WinStar Farm’s homebred Kentucky Derby winner Super Saver has been retired from racing and will enter stud at the Versailles farm for the 2011 season. A stud fee has not yet been announced.
“The final decision to retire Super Saver was a difficult one that may not be popular with fans but should be very popular with our breeders. The bone bruising, discovered by Dr. Larry Bramlage DVM, which limited his performance during the latter half of this year should subside with time. However, it created a slight risk that he would not return to the form he showed as a two year old and through the Kentucky Derby,” said Elliott Walden, vice president and racing manager of WinStar. “He has nothing more to prove.”
Trained by Todd Pletcher, Super Saver broke his maiden by seven lengths in his second start at Belmont Park before shipping to Churchill Downs where he established a stakes record time of 1:42.83 for the 1 1/16-mile, Grade II Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes.
Although Super Saver just missed in his two 3-year-old preps leading up to the Kentucky Derby, the son of Maria’s Mon took advantage of the off track and another superb ride by jockey Calvin Borel to score a 2 1/2-length win in the first leg of the Triple Crown. The victory was the first Derby win for Pletcher and gave WinStar – which had bred 2003 Derby winner Funny Cide – its first triumph as owner and breeder in the classic.
“I’ve dreamt of winning the Kentucky Derby since I was six years old,” Pletcher said. “Super Saver was my fastest 2-year-old last year, and his stakes-record performance in the (Kentucky) Jockey Club told me he was a Derby horse. I just had to harness that speed and get himready. Thank God it happened just that way.”
Super Saver retires with a record of 3-2-1 from 10 career starts and earnings of $1,889,766.
Super Saver is out of the A.P. Indy mare Supercharger, who is a sister to graded stakes winners Daydreaming, Girolamo and Accelerator. Supercharger is also the sister to She’s a Winner, the dam of leading freshman sire and fellow WinStar stallion Bluegrass Cat.
“Super Saver is a special horse. He made a lot of dreams come true for the entire WinStar team,” said Doug Cauthen, president of WinStar. “Having him back at the farm this past month has been like having a family member return home. We ultimately felt like it was best for him to retire now and we’re thrilled to have the rare opportunity to stand a horse of his caliber here where he was born and raised. With his impressive mix of speed and a classic pedigree, Super Saver is an exciting stud prospect.”
Fans and breeders are invited to celebrate the homecoming of Super Saver to the WinStar Stallion Barn on Saturday October 30th from 11am to 1pm.
Alicia Wincze Hughes is the turf writer for the Lexington Herald-Leader. She started riding at age 8 and was a four-year member of the Pace University equestrian team.
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