Old Friends, the Thoroughbred retirement farm in Georgetown, Ky., is pleased to announce that Fearless, a multiple-graded stakes winning millionaire, arrived at the farm Wednesday, Aug. 2, 2023.
The 7-year old bay gelding was retired to the farm courtesy of his owner, Mike Repole, a longtime supporter of Old Friends.
“Fearless was a gutsy and determined racehorse with the perfect name,” said Repole. “The stable really thought Old Friends would be a great place for him to spend the rest of his career with other great horses.
“Fearless showed up every time and gave his best. He exhibited his versatility by winning from distances of six furlongs to a mile and three quarters. He was a graded stakes winner of $1,251,450.
“I'm thrilled people will be able to visit him at Old Friends.”
Bred by the Helen K. Groves Revocable Trust, Fearless, who is by Ghostzapper–And Why Not, by Street Cry (Ire), was foaled in Kentucky on March 17, 2006.
Initially owned by China Horse Club International and WinStar Farm, and trained his entire career by Todd Pletcher, Fearless broke his maiden in his first start in 2019 as a 3-year old in a maiden special weight race at Gulfstream Park on Dec. 22.
In 2020 as a 4-year old, he won two allowance optional claiming races, the first at Gulfstream Park on Feb. 1 and the second at Churchill Downs on May 30. Then, following a sixth in the Stephen Foster Stakes (G2) at Churchill on June 27, he closed out his year with a win in the WinStar Gulfstream Park Mile Stakes (G2) at Gulfstream on Feb. 27 for his first graded-stakes win.
In 2021 as a 5-year old, he finished second in the Oaklawn Handicap (G2) at Oaklawn Park on April 17, and third in the Pimlico Special Match Series Stakes (G3) at Pimlico on May 14. Later in the year he was purchased by Mike Repole, and then, still trained by Pletcher, he won the Harlan's Holiday Stakes (G3) at Gulfstream on Dec. 18.
As a 6-year old in 2022, his biggest wins were the Ghostzapper Stakes (G3), a race named after his sire, on April 2 at Gulfstream, the Brooklyn Stakes (G2) at Belmont Park on June 11, and the Birdstone Stakes (Listed) at Saratoga on July 28. Coincidently, Birdstone is a retiree at Old Friends.
Fearless returned to the track in 2023 as a 7-year old and ran in only one race, the True North Stakes (G2) at Belmont on June 10 where he finished fifth.
Following that race, he was retired with a record of eight wins, six seconds, one third, and earnings of $1,251,450 in 19 starts. It should be noted that in his 15 starts, he was in the money in 79 percent of his races, which included five stakes wins, four of them graded-stakes.
Repole then sent Fearless to Old Friends for his retirement.
“No one has been better to Old Friends and his horses than Mike Repole,” said Michael Blowen, President and founder of Old Friends. “We are grateful to him for several retirees, especially Fearless who won a Saratoga stakes race named for another Old Friends resident, Birdstone. And he's gorgeous. Fearless, that is!”
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