Kingsbarns (Uncle Mo–Lady Tapit, by Tapit), who had earned a berth into the GI Breeders' Cup Classic after his win in the GI Stephen Foster Stakes at Churchill, exited a recent workout with an injury and has been retired from racing, according to a Wednesday press release from the farm.
The 4-year-old son of Uncle Mo will ship from Saratoga to Spendthrift Farm in Lexington, where he will begin his stud career in 2025. The farm has not, as of yet, named a fee.
“We got to see Kingsbarns's most recent breeze, and it was terrific,” said Ned Toffey, Spendthrift's general manager. “Unfortunately, he did not come out of that work 100 percent. Veterinarians examined him and discovered a strained ligament in his left front leg. This will cause him to miss the races we had planned for this year, so we have made the decision to retire him to stud, as he was likely going to do so after the Breeders' Cup anyway.
“It's a tough blow because we were very excited about Kingsbarns's chances in races like the Breeders' Cup Classic,” said Toffey. He was coming off a lifetime best performance in the Stephen Foster, where he ran a 4 on the (Ragozin) Sheets. I can count on one hand the number of horses that have run that fast this year. But these are the hard realities of the game, and we are extremely grateful that the horse will be fine. We will get him home to the farm and ready for the breeding season.”
Trained by Todd Pletcher, Kingsbarns won the GIII Ben Ali Stakes at Keeneland in April and was a runner-up in the GIII Pimlico Special Stakes. As a 3-year-old, the colt captured the GII Louisiana Derby at Fair Grounds.
Spendthrift's latest edition to its roster retires with earnings of $1,559,060, ranking him only behind Nyquist and Golden Pal among sons of Uncle Mo at stud. As a 2-year-old, the colt was purchased by the farm for $800,000 at the Fasig-Tipton Gulfstream Sale.
“Kingsbarns had tons of talent and a terrific disposition,” said Pletcher. “The timing of this is especially unfortunate. He was a pleasure to train and will definitely be missed around the barn.”
According to Spendthrift, a decision is pending when the new stallion will be available for inspection.
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