Juddmonte's Champion Arrogate Dies at 7

Juddmonte Farms' brilliant racehorse and promising stallion Arrogate  was euthanized June 2 after a weeklong battle with an apparent neurological illness, the cause of which is still undetermined.

Winding down a successful third breeding season, Juddmonte reported that Arrogate's breeding schedule had been suspended the last week in May due to a suspected sore neck. Later in the week, the 7-year-old son of Unbridled's Song fell to the ground in his stall and efforts to get him back on his feet were unsuccessful. The farm sent the stallion to Hagyard Equine Medical Institute, where he was under the care of Dr. Bob Hunt and Dr. Nathan Slovis, with Dr. Steve Reed representing the insurance company.

The staff at Hagyard's clinic worked to eliminate all the obvious causes and performed all available tests, including a spinal tap evaluation, X-ray, ultrasound, CT scan, and many blood tests, according to Juddmonte. Unfortunately, Arrogate was still unable to stand after four exhausting days. Serious secondary health issues began to set in and led to the decision to euthanize him.

Arrogate, who stood for $50,000 this year, was the richest North American racehorse in history with earnings of $17,422,600. Bred in Kentucky by Clearsky Farms, the robust gray/roan stallion was out of the multiple stakes-winning Distorted Humor  mare Bubbler. Bloodstock agent Donato Lanni bought Arrogate on behalf of Juddmonte's owner Prince Khalid Abdullah for $560,000 at the 2014 Keeneland September Yearling Sale from Clearsky's consignment.

The colt did not debut until April of his 3-year-old year, but quickly took command of his division. He earned the 2016 champion 3-year-old title after scoring five consecutive wins that culminated in victories in the Travers Stakes (G1)—which he won by 13 1/2 lengths while breaking a 36-year-old track record for 1 1/4 miles—and the Breeders' Cup Classic (G1), in which he beat 2016 Horse of the Year California Chrome .

He kicked off his 4-year-old season by winning the inaugural $12 million Pegasus World Cup Invitational (G1) in track-record time, and followed with a hard to believe last-to-first win in the $10 million Dubai World Cup Sponsored By Emirates Airline (G1). Arrogate retired with a 7-1-1 record from 11 starts.

"We will never forget the ride Arrogate took us on," said Juddmonte general manager Garrett O'Rourke. "Those four amazing races established him as one of the great racehorses of our time, breaking two track records, taking down champion California Chrome in a battle for the ages, and then running by Gun Runner  in another worldly performance in Dubai. We hope that the heartbreak of losing him so young can be soothed by proudly watching the achievement of his runners."

Bob Baffert, who trained Arrogate, said it was an emotional day for him and his wife, Jill.

"That horse was one of the greatest horses I ever trained," he said. "His race in the Dubai World Cup will go down as the greatest performance of any horse I've trained. What he did in the Travers and what he did in the Breeders' Cup, running down the great California Chrome, and then he destroyed the field in the Pegasus and ran past Gun Runner in Dubai from last like it was nothing. I'll never have another horse put together four magical races like that."

Baffert said colt's brilliant athleticism came from his long stride and incredible stamina.

"He would come back (from a race) and never take a deep breath. He came back in Dubai and wasn't tired or blowing, nothing. He must have had a heart like Secretariat. No other horse could have won that race (in Dubai). You read stories about Spectacular Bid—he was like that, pure greatness."

Arrogate impressed other Hall of Fame trainers, too.

Baffert said fellow California trainer Richard Mandella came by his barn at Santa Anita Park after Arrogate had returned from Dubai.

"Richard said to me, 'I never pay any attention to your horses, but I want to see Arrogate. I have to see him up close.' He never asked to see American Pharoah  or Justify ," Baffert said, referring to the two Triple Crown winners he campaigned in 2015 and 2018, respectively.

Hall of Famer Mike Smith, aboard for seven of Arrogate's 11 starts and for his remarkable span of four grade 1 wins, recalled what it was like to ride the swift gray.

"He felt like a train going downhill—the farther he went, the faster he went, and he just kept going faster and faster," he said. "It was so much fun to ride him. It was amazing, the stride and the stamina he had. And he was pretty tactical. He had the speed to go with it. He's the fastest horse I ever got on going a mile and a quarter. When he won the Travers and set that record, that was phenomenal.

"It's really sad to see him go; it's not like he lived a long life. He died much too young. His career was real fast and he went the same way, but in a short amount of time he made a tremendous impact on horse racing."

In a statement Tuesday, Breeders' Cup officials sent their condolences to Arrogate's connections.

"We were very sorry to learn today about the passing of Arrogate, one of our sport's most gifted racehorses of any generation," the statement read. "Arrogate electrified fans the world over during 2016 and 2017 with his spectacular string of grade 1 victories in the Travers Stakes, Breeders' Cup Classic, Pegasus World Cup Invitational, and his remarkable come-from-behind triumph in the Dubai World Cup. We express our sincere condolences to his owner Prince Khalid Abdullah and to those who tended to Arrogate at Juddmonte Farms, to his breeder Clearsky Farms, and to trainer Bob Baffert."

Arrogate's first weanlings offered at auction last fall were well received, averaging $311,250 following both Fasig-Tipton's The November Sale and the Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale. His top seller sold for $425,000 at Keeneland.

Several breeders who supported Arrogate indicated they were saving many of their first foals by the sire for the 2020 yearling sales, so strong returns have been anticipated at the sales later this year.

"This is very hard on everyone at Juddmonte, most especially on Steve Dotsey, stallion manager, and Jorge Chavarria, who cared for Arrogate daily and who had such a great rapport with him," said Douglas Erskine Crum, CEO for Juddmonte Group. "It was a bold decision to ask Bob Baffert to purchase and train top dirt horses for Prince Khalid and, assisted by Donato Lanni, the selection of Arrogate was one of the success stories of the decade on the racetrack. Arrogate has bred three crops at stud, has his first yearlings to present to the sales this year, and his physical and personality traits are passing very strongly to his offspring."

Managing Editor Claire Crosby contributed to this report.

2016 Travers Stakes (G1)

2016 Breeders' Cup Classic (G1)

2017 Pegasus World Cup Invitational Stakes (G1)

2017 Dubai World Cup (G1)