Constellation Retired

Grade I winner Constellation (Bellamy Road–For Royalty, by Not For Love) has been retired from racing and will be bred to Curlin next spring, according to LNJ Foxwoods' bloodstock advisor Alex Solis.

“We decided to retire her after she had two poor efforts,” Solis explained. “She is four, turning five, and she's competed at the Grade I level at two, three and four. She's been amazing and once she started to run a little inconsistently, we knew she was telling us it was about that time. We could freshen her for next year, but she is such a beautiful filly and we're looking forward to breeding her.”

On behalf of the Roth family's LNJ Foxwoods, Solis and Jason Litt purchased Constellation (hip 139) for $800,000 at the 2015 OBS March sale. She began her career on the East Coast with trainer Steve Asmussen and was tabbed a 'TDN Rising Star' after her debut win at Saratoga. She finished third in the GI Spinaway S. and second in the GII Matron S. before concluding her juvenile season with a pair of stakes wins at Aqueduct.

Shipped west to the Southern California barn of Jerry Hollendorfer, Constellation capped an abbreviated 2016 campaign with her biggest career victory in the GI La Brea S. She was second in four straight graded races this term, including the GI Madison S., before concluding her career with off-the-board finishes in the GI Breeders' Cup F/M Sprint and in last Saturday's GI Bayakoa S. for trainer Bob Baffert.

On the board in 11 of 14 starts, Constellation won five times and earned $619,809.

The Bayakoa was the only route attempt of her career and Constellation's speed made Curlin the perfect match, according to Solis.

“She was so remarkably fast that we never tried to stretch her out,” Solis said. “We never really routed her until her last start and it just wasn't her day, so we never really got an idea if she wanted to route. But with her crazy speed, you'd love to throw a little stamina on top of it and see if we can throw those kind of good GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile types that can go on to Oaks and Derbys. And Curlin is red hot. He is going to have a champion 2-year-old right now and we thought it was the right mating.”

Out of stakes winner For Royalty, Constellation is a half-sister to stakes-placed Back Flip (Super Saver), Upper Room (Harlan's Holiday) and Queen Mum (Paynter).

LNJ Foxwoods has been steadily building up a stellar broodmare band over the last few years, but has also offered some of its runners at auction, including graded stakes winner Super Majesty (Super Saver) who sold for $475,000 at last year's Fasig-Tipton Kentucky February Sale. Constellation is one who will likely be a long-term presence in the family's broodmare band.

“She'd be a hard one to sell,” Solis said of Constellation. “When we bought her, she had a nice page with Spun Sugar and Daaher right there underneath and, since we've bought her, her mother has thrown nothing but stakes horses. And she is a Grade I winner. The page has just exploded and that's kind of their game plan, to buy those types, and we're lucky enough that this has all worked out. So I think we'll probably keep her for the long-haul.”