Florida Derby Winner Materiality Dies

Grade I winner Materiality has died, according to the bloodstock agent who purchased the Afleet Alex   colt and breeder John Gunther.

Agent Steve Young, who purchased Materiality for $400,000 at the 2014 Fasig-Tipton Midlantic 2-year-olds in training sale, said the colt was euthanized July 26 "at Dr. Scott Morrison's farm in Lexington" after a long battle with laminitis.

"He had many, many good days, but we just lost the battle," Young said.

Gunther, who bred Materiality in Kentucky out of the Langfuhr mare Wildwood Flower, said Sept. 30 that when he was in Lexington for the Keeneland September sale he was told the colt died.

Young said Materiality did not stand at stud in 2016 because of the laminitis and the fact that he could not be insured.

Materiality won the Besilu Stables Florida Derby (gr. I) in 2015 before a sixth-place finish in the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I) and an eighth-place run in the Belmont Stakes presented by DraftKings (gr. I), which proved to be his last start for trainer Todd Pletcher and Alto Racing.

He was retired in August of 2015 because of a soft tissue injury he sustained during training.