Belmont winner, influential sire A.P. Indy dies at 31

By Feb 22, 2020, 9:13 AM EST
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Belmont Stakes winner, 1992 Horse of the Year and one of the country’s most influential sires A.P. Indy passed away at age 31 at Lane’s End Farm, the Versailles, Ky. farm he was born at and spent most of his life at. For horses, 31 is considered very old, and he was the oldest living winner of the Belmont Stakes and the Breeders’ Cup Classic.

The son of 1977 Triple Crown winner Seattle Slew and grandson of 1973 Triple Crown winner Secretariat, A.P. Indy picked up his first Grade 1 win as a 2-year-old in the 1991 Hollywood Futurity. Between 1991 and 1992, he went undefeated in seven starts, taking the 1992 Santa Anita Derby and Belmont Stakes. He dipped to 5th in the G2 Molson Export Million Stakes (G2) before taking third in the Jockey Club Gold Cup at Belmont. He finished his career with a win in the G1 Breeders’ Cup Classic.

A.P. Indy was retired and returned home to Lane’s End in 1993, where he began to dominate the North American sire ranks. He was the leading sire in 2003 and 2006 and stayed in the top-10 for 10 straight years, siring 88 graded stakes winners including 2000 Kentucky Oaks winner Secret Status; 2006 Preakness Stakes winner Bernardini; 2007 Kentucky Oaks and Belmont Stakes winner Rags to Riches; and 2015 Met Mile and Whitney winner Honor Code.

A.P. Indy was the grandsire of Tapit, a three-time North American leading sire who is known for producing Belmont winners, meaning that 2014 Belmont winner Tonalist, 2016 winner Creator and 2017 winner Tapwrit count A.P. Indy as an ancestor. Others in his sire line include 2014 Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner California Chrome; 2013 Kentucky Derby winner Orb; and a slew of Breeders’ Cup and other major stakes winners.

Through his daughters, A.P. Indy was the grandsire of 2010 Kentucky Derby winner Super Saver and 2011 Kentucky Oaks winner Plum Pretty, among others.

Forte works out, waits for Belmont Stakes clearance

Associated PressMay 27, 2023, 3:14 PM EDT
Matt Stone/USA TODAY NETWORK
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NEW YORK — Forte, the early Kentucky Derby favorite who was scratched on the day of the race, worked out in preparation for a possible start in the Belmont Stakes on June 10.

Under regular rider Irad Ortiz Jr., Forte worked five-eighths of a mile for Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher. It was the colt’s second workout since being scratched from the Derby on May 6.

“It seems like he’s maintained his fitness level,” Pletcher said. “It seems like everything is in good order.”

Forte was placed on a mandatory 14-day veterinary list after being scratched from the Derby because of a bruised right front foot. In order to be removed from the list, the colt had to work in front of a state veterinarian and give a blood sample afterward, the results of which take five days.

“There’s protocols in place and we had to adhere to those and we’re happy that everything went smoothly,” Pletcher said. “We felt confident the horse was in good order or we wouldn’t have been out there twice in the last six days, but you still want to make sure everything went smoothly and we’re happy everything did go well.”

Pletcher said Kingsbarns, who finished 14th in the Kentucky Derby, will miss the Belmont. The colt is showing signs of colic, although he is fine, the trainer said.

Another Pletcher-trained horse, Prove Worthy, is under consideration for the Belmont. He also has Tapit Trice, who finished seventh in the Derby, being pointed toward the Belmont.

Judge grants Churchill Downs’ request for summary judgment to dismiss Bob Baffert’s lawsuit

Associated PressMay 25, 2023, 9:36 PM EDT
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Abbey Cutrer/USA TODAY NETWORK
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LOUISVILLE, Ky. — A federal judge has granted Churchill Downs’ motion for summary judgment that dismisses Bob Baffert’s claim the track breached due process by suspending the Hall of Fame trainer for two years.

Churchill Downs Inc. suspended Baffert in June 2021 after his now-deceased colt, Medina Spirit, failed a postrace drug test after crossing the finish line first in the 147th Kentucky Derby. The trainer’s request to lift the discipline was denied in February, keeping him out of the Derby for a second consecutive May.

U.S. District Court Judge Rebecca Grady Jennings ruled in a 12-page opinion issued Wednesday that Churchill Downs’ suspension of Baffert did not devalue his Kentucky trainer’s license. It cited his purse winnings exceeding $1 million at Keeneland in Lexington and stated that his argument “amounts to a false analogy that distorts caselaw.”

Jennings denied CDI’s motion to stay discovery as moot.

The decision comes less than a week after Baffert-trained colt National Treasure won the Preakness in his first Triple Crown race in two years. His record eighth win in the second jewel of the Triple Crown came hours after another of his horses, Havnameltdown, was euthanized following an injury at Pimlico.

Churchill Downs said in a statement that it was pleased with the court’s favorable ruling as in Baffert’s other cases.

It added, “While he may choose to file baseless appeals, this completes the seemingly endless, arduous and unnecessary litigation proceedings instigated by Mr. Baffert.”

Baffert’s suspension is scheduled to end on June 2, but the track’s release noted its right to extend it “and will communicate our decision” at its conclusion.