Bone Bruising Forces Cavorting's Retirement

The Longines Breeders' Cup Distaff (gr. I) lost a heavy hitter Oct. 13 when it was announced that multiple grade I winner Cavorting is out due to cannon bone bruising.

The 4-year-old daughter of Bernardini   had indicated something was amiss following her last work Sept. 26 at Belmont Park.

"She has not been 100% so we've been watching her," said trainer Kiaran McLaughlin. "She has bruising of the cannon bones, so she is out of the Breeders' Cup. I'm sending her home to Stonestreet Farm near Lexington."

Barbara Banke's Stonestreet announced the filly's retirement on the farm website and said Cavorting would be joining the farm's broodmare band next year.

"We are grateful to Kiaran McLaughlin and his team for the care they have given her over the last three years and look forward to her future foals," the announcement stated.

McLaughlin referred to Cavorting's retirement as a "tough one" for the farm and for him personally.

"It is a shame for me because she may have been the greatest filly I've ever trained," he said. "She got it done at 2, 3, and 4 and really was having a championship year."

Cavorting has won three graded stakes this year and placed second in a fourth. She was coming into the Breeders' Cup World Championships off consecutive grade I wins I the Ogden Phipps Stakes and the Personal Ensign Stakes, which were both stacked with grade I talent. In the Ogden Phipps, Cavorting was the fourth choice in a field that included grade I winners Forever Unbridled, Curalina, Sheer Drama, and Stopchargingmaria and won by 2 1/2 lengths. In the Personal Ensign, she faced Curalina, Forever Unbridled, and grade I winner I'm a Chatterbox and prevailed with a thrilling drive that put her ahead of her rivals only 70 yards from the wire. She won won by half a length. Forever Unbridled went on to win the grade I Beldame Stakes and I'm a Chatterbox would later take the Juddmonte Spinster (gr. I).

This year alone Cavorting had earned $1,125,000.

At 2, Cavorting won the Adirondack Stakes at Saratoga in her second career start. As a 3-year-old, she won Longines Test Stakes (gr. I) and the Prioress Stakes. Her only loss of 2016 was a second-place finish in the grade III Distaff Handicap in April. She retired with an 8-1-1 record in 13 starts with seven of those victories coming in stakes and six of her stakes wins at the graded level. She retires with $2,063,000 in total earnings.

Bred in Kentucky by Swettenham Stud, Cavorting is the best runner out of the graded stakes-winning Carson City daughter Promenade Girl. Stonestreet bought the filly for $360,000 out of the Eaton Sales consignment at the 2012 Keeneland November breeding stock sale. The mare has produced three other winners, including grade II-placed winner Thirstforlife (by Stay Thirsty).