Executiveprivilege Retired, to Midnight Lute
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Multiple grade I winner Executiveprivilege has been retired and will be bred to Hill 'n' Dale stallion Midnight Lute , co-owner Mike Pegram confirmed Jan. 31.
The daughter of First Samurai took the 2012 Del Mar Debutante (gr. I) over eventual champion 2-year-old filly Beholder, and won the Chandelier Stakes (gr. I) at Santa Anita Park as part of a five-race victory streak to begin her career. Trained by Bob Baffert, she also counts the Landaluce Stakes at Betfair Hollywood Park and the Sorrento Stakes (gr. III) at Del Mar among her victories, and delivered a runner-up finish to Beholder in the Grey Goose Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (gr. I).
"She was a great runner," Pegram said. "That race her and Beholder ran, the Debutante down at Del Mar, had to be one of the best I've seen. She took us to a lot of great races and gave us a lot of thrills."
Executiveprivilege raced only three times in 2013 for Pegram and partners Karl Watson and Paul Weitman, running second in a Del Mar allowance last July, finishing fourth in the L.A. Woman Stakes in October, and running third in the Dec. 26 La Brea Stakes (gr. I). She had not worked since her preparations for that race.
"It was a little of this, a little of that," Pegram said of the reasons for retiring the 4-year-old filly. "She had done enough. It was time to take her to the breeding shed and see what her next career will be."
Bred in Kentucky by Betz, D.J. Stable, Kidder, J. Betz, and Robenalt out of the Unaccounted For mare Refugee, Executiveprivilege retires with earnings of $999,000 and a 5-2-1 record from 10 starts. She was purchased for $650,000 by her connections from the consignment of Eddie Woods at the Ocala Breeders Sales Co.'s April sale of 2-year-olds in training. She earlier sold for $23,000 to Hubert Guy, agent, when consigned by Betz Thoroughbreds, agent.
Pegram and partners purchased the filly's 3-year-old half brother, the Any Given Saturday colt Hoppertunity, for $300,000 from Betz Thoroughbreds at the Keeneland September yearling sale. Also trained by Baffert, he broke his maiden Jan. 30 by three lengths going a mile at Santa Anita.
"It's kind of ironic; yesterday her half brother won for us at Santa Anita and it looks like he'll be a good one too," Pegram said. "She retires, but up jumps her brother, so we're looking forward to that."