Carpe Diem Retired Due to Knee Chip

Two-time grade I winner Carpe Diem has been retired because of a knee chip and will enter stud next year at Kenny Troutt's WinStar Farm near Versailles, Ky., it was announced July 23.

Winner of the Toyota Blue Grass Stakes and Claiborne Breeders' Futurity, both grade I, and the Tampa Bay Derby (gr. II), the son of Giant's Causeway   produced from the Unbridled's Song mare Rebridled Dreams retires with a record of four wins from six starts, with earnings of $1,519,800 for owners WinStar and Stonestreet Stables.

Bred in Kentucky by the Coffee Pot Stable of Bob Cummings and Annette Bacola, Carpe Diem was initially purchased by Northwest Stud for $550,000 from the consignment of Beau Lane Bloodstock to the Keeneland September yearling sale. Pinhooked by Northwest into the 2014 Ocala Breeders' Sales Co.'s March sale of 2-year-olds in training, he was bought by WinStar and Stonestreet for $1.6 million.

"Carpe Diem was a standout physical at the 2-year-olds-in-training sales, and quickly demonstrated his precocious speed, breaking his maiden at first asking as a juvenile at Saratoga," said Stonestreet owner Barbara Banke. "His multiple grade I-winning performances, at 2 and 3, were truly impressive. Carpe Diem offers breeders a great opportunity with conformation, speed, and stamina all packaged within an outstanding pedigree. We have enjoyed running the colt with the Troutt family, and look forward to standing him at their WinStar Farm where we will support him with some of our best mares."

"Carpe Diem is as good as any young horse WinStar has ever been involved with, and it's always bittersweet when you retire a colt of his quality, particularly knowing we likely never got to see his best," said WinStar president and CEO Elliott Walden. "The positive is that he is an extremely exciting stallion prospect."

Trained by Todd Pletcher, Carpe Diem broke his maiden in his career debut at Saratoga Race Course and then successfully moved into grade I company with a victory in the Claiborne Breeders' Futurity at Keeneland. Favored in the Breeders' Cup Sentient Jet Juvenile (gr. I), Carpe Diem finished second to winner Texas Red and was rested for a spring campaign.

Carpe Diem made his 2015 debut in style March 7, taking the $350,000 Tampa Bay Derby by five lengths to claim his third victory from four starts. Carpe Diem returned to Kentucky for the $1 million Blue Grass, where he cruised to a three-length victory and headed to Louisville as one of the leading contenders for the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I).

In the Derby, Carpe Diem appeared poised for a run rounding the second turn but eventually finished 10th in what would become his final start.

"In the Kentucky Derby, we were in perfect position, but when he switched leads going into the far turn I felt something wasn't right," added Walden.

Carpe Diem was being pointed toward the Belmont Stakes presented by DraftKings (gr. I) when his connections withdrew him from consideration because he wasn't at peak form, with plans to point him toward the late summer 3-year-old races, including the William Hill Haskell Invitational (gr. I).

"After missing the Belmont, we brought him home to evaluate him and try to get him back for the Haskell," Walden said. "However, a chip finally revealed itself in the lower joint of his right knee, and that can be problematic. I believe his raw ability puts him among the top of this talented group of 3-year-olds, which is probably the best group of runners we've had in years. It's unfortunate, but given where we're at in the season and what would be in front of him, Mrs. Banke, (Stonestreet adviser) John Moynihan, and I just felt like retirement was the best option."

"The impressive thing about Carpe Diem, to me, is his ability to run 5 1/2 furlongs in a tough maiden race at Saratoga and then stretch out to win grade I races around two turns," Pletcher said. "It is unfortunate his career ended so soon because I feel like he had more grade I wins in him."

The 2016 fee will be determined later.