GI Blue Grass Stakes winner Tapit Trice (Tapit–Danzatrice, by Dunkirk) will return to his birthplace, Gainesway Farm, to enter stud upon his retirement from racing, the Central Kentucky nursery and stud farm announced Tuesday afternoon. Tapit Trice's next scheduled engagement is Saturday afternoon in the $7-million GI Breeders' Cup Classic, where he will break from post 10. He races for the partnership of Mandy Pope's Whisper Hill Farm, LLC and Gainesway Stable.
“Winning the Grade I Blue Grass Stakes in partnership with Gainesway has been a real highlight for our racing stable,” said Pope. “We are extremely excited about Tapit Trice's potential at stud and will be supporting him with some of our best mares.”
Bred by Gainesway, the 4-year-old gray is out of a half-sister to 2018 champion 2-year-old filly and GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies winner Jaywalk (Cross Traffic). He realized $1.3 million as a yearling at the 2021 Keeneland September sale. Although he was a 2-year-old winner at Aqueduct, it was in the first start of his 3-year-old year he captured the collective imagination, romping by eight lengths at Gulfstream to earn 'TDN Rising Star' honors. Victories in the GIII Tampa Bay Derby and the aforementioned Blue Grass followed. Although he didn't win as the favorite in the 2023 GI Kentucky Derby, he placed in both the GI Belmont Stakes and GI Travers Stakes to close out his sophomore campaign.
He's won two of three as a 4-year-old this year, including the GII Woodward Stakes and GIII Monmouth Cup Stakes. Hall of Famer Todd Pletcher has campaigned Tapit Trice to three triple-digit Beyer Speed Figures, earnings of more than $1.7 million to date, and six wins from 12 career starts.
“I could not be prouder or more excited to partner with Mandy [Pope] and bring this exciting homebred son of Tapit back to Gainesway Farm,” said Gainesway's Antony Beck. “Tapit Trice is line-bred 3×4 to both A.P. Indy and Unbridled, two of the most influential stallions of this era. Our hope is he follows in his father's footsteps.”
Gainesway stands Tapit Trice's perennial leading sire, Tapit. A stud fee for Tapit Trice will be announced at retirement.
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