Multiple Gr. II Winner Tapiture to Darby Dan
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Darby Dan Farm has acquired the breeding rights to Tapiture, a two-time grade II-winning son of leading sire Tapit . The Winchell Thoroughbreds' homebred will stand his first season in 2016 at the historic farm near Lexington. A fee has yet to be announced.
In training at Saratoga Race Course with Steve Asmussen, Tapiture will soon ship to Churchill Downs, where he will be prepared for one start prior to the Oct. 30-31 Breeders' Cup World Championships.
Ryan Norton, the stallion director at Darby Dan, said Tapiture will most likely start in the (Sept. 26) Ack Ack Handicap (gr. III). The Breeders' Cup race to be targeted has yet to be determined. Tapiture was second in last year's Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile (gr. I) at Santa Anita Park.
"Tapit is the hottest sire in the U.S. right now and getting a son here at the farm has been a priority," Norton said. "He's a multiple grade II winner who was second in the Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile. He's a fine physical specimen—16 hands, very atheletic, and correct—and Ron Winchell will support him with some mares."
Tapit, who stands at Gainesway Farm for an industry-leading fee of $300,000, is the sire of 68 stakes winners. He was the leading sire of 2013 by progeny earnings and is a runaway leader in the same category this year.
"We are thrilled and extremely grateful to partner with Ron Winchell on Tapiture, who is quite simply one of the most impressive individuals by his sire, Tapit," said Robert Hammond, Darby Dan vice chairman. "Tapiture has proven to be a top-class miler, and he displayed tremendous precociousness to break his maiden in a grade II at Churchill as a 2-year-old, before going on to race in 13 straight graded stakes. When you combine his physical and sire power with his race record, it's easy to see why he's such an exciting stallion prospect."
Tapiture is out of Free Spin, by Olympio, and is a full brother to stakes winners Retap and Remit. Free Spin's second dam is stakes winner Debs Angel.
"Darby Dan has such a long and storied tradition of standing top stallions, and we look forward to working with John Phillips, Robert Hammond, and the team to give Tapiture a huge chance at stud," said Ron Winchell. "From day 1, Tapiture has been a favorite. Our racing and farm manager, David Fiske, and Steve Asmussen and his team have always been super high on this colt, and he displayed his brilliance on several occasions as a 2-year-old and as a 3-year-old. There's no question he's one of Tapit's best sons, and breeders are really going to like him when they see him. For us, it's easy to be fully committed to supporting Tapiture with mares."
Tapiture is 4-4-4 from 16 starts and has earned $1,476,060. At 2 he was third in the Iroquois Stakes (gr. III) and won the Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes (gr. II) at Churchill. A winner of the Southwest Stakes (gr. III) and second in the grade II Rebel Stakes (gr. II) at 3, he was 15th in last year's Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I).
He rebounded to win Churchill's Matt Winn Stakes (gr. III) and West Virginia Derby (gr. II) before running second to Bayern in the Pennsylvania Derby (gr. II). He was second to Goldencents in the Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile.
This year Tapiture has placed in the Oaklawn Handicap (gr. II) and Lone Star Park Handicap (gr. III). On Sept. 9 he worked five furlongs in 1:01 2/5 at Saratoga.