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Sur La Tete retired SUR LA TETE (Sky Classic), the fourth-leading earner in the history of the National Steeplechase Association, has been retired by trainer Neil Morris. Owned by Kinross Farm, Sur La Tete retires with $664,050 in steeplechase earnings and nine victories, including six Grade 1 scores. The 10-year-old gelding struggled to put together back-to-back starts over the past few seasons due to soundness issues, and joins the foxhunter band at Zohar and Lisa Ben-Dov's Kinross Farm near Middleburg, Virginia. "For me as a trainer it was kind of simple," Morris said of the retirement choice. "Making the phone call to sell the decision to the owner was the hard part, but he took it well, too. I'm happy that the horse is sound. I was relieved afterward, it's what I wanted for the horse." Sur La Tete raced just once in 2007, finishing second to eventual champion Good Night Shirt (Concern) in the Iroquois (NSA-G1), and was on the comeback trail headed to the 2008 race. In a sign of his readiness, the Kentucky-bred won an unofficial hurdle race at the Old Dominion point-to-point April 5, but an old injury began to resurface. For several years, Sur La Tete has dealt with a troublesome ligament below an ankle -- hence the abbreviated campaigns of 2007 (one start), 2006 (two) and 2005 (three). "He won nicely at Old Dominion, but I need to have him fitter than that to win Grade 1 stakes," Morris said. "I don't think I want to get him fitter. He's showed some intolerances in the past. What do we need, another picture on the wall? And at what cost? I'd rather have a sound horse to retire." Bred by Herman Greenberg's Rutledge Farm, Sur La Tete washed out of flat racing due some bad behavior and was languishing in a field as an unraced three-year-old when Kinross purchased him for $10,000 in 2001. He made the first start of his life at Great Meadow in October 2002, easily winning a maiden hurdle only to be disqualified when rookie jockey Chris Read forgot to weigh in afterward. In their next start, Read and Sur La Tete parted company at the second fence. The 2002 season a distant memory, Sur La Tete finished worse than third just once in his remaining steeplechase career. He broke his maiden at Great Meadow in May 2003, won on the flat at Laurel that summer, and dominated the Foxbrook Novice S. (NSA-G1) at Far Hills in October. In 2004, Sur La Tete won two-thirds of the Steeplechase Triple Crown, a series for novice runners, scoring at Atlanta and Belmont Park. By that fall, he moved into open company and hammered stakes veteran Tres Touche at Monmouth Park. He closed that season with thirds behind McDynamo and Hirapour (Ire) in the Breeders' Cup Steeplechase (NSA-G1) and Hirapour and Preemptive Strike in the Colonial Cup (NSA-G1), and won the Lonesome Glory Award as the leading earner with $207,060. Sur La Tete finished first or second in his next six starts -- the final runs of his career -- spaced over three seasons. In 2005, he won the Carolina Cup (NSA-G3) (then an open stakes) in a thriller over Hirapour, then finished second to that rival in the Royal Chase for the Sport of Kings (NSA-G1) at Keeneland. In the Iroquois three weeks later, Sur La Tete defeated McDynamo. The nagging ligament cost Sur La Tete the fall season, and a chance at an Eclipse Award. He returned in 2006 with his best two races -- thrashing the Royal Chase field by 10 lengths and returning to take a second consecutive Iroquois in another romp. Morris called those his favorite moments. "When he accelerated to the last fence at Keeneland, that was beautiful to watch," the trainer reminisced. "All we did after that was hack him around until Iroquois and he came back there and did it again. He was that good. He really impressed me with those two races." Soundness concerns again cost Sur La Tete a fall campaign, and an Eclipse Award push, but he returned in 2007 for a try at the Iroquois off the lengthy layoff. He tested Good Night Shirt, but flattened out in the stretch to finish 5 1/4 lengths behind the champion. Bidding for a return to action in the 2008 Iroquois, Morris foxhunted Sur La Tete and trained him up to the Old Dominion start. The horse won that open hurdle race easily, but the ligament injury emerged once again, and Morris made the call. "He's in a 40-acre field with 11 other foxhunters -- he's number 12," said Morris. "His abdomen dropped as soon as we put him him out there. He looks fat, dirty and happy."
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