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WinStar Farm Stallion Improbable Euthanized

WinStar Farm stallion Improbable (City Zip), the champion older male of 2020 and a 'TDN Rising Star', was euthanized late last night at Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital in Lexington after suffering from ataxia behind, a condition which causes poor voluntary muscle control, the farm said in a release early Sunday.

“He was sent to Rood and Riddle yesterday morning to determine the exact cause of the ataxia,” said Elliott Walden, president, CEO, and racing manager of WinStar Farm. “He was responding well to treatment, but went to lie down in his stall, and fell awkwardly. As a result, he broke his right tibia, which could not be repaired.”

Improbable won three consecutive Grade I races in 2020, taking the GI Hollywood Gold Cup at Santa Anita, the GI Whitney S. at Saratoga and the GI Awesome Again S. at Santa Anita en route to Eclipse honors at season's end.

Undefeated at two, Improbable broke his maiden at first asking at 'The Great Race Place' in late September of 2018. He followed that up with a score in the Street Sense S. at Churchill Downs in early November, which earned him a 'TDN Rising Star' badge for the effort.

Improbable winning the Whitney | Sarah Andrew

Improbable's juvenile year ended with a five-length win going 1 1/16 in the GI Los Alamitos Futurity. His time of 1:41.18 was the fastest in over a decade.

A stakes winner each season from two to four, Improbable concluded his career with a runner-up finish in the GI Breeders' Cup Classic in 2020.

All told, he won seven starts, six of them stakes, and earned $2,729,520 for owners WinStar Farm, China Horse Club and SF Racing.

“These horses are our life, and we work every day to take care of them the best way we know how,” said Dr. Natanya Nieman, general manager and resident veterinarian at WinStar Farm. “The whole team is reeling. Improbable gave us many great moments to share with our partners, our team, and the whole racing community. It is tragic.”

Bred in Kentucky by St. George Farm and G. Watts Humphrey Jr., Improbable was acquired by Maverick Racing and China Horse Club for $200,000 out of the Taylor Made Sales Agency consignment at the 2017 Keeneland September Sale.

Out of the A.P. Indy mare Rare Event, the 8-year-old stallion was bred to 329 mares in his first two books and is represented by his initial crop of 2-year-olds this year, including a colt out of the stakes-placed Inaugurate (Empire Maker) that was purchased by trainer Jimmy DiVito, agent, for $475,000.

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Millionaire C Z Rocket Retired

C Z Rocket (City Zip-Successful Rocket, by Successful Appeal) has been retired from racing, according to trainer Peter Miller. The 10-year-old was last seen finishing sixth at Oaklawn Monday.

An $800,000 OBS juvenile purchase by Arkansas businessman Frank Fletcher, C Z Rocket had lost 11 consecutive starts when he moved to Miller's barn in April of 2020 after he was claimed on behalf of Tom Kagele for $40,000 at Oaklawn. For his new connections, which subsequently included Altamira Racing and Madaket Stables, the Florida bred won 13 races, finished second nine times and was third on seven occasions from 46 starts, before retiring with earnings of $2,144,691.

Highlighting his victories, he annexed the GII Santa Anita Sprint Championship S., GII Pat O'Brien and GIII Count Fleet S. in addition to finishing runner-up in two renewals of the GI Breeders' Cup Sprint, held at Keeneland in 2020 and 2022.

“One of the all-time great claims,” the California-based Miller said by phone Monday afternoon. “Made over $2 million, second in the Breeders' Cup twice and retires sound and happy. If that's not a success, I don't know what is.”

Third in his seasonal debut in a Santa Anita allowance Jan. 19, the bay was sixth facing starter allowance company in Hot Springs Feb. 19.

“The last thing I want to see is him get hurt,” Miller said. “He's very sound, but he's lost a step or two and now's the time.”

Miller said C Z Rocket's post-racing life could begin in a Kentucky equine retirement facility.

“If we can get him into Old Friends or Kentucky Horse Park, we'd do that,” Miller said. “And if not, we'll bring him home.”

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Snapper Sinclair to Enter Stud at McMahon of Saratoga Thoroughbreds

Snapper Sinclair (City Zip–True Addiction, by Yes It's True) will retire to stud at McMahon of Saratoga Thoroughbreds for the 2023 breeding season. He will stand for $5,000 live foal, stands and nurses.

Raced by Jeff Bloom's Bloom Racing Stable and trained by Steve Asmussen, the popular bay was known for his durability, posting a career record of 39-7-9-4 and earnings of over $1.8 million. The three-time stakes winner on grass was also second in the 2020 GI Cigar Mile H.

