Stallion Proud Citizen Euthanized at Age 17

Airdrie Stud’s rock-solid sire Proud Citizen   was euthanized June 4 due to complications from laminitis.

The 17-year-old son of Gone West—Drums of Freedom, by Green Forest, had been treated for chronic laminitis since 2012 but had remained comfortable under the care of Dr. Scott Morrison until he took a turn for the worse, according to a statement from Airdrie.

"No one could have done a better job for a horse than Dr. Morrison," Airdrie's Brereton Jones said. "He and our stallion team kept Proud Citizen happy and healthy over the last few years, and when his condition began to worsen last week we made sure that he was treated humanely."

Proud Citizen distinguished himself by siring two Kentucky Oaks (gr. I) winners: Proud Spell, who also was honored as the champion 3-year-old filly for 2008, and Believe You Can, who wore the blanket of lilies in 2012. Proud Spell and Believe You Can were both bred and raced by Brereton and Elizabeth Jones.

They won a third Kentucky Oaks in 2015 with Lovely Maria. All three horses were trained by Larry Jones.

"We've been very fortunate to stand some top stallions over the years, but I don't think any have ever brought us more joy or left us with greater memories than did Proud Citizen," Jones said. "He was unbelievably good to us and there was not a kinder or more personable horse in the stallion barn. We are forever grateful to him and he will be greatly missed by our Airdrie family."

Out of 10 crops of racing age, Proud Citizen sired 35 black-type stakes winners in the Northern and Southern hemispheres, including 14 graded stakes winners. Besides his Oaks winners, he produced graded/group stakes winners River Proud (Eng-III); Chilean-bred Vamo a Galupiar (Chi-I; and gr. IIT in the U.S.); Mark Valeski  , winner of the Peter Pan Stakes (gr. II) who also finished second in the Louisiana Derby (gr. II), Risen Star Stakes (gr. II), and the New Orleans Handicap; Motovato (gr. III); It Happened Again (gr. III); Miz Ida (gr. III); and Went the Day Well, winner of the Vinery Racing Spiral Stakes (gr. III).

A member of Proud Citizen’s first crop, Proud Spell was his top runner by far. At 2 she won in her first start and followed up by winning two stakes, including the grade II Matron Stakes. Her only loss of the year was a second in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies (gr. I).

At 3 she dominated her division by winning four graded stakes—the Oaks, Alabama Stakes (gr. I), Fair Grounds Oaks (gr. II), and the Delaware Oaks (gr. II). She sat out the Breeders’ Cup World Championships that year because trainer Jones was not comfortable running her on the artificial surface that was Santa Anita Park’s main track at the time. She retired in 2009 with $2,131,610 in earnings.

As a first-crop sire, Proud Citizen finished 2007 ranked as third-leading sire behind Posse and Harlan’s Holiday. He just missed taking the leading second-crop sire title the following year, falling behind Sky Mesa in total progeny earnings by a mere $36,642.

While Proud Citizen’s stars were both females, he sired 17 male black-type stakes winners and 11 female stakes winners. His progeny earned $32,960,971 in the Northern Hemisphere and $35,785,598 worldwide.

Bred by E.J. Loder, Proud Citizen won three of 16 starts for Robert Baker, David Cornstein, and William Mack. In 2002 he won the Coolmore Lexington Stakes (gr. III), ran second the Kentucky Derby (gr. I), and was third in the Preakness Stakes (gr. I). He was trained by D. Wayne Lukas.