Preakness Stakes Winner Rombauer Retired

John and Diane Fradkin's homebred Preakness Stakes (G1) winner Rombauer  has been retired from racing, the owners announced Jan. 3 in a release. 

Rombauer's last race came in the June 5 Belmont Stakes Presented by NYRA Bets (G1) in which he finished third. The now 4-year-old Twirling Candy   colt had some filling in his ankles following the last race of the Triple Crown, according to the release. He returned to training with conditioner Michael McCarthy in mid-October and appeared to be in good order before returning to the work tab in late November. After five works, he began to carry pressure in his ankles again and on Dec. 31, the first day Santa Anita Park opened its main track after three days of rain, Rombauer took a bad step while galloping. His connections felt it was best to retire the colt.

John Fradkin said he hopes to see Rombauer stand at a major stud farm in Kentucky, but noted the difficulty of the timing of his colt's retirement with breeding season soon approaching

"Getting the right mares in the first crop is so important, and it's so late I've even thought that maybe he needs to go to Australia for his first season and then come back and do it right for next year. That's not out of the question," Fradkin said, noting the idea of breeding Down Under would need to be explored.

Rombauer made his debut in July of his 2-year-old season at Del Mar going a mile on the turf. He rallied from seventh to score a half-length victory after running a speedy final quarter.

"His very first race, that one still stands out as one of his best to me. He came home in :22.93," Fradkin said. "… It's rare for an older horses to come home in :22 and change—it's not that rare, but it's reasonably rare—and for a first-time starter 2-year-old in July to do that is pretty amazing. That's sort of the one thing that I noticed, that I thought he was special."

Also at age 2, Rombauer rallied to finish second beaten less than a length in the American Pharoah Stakes (G1) on Santa Anita's main track. In his 3-year-old debut, he added a victory on a synthetic track by taking the El Camino Real Derby at Golden Gate Fields. 

His biggest victory came last May in the Preakness at Pimlico Race Course. Off at 11-1 odds with Flavien Prat up, Rombauer came from mid-pack and drew off to win by 3 1/2 lengths in a final time of 1:53.62, the sixth fastest running of the Preakness at the distance of 1 3/16 miles. In that victory he defeated graded stakes winner, multiple grade 1-placed Midnight Bourbon  and the 2021 Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (G1) winner Medina Spirit.

"That was obviously a highest of highs because I didn't expect to win that day. It was just an amazing journey," Fradkin said.

Rombauer retires with earnings of $1,040,500 and a 3-1-2 record in eight starts. His owners had hoped for a 4-year-old campaign that included the Dubai World Cup Sponsored by Emirates Airline (G1) in March and the Pacific Classic (G1) in August. 

The Fradkins bred Rombauer in Kentucky out of the Cowboy Cal mare Cashmere, who has also produced the black-type-placed winner Cono  (Lucky Pulpit) and $220,405 earner Treasure Trove  (Tapizar ) among four winners from four starters. Cashmere, out of the Afleet mare Ultrafleet, is a half sister to multiple graded stakes winner, millionaire, and Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint hero California Flag  as well as graded stakes winner Cambiocorsa . The latter of those siblings produced four black-type winners, including grade 2 stakes winners Moulin de Mougin  and Schiaparelli . Cambiocorsa is also granddam of European champion Roaring Lion through her grade 1-placed daughter Vionnet.

Rombauer is by a son of Candy Ride  , the sire of 2021 leading freshman stallion Gun Runner  . Both Rombauer and Gun Runner are out of Storm Cat line mares. Cashmere is a granddaughter of Giant's Causeway, while Gun Runner is out of a Giant's Causeway mare.