Prince of Monaco Retired to Stud at Claiborne Farm

Prince of Monaco  , one of the top dirt sprinters of his class and the only son of Speightstown to win a grade 1 at age 2, has been retired from racing. He will be available for inspection at Claiborne Farm near Paris, Ky., during the November sales and will stand the 2025 breeding season for an advertised fee of $30,000 LFSN.

"Prince of Monaco has sustained minor bone bruising, preventing him from competing in the (Breeders' Cup) Sprint and Malibu (Stakes) races," said Tom Ryan of SF Racing. "As a result, we have decided to retire him. He demonstrated brilliance almost every time he stepped onto the racetrack. His two grade 1 battles at Saratoga helped him earn a massive fan base, both on and off the track. His exceptional talent resulted in faster Rags than the winners in both of his races as a 3-year-old.

"As Speightstown's only grade 1-winning 2-year-old colt on dirt, we wish him all the best in the coming years as he begins his stud career at Claiborne Farm. His precocity and brilliance, matched with his physicality and pedigree, make him a perfect fit for a farm with extraordinary history."

After selling as a yearling for $950,000 at the 2022 Fasig-Tipton's The Saratoga Sale, Prince of Monaco was placed in the barn of Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert, where he won his first three starts. Winning his debut sprinting five furlongs on the dirt, Prince of Monaco then made the jump into graded stakes competition with a dominant 4 1/4-length score in the Best Pal Stakes (G3) at Del Mar, completing the six-furlong race in a stakes-record time of 1:09.19 and earning a 103 Beyer Speed Figure.

Prince of Monaco capped his juvenile season with a top-level score in the Del Mar Futurity (G1).

Returning as a 3-year-old on the East Coast, Prince of Monaco finished second by a half-length to Book'em Danno  in the Woody Stephens Stakes (G1) and was second again by a neck to Domestic Product   in the H. Allen Jerkens Memorial Stakes (G1), in which he earned a 105 Beyer Speed Figure.

"Running a 103 Beyer as a 2-year-old is a significant achievement and a great barometer of talent and ability," said Claiborne's Walker Hancock.  "Additionally, he was only beaten a combined three-quarters of a length in two premier grade 1 races at Saratoga this summer, while dealing with troubled trips. We have a tremendous amount of respect for Stonestreet's breeding program and we are excited to add another one of their homebreds in Prince of Monaco to our stallion roster."

Prince of Monaco raced for the partnership of SF Racing, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables, Stonestreet Stables, Dianne Bashor, Robert Masterson, Waves Edge Capital, Catherine Donovan, and Tom Ryan.

Bred in Kentucky by Barbara Banke's vaunted Stonestreet program, Prince of Monaco is out of the Medaglia d'Oro   mare Rainier, who is a half sister to stakes winners Laurie's Rocket  and Greeley's Rocket .

"I am excited for what lies ahead," added Banke. "Prince of Monaco has been a standout since birth, with his natural talent and athleticism evident from the start. His speed, heart, and sheer brilliance on the track will make him an extraordinary stallion. He's the complete package, and I can't wait to see him pass on that exceptional talent to future generations."