Grade I winner Zandon (Upstart–Memories Prevail, by Creative Cause) has been retired and has arrived at Spendthrift Farm in Kentucky ahead of stallion duty in 2024, the farm announced. The dark bay will stand for $12,500 stands and nurses and will participate in Spendthrift's “Share the Upside” program on a limited basis for a fee of $15,000 for two years.
“We are excited about Zandon and the ability to offer a Grade I winner with his physical through our Share The Upside program. He's what they should look like,” said Ned Toffey, Spendthrift general manager. “You won't find many Grade I winners in town that look and move the way he does. He's a big, classy individual with a beautiful, smooth gait, which is likely why he was able to remain so sound through the rigors of competing against the best of his generation for two straight years. We believe breeders are really going to like him, and we invite them to come out and see for themselves.”
Bred by the late Brereton Jones, the dark bay brought $170,000 as a Keeneland September yearling and was put into training with Chad Brown. A winner of his Belmont debut, the Jeff Drown runner was also second in the GII Remsen S. as a juvenile and was third in the GII Risen Star S. in his 3-year-old bow. A winner of the GI Blue Grass S., he was favored in the GI Kentucky Derby and would go on to place third in May of 2022. Throughout the rest of the year, he would add three more graded placings in the GII Jim Dandy S., GI Travers S., and the GI Pennsylvania Derby.
He rolled a trio of twos in his first three starts this term, in the GIII Westchester S., GI Metropolitan H. in June, and in the GI Whitney S. at Saratoga in August. The GII Woodward S. went his way in October, and he was retired after a start in the GI Breeders' Cup Classic with a record of 14-3-6-3 and $2.2 million in earnings.
The second foal and one of three winners for his unraced dam, Zandon is a half-brother to Panamanian Champion 2-Year-Old Colt Sol Principe Gris (Summer Front). His dam is a half-sister to MGSW and MGISP Cairo Memories (Cairo Prince), as well as the SW Cariba (Cairo Prince). Under the third dam is Grade II winner Hello Liberty (Forest Camp), who was second in the GI Acorn S.
Spendthrift announced in September that Zandon would join Taiba (Gun Runner) and Arabian Lion (Justify) as new stallions at their Kentucky base in 2024.
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