Grade 1 Winner Wake Forest Claimed Back by Michael Dubb

A little more than four months after he was purchased for $90,000 by R.A. Stable at Fasig-Tipton's July Selected Horses of Racing Age Sale, grade 1 winner Wake Forest was claimed for $8,000 at Gulfstream Park West by one of his previous owners, Michael Dubb. 

"He was a hard-hitting grade 1 winner, and I was very fond of him," Dubb said. "I didn't want to see anything happen to him. So when I saw he was in the claiming race for $8,000, I thought that to claim him was the right thing to do."

Bred in Germany by Stiftung Gestut Fahrhof, the son of Sir Percy was the eighth foal out of the winning Lomitas mare Wurfspiel. Wake Forest began his career in Europe and raced in several countries across the continent. His best efforts came at age 5, when he placed third in the Premio Presidente della Repubblica (G1) in Rome and won the Grosser Preis von LOTTO Hamburg Trophy (G3) in Hamburg. 

Offered at the Arqana Saint Cloud Arc de Triomphe Sale in 2015, Wake Forest was purchased by Bradley Thoroughbreds Brokerage from Andreas Wohler on behalf of Michael Dubb, Bethlehem Stables, and Sheep Pond Partners for $156,996. 

Shipped to North America to the barn of Chad Brown, Wake Forest placed three times in grade 1 company at 6 and won the Man o' War Stakes (G1T) at Belmont Park. His final winning effort came at 7, when he took the Mac Diarmida Stakes (G2T) at Gulfstream Park.

ANGST: Wake Forest Surges Past Rivals in Man o' War

Wake Forest raced three more times for the partnership in 2018, before the decision was made to sell him as part of ELiTE's consignment to the popular one-day sale. 

"When we put him in the horses of racing age sale, he had just run an 8 on the (Ragozin Sheet) and a 93 Beyer, and we thought he would have value as a stallion," Dubb said of his decision to selling the winning horse. "We thought that he had plenty of racing ahead of him, just not at the same level he'd been competing at."

Wake Forest started three times for R.A. Hill Stable and new trainer Danny Gargan but failed to hit the board. Entered in the Nov. 24 claiming race for $8,000, Dubb said he was surprised to see the talented runner offered for such a paltry price.  

"I own him with Sol Kumin (of Sheep Pond Partners)," Dubb said. "We did this together, and we were surprised to see him entered for $8,000.  But we said, 'OK, I guess he just doesn't want to do it anymore.'"

Despite some initial hopes that Wake Forest would find a second career as a stallion, plans are currently being made for the 8-year-old to be retired to Old Friends Farm in Georgetown, Ky. 

"We had thought he had some stallion potential, and candidly, I was surprised when no one seemed to want him for a stallion," Dubb said. "Be that as it may, Old Friends is a great operation, and what is important to me—more important than him being a stallion—is knowing that he will have a good home for the rest of his life."

Wake Forest had a 8-3-4 record from 28 starts and earned $951,745.