Multiple graded stakes winner Tax (Arch) has been retired from racing. The 7-year-old gelding, who was claimed by trainer and co-owner Danny Gargan for $50,000 out of his debut race in 2018, won the 2019 GII Jim Dandy S. and GIII Withers S., as well as the 2020 GIII Harlan's Holiday S. He earned a trip to the 2019 GI Kentucky Derby with a runner-up effort in the GII Wood Memorial. Fourteenth in the Derby, he returned to finish fourth in the GI Belmont S.
On the board in 11 of 19 races, he won five times and earned $1,102,190.
“We've decided to retire him because it was the right thing to do by the horse,” said Gargan. “He's done enough. We just wanted him to win over the million-dollar mark, and he got well over that.”
In his final career start, Tax was runner-up in the GIII Challenger S. at Tampa Bay Downs in March.
Gargan said Tax has been sent to the farm of Dean Reeves, who co-owned Tax through 2021, and he will be retrained with an eye to a pony career.
“He went to Dean Reeves's farm and we're probably going to break him to be the farm pony next year,” said Gargan. “Maybe he'll come here to Saratoga next year and be our barn pony here.”
Tax retires as the all-time top earner for Gargan.
“He's my favorite horse of all-time,” said Gargan. “He's so pretty and so kind for such a big horse.”
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