Grade 3 Winner Irish Surf Retired
Image:
Description:
Photo: Courtesy of Thor-bred Stables
Irish Surf is out of the champion 3-year-old filly of 2000 Surfside
Irish Surf, a son of the champion mare Surfside and the 8 1/4-length winner of the 2014 Cougar II Handicap (G3) at Del Mar, has been retired from racing due to a tendon injury discovered after a routine workout Dec 31.
His owners, Erik and Pavla Nygaard of Thor-Bred Stables, will stand him at stud at their Ocala Jockey Club farm in Reddick, Fla.
"He loved training and racing," the Nygaards said in a press release. "We felt that he was good enough to have a grade 1 in him. In January 2015, he fractured his tuber coxae after getting cast in a stall. We took the time to rehabilitate him at our Ocala farm to excellent form, and looked forward to a successful return to racing.
"After his return to racing in the spring, he was found to have white line disease that took time to resolve. (He) worked well toward a comeback, but unfortunately came up with a tendon injury out of his last work before his intended next outing.
"While we regret that his racing comeback didn't work out as we hoped, we don't regret giving him the rehabilitation time and the chance to return. Given his talent and breeding, we are excited to now stand him at stud. We feel that Florida is an excellent location for him to start his stud career. Florida has plenty of mares with speed and runners' pedigrees that will balance well with his classic bloodlines."
Owned in partnership with Gainesway Stables, Thor-Bred Stables purchased a majority interest in Irish Surf from Gainesway, who bred the 8-year-old son of Giant's Causeway .
Aside from his impressive Cougar II victory, Irish Surf also placed second in the 2014 Las Vegas Marathon Stakes (G2) on the Santa Anita Park main track. He has $278,945 in earnings from 25 starts.
"He is a graded stakes winner by sire of sires Giants Causeway and his first two dams were multiple grade 1-winning 2-year-olds from European champion 2-year-old Air Force Blue 's family," said bloodstock advisor Marette Farrell. "This is one of the best pedigrees in the stud book, and he is gorgeous. What's not to like?"