Multiple Stakes Winner Russell Road Retired

Multiple stakes winner Russell Road, who ranks second in all-time earnings for a West Virginia-bred, has been retired.

Russell Road won the West Virginia Breeders' Classic three times and placed second two other times in seven starts in the 1 1/8-mile race at Hollywood Casino at Charles Town Races come the month of October.  

However, after a second place effort in the $100,000 Northern Panhandle at Mountaineer Park on West Virginia Derby day that pushed him over $2 million in career earnings, his connections decided to retire the 10-year-old Wheaton gelding.

Owned by Mark Russell and trained by James W. Casey, Russell Road retires with 31 wins—22 stakes scores—from 62 starts and stands behind only Soul of the Matter on the all-time earnings list among West Virginia-breds.

After coming out of his last start on August 6 with a minor ankle injury, Russell and Casey were faced with the option of pushing the horse for one final start or retiring him.  

"At Mountaineer, he suffered a little suspensory pull and we just did a re-check on it the other day," Russell said. "We just didn't think it would be well enough to actually race him. Really, we could have run him in a couple of months and probably be competitive, but we're not going to do that. He's 10 and the Breeders' Classics was probably going to be his last race anyway. He's been very good to us."

Russell Road, bred by Robert Lloyd, was a 2006 foal out of mare Roberta Grump, who has produced 11 starters, all winners. 

As for what's next for Russell Road, he's tentatively slated to lead the post parade for the $500,000 West Virginia Breeders' Classic on Oct. 8 and have a retirement ceremony the same night. But in terms of his long term activity, Russell knows he's a candidate for the retirement blues and needs to remain busy. 

"He'll make any kind of jumper or riding horse and we're going to explore those possibilities for him. He's not the kind of horse that's going to be happy stomping flies out in the field," Russell said. "He wants to do a job, he loves being around people, he loves having something to do. It's just who he is. It doesn't matter if you take him home and put him out in the paddock, 30 minutes later he's at the gate wanting back in. He just likes that connection with folks. "

In addition to honoring him at West Virginia Breeders' Classics XXX, following its running on September 17, Hollywood Casino at Charles Town Races plans to rename the Wild & Wonderful - a race Russell Road hit the board in three times in his career - the Russell Road Stakes, beginning in 2017.

 

For now, Russell and Casey have another talented West Virginia-bred in Charitable Annuity who will try and defend his Breeders' Classic crown on October 8 to soften the blow of losing their big horse a little bit. Despite that, Russell knows the past eight years with his star is something that will be tough to duplicate.

"Charitable Annuity has stepped up and I don't know if he'll ever be Russell Road but he's helped fill the void some," Russell said. "I just feel blessed to have had Russell (Road) and be a part of it and that whole experience. A lot of people do this for a lot of years and never come up with anything like this."

All-time West Virginia-bred earnings list

1. Soul of the Matter - $2,302,818

2. Russell Road - $2,001,586

3. Afternoon Deelites - $1,061,193

4. Confucius Say - $1,037,555

5. Lucy's Bob Boy - $1,024,891