Champion Work All Week, Two Others Join Old Friends

Popular stakes winners Work All Week, The Pizza Man, and Syndergaard have joined Old Friends in Georgetown, Ky., the Thoroughbred retirement farm announced Aug. 21.

Work All Week, a seven-time stakes winner, was owned and bred by Richard and Karen Papiese of Midwest Thoroughbreds and campaigned by trainer Roger Brueggemann. The Illinois-bred son of City Zip was the champion male sprinter of 2014 after capturing the 2014 Xpressbet Breeders' Cup Sprint (G1). Work All Week was retired from racing in 2015 at the age of 6 due to a stress fracture in his right knee with a 13-4-1 record from 19 starts and earnings of $1,511,071. In addition to his Eclipse Award, he is a two-time Illinois Horse of the Year. 

The Pizza Man, another homebred star for Papiese and Brueggemann, is a multiple grade 1 winner. By English Channel out of the Lear Fan mare I Can Fan Fan, The Pizza Man is the only Illinois-bred to claim victory in both the Arlington Million XXXIII (G1T) and the Northern Dancer Turf Stakes Presented by HPIBet (G1T), winning those races in 2015 and 2016, respectively. He retired from racing in 2017 at the age of 8 after being diagnosed with a chip in his left front ankle. He closed his career with 17 wins from his 36 starts and earnings of 2,158,941. Since retiring the Pizza Man enjoyed a second career as a stable pony for his former trainer.

Syndergaard, owned by the partnership of Eric Fein, Christopher McKenna, Harris Fein, Guri Singh, and Jerry Walia, was named after New York Mets pitcher Noah Syndergaard. The New York-bred son of Majesticperfection out of the Gold Case mare Magic Belle was a dazzling 2-year-old in 20016 under the tutelage of trainer Todd Pletcher, cinching his maiden outing at Saratoga Race Course and going on to capture the Funny Cide Stakes over the same oval. That same year he was second in the Champagne Stakes (G1), which led to a start in the Sentient Jet Breeders' Cup Juvenile (G1), where he ended up fifth. He later moved to the barn of trainer John P. Terranova II.

The chestnut ran third in the Haynesfield Stakes at Aqueduct Racetrack Feb. 22 this year and then was retired after his last start June 6 at Belmont Park in which he ran 12th. He went 3-4-2 from 17 starts, making $478,269.     

"We are absolutely thrilled," said Old Friends president Michael Blowen of the farm's latest additions. "I wish everyone could see the absolute joy expressed by The Pizza Man and Work All Week as they celebrate in their paddock. And Syndergaard is just gorgeous. Thanks to their owners for trusting us and their fans for all their support."