Carpe Diem Retired

Carpe Diem | Horsephotos

Stonestreet Stables and WinStar Farm's dual Grade I winner Carpe Diem (Giant's Causeway–Rebridled Dreams, by Unbridled's Song) has been retired from racing due to a knee chip and will stand stud at WinStar Farm in 2016.

“Carpe Diem was a standout physical at the 2-year-olds-in-training sales, and quickly demonstrated his precocious speed, breaking his maiden at first asking as a juvenile at Saratoga,” said Stonestreet Stables's Barbara Banke. “His multiple Grade I-winning performances at two and three were truly impressive. Carpe Diem offers breeders a great opportunity with conformation, speed, and stamina all packaged within an outstanding pedigree. We have enjoyed running the colt with the Troutt family, and look forward to standing him at their WinStar Farm where we will support him with some of our best mares.”

Purchased for $550,000 as a KEESEP yearling and a sales topping $1.6-million at last year's OBS March sale, Carpe Diem made good on the early promise he displayed with an impressive debut victory at the Spa last September, which earned him 'TDN Rising Star' status. Todd Pletcher felt confident enough to promote him to the big leagues after that, and the bay proved his trainer right with another decisive victory in Keeneland's GI Claiborne Breeders' Futurity S. a month later, a race also won by his half-brother J.B.'s Thunder (Thunder Gulch).

A late running second behind the runaway Texas Red (Afleet Alex) in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Nov. 1 in Arcadia, Carpe Diem captured the GII Tampa Bay Derby while making his sophomore bow Mar. 7 and followed suit with a win in Keeneland's GI Toyota Blue Grass S. Apr. 4. Last seen finishing 10th in the GI Kentucky Derby May 2, the hulking bay retires with a record of 6-4-1-0 and earnings of $1,519,800.

“The impressive thing about Carpe Diem, to me, is his ability to run 5 1/2 furlongs in a tough maiden race at Saratoga and then stretch out to win Grade I races around two turns,” said Pletcher. “It is unfortunate his career ended so soon because I feel like he had more Grade 1 wins in him.”

“Carpe Diem is as good as any young horse WinStar has ever been involved with, and it's always bittersweet when you retire a colt of his quality, particularly knowing we likely never got to see his best,” WinStar President and CEO Elliot Walden said. “The positive is that he is an extremely exciting stallion prospect.”

Walden added, “In the Kentucky Derby, we were in perfect position, but when he switched leads going into the far turn I felt something wasn't right. After missing the Belmont, we brought him home to evaluate him and try to get him back for the Haskell. However, a chip finally revealed itself in the lower joint of his right knee, and that can be problematic. I believe his raw ability puts him among the top of this talented group of 3-year-olds, which is probably the best group of runners we've had in years. It's unfortunate, but given where we're at in the season and what would be in front of him, Mrs. Banke, John Moynihan, and I just felt like retirement was the best option.”

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