Spendthrift Farm has acquired the breeding rights to recent GI TVG.com Haskell Invitational S. winner and GI Arkansas Derby winner Cyberknife (Gun Runner–Awesome Flower, by Flower Alley). The Gold Square LLC colorbearer will stand at the Lexington, KY farm at the conclusion of his racing career.
“We are grateful to [owner] Al Gold and his team for allowing us to acquire the stallion rights to such an exciting horse as Cyberknife,” said Ned Toffey, Spendthrift general manager. “Gun Runner has certainly asserted himself as a serious sire with his first crop, and Cyberknife is his only multiple Grade I-winning son, having impressively won two of America's biggest million-dollar Grade Is for 3-year-olds–the Arkansas Derby and Haskell.”
Toffey added, “Cyberknife is a very good-looking, very athletic colt, and I know their team believes that he is only getting better. He will be a wonderful addition to our roster when his racing career is over. In the meantime, we very much look forward to seeing what Cyberknife can accomplish on the track.”
Conditioned by Brad Cox, the $400,000 FTKSEL yearling scored a breakout victory in the Apr. 2 Arkansas Derby, and bounced back from a wide trip in the GI Kentucky Derby to annex Churchill's Matt Winn S. June 12. He set a Monmouth track record of 1:46.24 for nine panels when besting highest-level winners Taiba (Gun Runner) and Jack Christopher (Munnings) in the July 23 Haskell.
“I'm excited about teaming with Spendthrift on Cyberknife, and I look forward to watching him have a productive stallion career,” said Gold. “Cyberknife is a very athletic, tractable colt. You saw [jockey] Florent [Geroux] use him at multiple points to be able to make the winning move in the Haskell, which produced one of the fastest Ragozin numbers by any 3-year-old. We are very excited about him in the [Aug. 27 GI Runhappy] Travers and further down the road in the Breeders' Cup Classic.”
Cyberknife returned to the worktab Saturday, breezing a half at Saratoga in :49.96 (73/104).
“Cyberknife has always been a tremendous talent from day one, and he's continued to get better as a 3-year-old,” said trainer Brad Cox.
One of five Grade I winners from the potent first crop of Horse of the Year Gun Runner, Cyberknife is out of MSW/MGSP Awesome Flower and hails from the family of GISWs Well Armed (Tiznow) and American Patriot (War Front).
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