Injury Forces Itsaknockout Into Retirement

Starlight Stable’s Itsaknockout has been retired following the discovery of a fractured sesamoid in his left front leg and is now looking for a home as a stallion prospect.

The 4-year-old son of Lemon Drop Kid  —Stormy B, by Cherokee Run, ran April 15 at Keeneland in the Maker’s 46 Mile Stakes (gr. IT) and finished sixth. After the race the grade II winner cooled out fine, but the next morning he was diagnosed with lameness, said Jack Wolf, owner of Starlight Stable.

"It was one of those calls no owner wants to get at 7 a.m. in the morning," Wolf said. "We’ve had this type of thing with horses in the past. The injury is such that we could operate and get him back but not to the level he has been accustomed. If we can find a home for him as stallion, that is the game plan."

Itsaknockout will be shipped to WinStar Farm April 18, where he’ll undergo a more thorough examination, which will determine if surgery is required.

While Wolf said he does not have any proposals, the colt had attracted interest last November before he returned to racing after a long layoff following the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I), in which he finished ninth.

"We made the decision that there was more left in the tank and kept racing," Wolf said. The colt won Dec. 31 in a $45,000 allowance/optional claimer at Gulfstream Park by 4 3/4 lengths. He started only in graded stakes this year, but his best performance was a fourth-place finish in the Donn Handicap (gr. I).

With the Northern Hemisphere breeding season well underway, Wolf said there may be an opportunity for Itsaknockout to start his stud career in the Southern Hemisphere.

"I would think that’s an option. Physically he’s a standout; he is a beautiful and well-balanced horse," Wolf said. "Frank Brothers does not buy ugly horses."

Itsaknockout was bred in Kentucky by Brookfield Stud. The colt was sold by Elm Tree Farm as a weanling for $130,000 at the 2012 Keeneland November breeding stock sale to Black Cherry Farm. Dromoland Farm then sold him as a yearling for $350,000 at the 2013 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga select sale.

He started nine times and won four races, including the grade II Besilu Stables Fountain of Youth Stakes. Itsaknockout retires with $398,010 in earnings.