Archarcharch, a Grade 1 winner and veteran sire, died in Korea on Oct. 15, per Korea Racing Authority records.
According to Alastair Middleton of the KRA, who spoke with representatives of Sungsoo Farm where Archarcharch resided, the 12-year-old son of Arch had spent an extended amount of time battling an illness believed to be caused by a parasitic infection. He was treated over the autumn, but his condition worsened, and the decision was made to euthanize the stallion.
Archarcharch had resided in Korea since late 2017, and he covered his first book of mares there in 2018, making his oldest Korean-sired crop yearlings of 2020. Prior to that, he stood at Spendthrift Farm in Kentucky, where he began his stud career in 2012.
Domestically, Archarcharch has sired six crops of racing age, with 274 winners and combined progeny earnings of $23.2 million.
Archarcharch's top runner to date is Next Shares, who won the G1 Shadwell Turf Mile Stakes and continues to compete against high-level turf competition. His other runners of note include Grade 2 winners Mr. Misunderstood and Ivy Bell, and Grade 3 winner Toews On Ice. Internationally, the stallion has been led by Irish-born Qatar Man, who was named Singapore's Horse of the Year in 2018 (where he competed under the name Elite Invincible) and finished in the money in a U.A.E. stakes race.
Archarcharch stood three seasons in Korea at Sungsoo Farm in Icheon, just south of capital city Seoul, primarily covering the farm's own mares. He saw 35 mares in his debut season in the country, and he followed up in 2019 with 48 mares. The report of mares bred for 2020 has not yet been released.
While those numbers might seem fairly low compared to some of the other notable U.S. stallions who have been sent to Korea – five U.S.-born stallions covered more than 100 mares in 2019, led by To Honor and Serve at 164 – there are a few factors that explain it.
Icheon is about 270 miles over land and sea away from Jeju Island, Korea's southernmost point, which serves as the heart of the country's Thoroughbred breeding industry. Furthermore, the Korean government owns and subsidizes many of the country's most notable stallions, allowing breeders to to send their mares to them at minimal cost, which drives up their numbers.
As a private-standing stallion far from the country's hub of activity, Archarcharch went against the current, but Middleton said the stallion's number of mares bred was actually quite high considering that criteria.
During his own on-track career, Archarcharch won three of seven starts for earnings of $832,744. He was bred in Kentucky by Grapestock, and he raced for for Robert and Val Yagos, who bought him as a yearling for $60,000 from the Paramount Sales consignment.
After finishing second in his debut start, Archarcharch broke his maiden in the Sugar Bowl Stakes at Fair Grounds. Two starts later, he established himself on the Kentucky Derby trail with a wide-running victory in the G3 Southwest Stakes at Oaklawn Park.
He remained at Oaklawn for the remainder of his Derby prep races, finishing third in the G2 Rebel Stakes, then formally punching his ticket to Churchill Downs by taking the G1 Arkansas Derby by a late-running neck at odds of of 25-1.
Archarcharch drew the dreaded inside post during the 2011 Kentucky Derby, and he finished a non-threatening 15th. He pulled up lame after the race and was vanned off after suffering a condylar fracture in his left-front leg. The colt underwent surgery soon after the race and his retirement was announced shortly thereafter.
Archarcharch currently has one son at stud in the U.S., Toews On Ice, who resides in New Mexico.
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