retirements | Horse Racing Free Tips

Grade 3 Winner Venezuelan Hug Retired To Mill Creek Farm In New York

Graded stakes winner Venezuelan Hug, who ended his career with three straight victories in stakes company, will stand his first season in 2022 at Mill Creek Farm in Stillwater, N.Y. The 4-year-old son of Constitution out of the Giant's Causeway mare Downtown Diva will stand for $2,500 LFSN.

Bred by Orlyana Farm, Venezuelan Hug started his career in his native Florida with victories in two of his first four starts including a 5 1/2-length score in a 1 1/16-mile maiden special weight on the grass April 25, 2020 at Gulfstream Park.

Venezuelan Hug won a nine-furlong allowance on the grass that summer at Saratoga Race Course, defeating eventual multiple stakes winner City Man. He started exclusively in stakes company from there and closed his career with victories in the Millions Turf Preview Stakes in November 2020 at Gulfstream Park West, Sunshine Turf Stakes in mid-January at Gulfstream and the Grade 3 Canadian Turf Stakes in late February at Gulfstream.

Venezuelan Hug retired with six wins in 10 starts and $252,830 in earnings for owners Spedale Family Racing and R. A. Hill Stable.

Bred on the same Constitution-Giant's Causeway cross as Group 1 classic winner Alaskan Queen, winner of the Polla de Potrancas, Venezuelan Hug hails from the family of Rare Perfume, Jaipur and What a Treat.

Venezuelan Hug is the first foal out of Downtown Diva, a half-sister to multiple stakes winner and $193,455-earner Winter, six-time winner and $158,153-earner Gray Phantom and four-time winner and $145,446-earner Downy Boy.

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Grade 2 Winner Sleepy Eyes Todd Retired To Swifty Farms In Indiana For 2022

Thumbs Up Racing, LLC, and Indiana stallion farm Swifty Farms are excited to introduce Sleepy Eyes Todd to breeders in the Midwest and Kentucky for the 2022 breeding season.

After racing at nine different racetracks, 10 different states and two different countries, the 5-year-old son of Paddy O'Prado is ready to set down some roots. The $2 million-earning stallion arrived at the Seymour, Ind., farm over the weekend and already has his owner, David Cobb, revved up for the prospects of his new chapter.

“(Indiana) is the perfect place for us, and I'm excited to get going with Sleepy's stallion career,” says Cobb.

Lightly raced, the stallion retired sound and healthy. Cobb notes that after battling through some tough races, including the Saudi Cup, where the big gray had to overcome trouble at the start and a big crowd to finish a fighting fourth, it was time to look at a cushier life as an exciting new stallion for Indiana.

“I could have taken him to a number of places, but I really do believe that regional breeding programs are the best game in town, and Indiana has a very strong program,” says Cobb. “I spoke with a number of Indiana connections, including Christine Cagle of Springcliff Farm and Jerri Harmon, Swifty's new stallion manager, and it just felt right to bring him to Indiana.”

Both Cobb and Sleepy Eyes Todd's longtime trainer, Miguel Silva, plans to breed their mares to the gray stallion to take advantage of the Indiana-sired program.

“The biggest benefit to Indiana is the close proximity to Kentucky,” Cobb said. “And I believe that Kentucky breeders are looking for better bargains.”

Sleepy Eyes Todd finished his career with 20 starts, eight wins, three seconds and one third, and earnings totaling more than $2,051,000. Bred by Two Hearts Farm LLC and Kristen Goncharoff, he won the Grade 3 Mr. Prospector Stakes going seven furlongs at Gulfstream Park. He followed up his win in the G2 Charles Town Classic Stakes with a win in the Lafayette Stakes, presented by Keeneland Select. He finished fourth in the G1 Pegasus World Cup Invitational Stakes, fifth in the Saudi Cup and a game tenth in the Dubai World Cup earlier this year.

“Sleepy has definitely shown that he is game enough to race on any track, any continent and any distance,” Cobb said. “That's what I'm hoping Indiana breeders are looking for.”

Sleepy Eyes Todd will stand the 2022 breeding season for $3,500 (stands and nurses).

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Grade 2 Winner Engage Retired To Northview Stallion Station In Maryland

Multiple graded stakes-winning sprinter Engage has been retired to Northview Stallion Station in Chesapeake City, Md., for the 2022 season.