The $30,000 KEESEP yearling and $180,000 OBS April 2-year-old was bred in Kentucky by K & G Stables.

“I love this horse because he showed up every time, whether dirt or turf, sprinting or two turns,” Bloom said. “He raced in the toughest company throughout his career and always tried.”

Asmussen had equal praise.

“What a cool horse, he's so versatile–could run on any surface and would run against anyone,” Asmussen said. “I love him and believe he deserves a chance at stud.”

John McMahon added that, “his combination of race record, pedigree and high regard for connections of Jeff Bloom and Steve Asmussen convinced us. You never know from where a stallion might come and his sire City Zip started in New York at $7,500 before he moved to Lane's End and became a leading sire. You think about iconic stallions like Storm Cat, Tapit, War Front and Into Mischief and they all stood for $10,000 at one time, and we believe Snapper Sinclair has enough of the right ingredients to become a successful stallion.”

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‘Old-School Racehorse’ Snapper Sinclair Preps For Oaklawn’s Fifth Season Stakes

Snapper Sinclair has returned to Oaklawn Park in Hot Springs, Ark., and the popular, well-traveled millionaire could make his 7-year-old debut in the $150,000 Fifth Season Stakes for older horses at one mile Jan. 15, co-owner Jeff Bloom said Tuesday afternoon.

The Fifth Season is the first major 2022 local steppingstone toward the $1 million Oaklawn Handicap (G2) April 23, a race Steve Asmussen, Snapper Sinclair's Hall of Fame trainer, won last year with Silver State.

“We're strongly leaning toward running in the Fifth Season,” Bloom said. “Of course, would love to get a victory in that race, having lost it in 2020 by, I think, a whisker.”

The accomplished Snapper Sinclair, who worked five furlongs Thursday in 1:01 2/5 over a fast track, has bankrolled $1,856,292 in a 36-race career highlighted by a record three stakes victories at Kentucky Downs, the European-style all-grass venue about 35 miles north of Nashville.

Bloom said one reason for keeping Snapper Sinclair in training, rather than begin a stud career in 2022, is to try and grab an elusive first stakes victory on dirt.

Snapper Sinclair boasts several near misses on the main track, including runner-up finishes in the first division of the $100,000 Fifth Season (beaten a neck) in 2020 and $350,000 Essex Handicap (beaten a head) in 2019 at Oaklawn. Snapper Sinclair was beaten a nose in the $400,000 Risen Star Stakes (G2) for 3-year-olds in 2018 at Fair Grounds. He also ran second in the $750,000 Cigar Mile Handicap (G1) in 2020 at Aqueduct.

“He's doing so well and there was no real consideration about retiring him, considering the fact that as long as his health and soundness stay consistently solid and he's happy, we fully intended to have another campaign with him,” Bloom said. “Obviously, Snapper has been so good to us and he really enjoys his job. That being said, we figured: Here comes 2022 for Snapper.”

Known for his large white face, Snapper Sinclair had another productive season in 2021. The bay son of the late City Zip had a 2-2-0 record from seven starts and earned $418,032. Snapper Sinclair became the first horse to win three stakes races at Kentucky Downs in the second division of the $400,000 TVG Sept. 8.

Sandwiched around a one-mile allowance victory in February at Oaklawn and the TVG Stakes was a fourth-place finish in the $750,000 Godolphin Mile (G2) in March in the United Arab Emirates. He was also a fast-closing second in the $200,000 Eddie D Stakes (G2), a downhill turf sprint Oct. 1 at Santa Anita, and sixth in the $1 million Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile (G1) Nov. 6 at Del Mar.

“He's just an incredible old-school racehorse,” Bloom said of Snapper Sinclair. “He's one of those horses that, he brings his track with him. And no matter what you throw at him, he responds. Whether you're talking sprinting down the hill, on the turf, at Santa Anita or going two turns on the dirt against the best horses in the country, he's never dodged a tough spot. To say that he's fine is an incredible understatement. He's just such a pleasure to be around and so fun to have in our portfolio.”

Bloom purchased Snapper Sinclair for $180,000 at the 2017 OBS April Sale of 2-year-olds in training and campaigns the horse in partnership with Chuck Allen and Andrew Yaffe.

Post positions for the Fifth Season will be drawn Monday. Snapper Sinclair also won an allowance race in 2019 at Oaklawn.

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