Multiple Grade 3 winner Ioya Bigtime died Tuesday of colic at Haras La Concordia in Uruguay, the South American publication Turf Diario reports.
The 14-year-old son of Dynaformer's death comes just before the start of the Southern Hemisphere breeding season. He has resided in Uruguay for his entire stud career, after being exported to the country following the 2013 Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale, where he sold privately to South American connections after finishing under his reserve in the ring.
The Illinois-born homebred for Team Block won six of 25 starts during his racing career and earnings of $540,149, highlighted by a win in the Grade 3 Stars and Stripes Stakes in his home state, as well as the G3 Kentucky Cup Turf Stakes at Kentucky Downs. Though his specialty was on the turf, he also showed ability over the former all-weather main track at Keeneland, finishing second in the G2 Fayette Stakes at Keeneland.
Ioya Bigtime has quickly developed a strong resume at stud in Uruguay, with just four crops to race. He was the country's leading freshman sire in 2018, but his second crop paid even greater dividends.
His showcase runner is Ajuste Fiscal, who was named Uruguay's Horse of the Year in both 2019 and 2020, racking up a trio of Group 1 victories in the process. He won two out of three legs of Uruguay's Triple Crown, the G1 Gran Premio Jockey Club and Grand Premio Polla de Potrillos, and he finished third in the G1 Gran Premio Nacional.
Earlier this year, Ajuste Fiscal ventured outside of South America for the first time to compete in the U.A.E., where his efforts included a third-place finish in the G2 Al Maktoum Challenge Round 2.
Other runners of note sired by Ioya Bigtime include Uruguayan classic-placed Group 3 winner Negrone, and group stakes-placed runners El Curato and Russian Time.
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