Regally bred champion Champs Elysees has died of an apparent cardiac event at Castlehyde Stud in County Cork, Ireland.
The Danehill horse, who was 15, raced as a homebred for Juddmonte Farms and originally stood at its Banstead Manor Stud in Newmarket, England, entering stud in 2010. He was purchased by Coolmore in a deal announced in November 2016 to stand at its Castlehyde under the Coolmore National Hunt banner.
When Ghostzapper retired to stud at Adena Springs in 2006 there was never any question that he would be well patronized by breeders even at a $200,000 fee that proved unsustainable, since his nine wins in 11 starts included the 2004 Breeders’ Cup Classic, which earned him Horse of the Year honors.
Led by undefeated Triple Crown winner Justify, the new stallions of 2019 are a diverse group bringing varied storylines to the domestic and international marketplace. Daily Racing Form's annual special edition brings you an in-depth look at their stories.
As new stallions have been announced through the fall, much of the attention has focused on the horse WinStar Farm isn’t standing – Triple Crown winner Justify, whom it co-campaigned and who will begin his career at Coolmore’s Ashford Stud.
Spendthrift Farm struck early to secure Bolt d’Oro for its stallion roster, completing a deal for his breeding rights in the fall of his 2-year-old season, but its relationship with the multiple Grade 1 winner goes back much further than that. Bolt d’Oro’s 10th dam is Hall of Fame filly Myrtlewood, a foundation mare for Spendthrift.
Three Chimneys Farm has an established history with the stellar female family responsible for 2005 Horse of the Year Saint Liam and 2017 Horse of the Year Gun Runner. The farm has continued to reinvest in that family, developed by the late Edward P. Evans, as it expands its stallion roster. This year, Three Chimneys adds a pair of Grade 1 winners in Funtastic, a half-brother to Saint Liam, and Sharp Azteca, out of a daughter of the champion.
Classic-placed champion Good Magic will enter stud at Hill ‘n’ Dale Farm alongside his sire, Curlin, and several other former Stonestreet Farm colorbearers.
Good Magic, who was bred by Stone-street, was sold by Hill ‘n’ Dale on behalf of his breeder at the 2016 Keeneland September yearling sale, where e Five Racing went to $1 million to acquire him. Stone-street later bought back in, and the two entities raced him in partnership to three graded stakes victories from nine starts and earnings of more than $2.9 million.
Charles Fipke made his fortune as a risk-taking geologist whose pursuit of his profession led to the groundbreaking discovery of diamond mines in Canada. Fipke has been similarly bold in his pursuit of Thoroughbred gems. In recent years, he has campaigned a homebred Eclipse Award champion in Forever Unbridled; seen her dam, Lemons Forever, honored as Broodmare of the Year; developed a number of his homebred runners into consistent sires; and has seen two runners by those sires hit the board in American classic events at long prices.
