Any Given Saturday Arrives at Old Friends

Million-dollar yearling, grade 1 winner, and successful sire Any Given Saturday  arrived the afternoon of March 6 at Old Friends Thoroughbred Retirement Farm from an eight-year tour of duty as a stallion in South Korea.

The 19-year-old son of Distorted Humor was pensioned from stud duty following last year's breeding season. Michael Blowen, founder and president of Old Friends in Georgetown, Ky., said he had already been discussing with Jun Park, bloodstock adviser for the Korean Thoroughbred Breeders Association, about the potential to bring back multiple grade 1 winner Colonel John , when he learned that Any Given Saturday was available, too. The deal with Colonel John didn't happen, but Blowen said he is thrilled to have the three-time graded stakes winner back in the United States.

"He looks fabulous, like he's 5," Blowen said. "He's the real deal, this one."

A homebred for WinStar Farm, Any Given Saturday went through the 2005 Keeneland September Yearling Sale where he brought a final bid of $1.1 million from agent Buzz Chace. WinStar put the colt in training with trainer Todd Pletcher and, after he won the Sam F. Davis Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs, sold an interest in the horse to Satish and Anne Sanan's Padua Stables.

Any Given Saturday went on to finish second in the Tampa Bay Derby (G3) and third in the Wood Memorial Stakes (G1) ahead of an eighth-place finish in the Kentucky Derby (G1). He found redemption with consecutive victories in the Dwyer Stakes (G2), Haskell Invitational Stakes (G1) and Brooklyn Handicap (G2). In the Haskell, he beat Hard Spun  , who was second in the Derby, and Curlin  , who won the Preakness Stakes (G1). Any Given Saturday wound up his racing career with an unplaced finish in the Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) but retired with a 6-2-1 record from 11 starts and $1,083,533 in earnings.

Sheikh Mohammed's Darley Stallions acquired Any Given Saturday for stud duty and launched his career at $40,000 in 2008. The stallion became a top 10 second-crop sire in 2012, when was represented by Sunland Park Oaks winner Princess Arabella ; and ranked fifth in his sire class as third-crop sires in 2013 with four black-type winners and more than $4.3 million in progeny earnings.

Any Given Saturday also was shuttled to Australia for four seasons and remained on the Darley roster until 2014 when he stood for one season at Pin Oak Lane Farm in Pennsylvania. Prior to the 2015 breeding season, he was sold and exported to Korea.

For his career to date, Any Given Saturday has sired 450 winners which, include 22 black-type winners and five graded/group winners. His top performers include multiple grade 1 winner and multi-millionaire Hoppertunity  , Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint (G1T) winner Mongolian Saturday , and graded stakes winners Adventist  and Hey Leroy .

Park said he also was happy to see the stallion back on his native soil.

"(Michael) has been doing an excellent job since he founded the farm. I mean, the horses are happy out there, (and) racing fans are still able to see the horses. And that's great," he said.

Blowen said he was grateful to the KTBA for donating Any Given Saturday to Old Friends.

"It's a great example of how we can all work together for the betterment of these invaluable athletes. I can't wait to feed him a Mrs. Pastures horse cookie," he said.