Tacitus to Enter Stud at Taylor Made Stallions

Multiple graded stakes winner Tacitus  , an earner of more than $3.7 million and a son of three-time leading North American sire Tapit   out of champion older female and five-time grade 1 winner Close Hatches , will stand stud at Taylor Made Stallions at the conclusion of his racing career, the farm announced Nov. 1.

Owned in partnership by Don Alberto, Juddmonte Farms, and Taylor Made Stallions, Tacitus will stand for $10,000. A breeding right program will also be offered.

A Juddmonte Farms homebred trained by Bill Mott, Tacitus is a three-time graded stakes winner who placed six times in grade 1 stakes. He has banked $3,767,350, while winning or placing in 10 graded stakes overall. Tacitus came out running as a juvenile and broke his maiden in his second career start at 2. From that point forward, Tacitus competed exclusively in graded stakes races for the next three years.

"I knew he had to be a champion when I first jumped on him," jockey Jose Ortiz told US Racing. "I love everything about him. He's got a great stride, and he's very athletic."

In 2019, Tacitus enjoyed a spectacular sophomore season, winning the Lambholm South Tampa Bay Derby (G2) in his 3-year-old debut, when he stopped the clock in a stakes-record time of 1:41.90 for the 1 1/16 miles and was just .15 of a second off the track record. Tacitus overcame a troubled trip to win the $750,000 Wood Memorial Stakes Presented by NYRA Bets (G2) in his next start, capturing the same race his sire won in 2004.

Tacitus headed into the Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (G1) as the Road to the Kentucky Derby points leader and followed through with a game fourth in the Kentucky Derby, which became officially a third with the disqualification of Maximum Security  . He stayed competitive among the best of his generation with seconds in the Belmont Stakes (G1), Runhappy Travers Stakes (G1), and Jim Dandy Stakes (G2) and finishing third in the Jockey Club Gold Cup (G1).

At 4, Tacitus proved an impressive winner of the Suburban Stakes (G2) at Belmont Park, overpowering his rivals for an 8 3/4-length victory under a hand ride by John Velazquez and turned the table on Belmont Stakes winner Sir Winston . His final time for the 1 1/4 miles was 1:59.51. He went on that year to be second in the Woodward Handicap (G1) and third again in the Jockey Club Gold Cup, but only three-quarters of length in the Gold Cup behind runner-up Mystic Guide , who later won the 2021 Dubai World Cup Sponsored by Emirates Airline (G1).

Tacitus is the first foal out of Close Hatches, who was also trained by Mott and earned more than $2.7 million. Close Hatches (First Defence) is full sister to grade 1-placed stakes winner Lockdown . These sisters are out of the winning Storm Cat mare Rising Tornado, whose dam Silver Star is a full sister to European champion 2-year-old colt and successful sire Xaar  and a half sister to group 1-placed, group 3 winner and sire Masterclass .