Engage, a son of champion sire Into Mischief, competed at the top level of sprint competition throughout his 19-start career, starting with trainer Chad Brown before being transferred to Steve Asmussen. He won graded stakes at two and four, including Keeneland's Grade 2 Stoll Keenon Ogden Phoenix, a Breeders' Cup “Win and You're In” event for the 2019 Breeders' Cup Sprint while defeating a field that included eventual Eclipse Award-winning sprinter Whitmore and Grade 1 winners Lexitonian, Hog Creek Hustle and Promises Fulfilled.

“This horse is pure speed,” said Northview general manager David Wade. “He is the first true sprinter we've retired to Northview in years.”

Engage was one of his sire's top juveniles in 2017 when winning two of three starts, topped by Belmont Park's G3 Futurity in which he drew off by 3 1/2 lengths going six furlongs. He finished first or second during a seven-race streak from two to three – his highlights at three were a win in 1:09 and change in Belmont Park's six-furlong Gold Fever Stakes, and seconds in the Grade 3 Bay Shore at Aqueduct, G2 Woody Stephens, and G3 Amsterdam at Saratoga, the latter to Promises Fulfilled.

Off for nearly a year from three to four, he returned that fall to win Parx's Bensalem Stakes, the Phoenix, then made the trip to California for the Breeders' Cup Sprint where he finished fourth behind stablemate Mitole. He retires with earnings of $802,780 and five wins, five seconds and two thirds in 19 starts.

Engage represents the highly successful pedigree cross of Into Mischief, the top stallion in the U.S. the past three years who now stands for $250,000, with Speightstown mares, which to date has yielded five black-type winners from 14 starters, including Grade 1-winning sprinters Mia Mischief and Mischevious Alex, and Grade 1-placed Make Mischief. His dam, the stakes-placed Nefertiti, is out of Clearly a Queen who was a three-time graded winner of $504,532.

Engage will stand for $5,000 live foal and is now at the farm and available for inspection. He will be showcased with the rest of the high-powered stallion lineup at an open house on Dec. 11 from 11 a.m. till 2:30 p.m.

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Grade 1 Winner Rock Your World Retired To Spendthrift Farm

Rock Your World, this year's Grade 1 Santa Anita Derby winner by leading sire Candy Ride, has been retired from racing and will stand the 2022 breeding season at Spendthrift Farm for a fee of $10,000 S&N.

“Rock Your World is a fast Santa Anita Derby winner with a wonderful blend of looks, pedigree and sire power,” said Ned Toffey, Spendthrift general manager. “He's a $650,000 yearling and you can see why. He's one imposing individual and as good-looking of a Candy Ride as you'll find. Rock Your World possesses a true classic dirt pedigree, with Empire Maker and Giant's Causeway as his first two broodmare sires. We believe there's a lot to like, especially through our Share The Upside program. We will begin showing Rock Your World today and I invite all breeders to come out and see him.”

Rock Your World will participate in Spendthrift's renowned “Share The Upside” breeding program in 2022 for a fee of $12,500 for a two-year commitment. Breeders must breed a mare in 2022 and 2023 and have two foals total. After the breeder has the second live foal in 2024 and pays the stud fee, he or she will earn a lifetime breeding right.

Trained by John Sadler, Rock Your World won on debut on New Year's Day going six furlongs before stretching out around two turns to win the one-mile Pasadena Stakes in his second start – both coming over the Santa Anita turf course. In his third start in April, the imposing 3-year-old asserted himself as a leading contender for the Kentucky Derby with a powerhouse 4 1/4-length victory over eventual Kentucky Derby winner Medina Spirit in the $750,000 Santa Anita Derby in his first start on the dirt.

Rock Your World stopped the clock in 1:49.17 for 1 1/8 miles, earning a 100 Beyer – the only triple-digit Beyer earned before the Kentucky Derby among this year's field.

Owned by Hronis Racing and Talla Racing, Rock Your World retires with earnings of $612,100. A $650,000 yearling purchase, he is out of the multiple stakes-winning Empire Maker mare Charm the Maker. His first three dams are all multiple stakes winners or graded stakes winners.

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