dallas Stewart, with earnings of $577,220. He finished second in the Grade 2 Louisiana Derby and Grade 3 Lecomte Stakes en route to a start in this year’s Kentucky Derby.

The colt will continue to run under the colors of Gayle Marie Benson’s GMB Racing for the remainder of his on-track career before retiring to Spendthrift.

“We are excited to have the opportunity to stand such a talented and progressive colt as Tom’s Ready, and we’re appreciative to Mr. and Mrs. Benson and the entire GMB Racing team,” said Ned Toffey, general manager at Spendthrift. “Tom’s Ready is one of the best-looking colts we’ve ever seen by More Than Ready, who is emerging as an important sire of sires, both in America and Australia. Tom’s Ready is incredibly sound and versatile, and we believe his Woody Stephens performance is just the beginning of a big future ahead.”

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Bred in Pennsylvania by Blackstone Farm, Tom’s Ready is out of the placed Broad Brush mare Goodbye Stranger, whose four foals to race are all winners, also including stakes-placed Consulado. He is from the family of Group 2 winners Vers La Cassie, High Competence, and Be My Guest, and Grade 1-placed Jazz Beat.

“In 2014, at the urging of my husband Tom [Benson, owner of the NFL’s New Orleans Saints and the NBA’s New Orleans Pelicans], we decided to buy some yearlings, and our first purchase was Tom’s Ready at the Fasig-Tipton sales in Saratoga,” said Gayle Benson. “We are very grateful to Dallas Stewart, who has brought him along nicely into the horse he is today.

“From the Hopeful Stakes as a 2-year-old, to the Kentucky Derby, and most recently the Woody Stephens Stakes at Belmont, Tom’s Ready has provided me and my husband with great joy,” Benson continued. “We would also like to thank everyone at Spendthrift, especially Mr. [B. Wayne] Hughes, Ned [Toffey], and Mark [Toothaker], for believing in our horse. He still has productive racing days ahead, and we are excited about the future – on the track and at Spendthrift – for Tom’s Ready.”