Grade 1 winner ROSES IN MAY (Devil His Due) has been retired due to a torn
tendon in his left front leg. The five-year-old, who is owned by Ken and Sarah
Ramsey, made his last start an easy three-length win in the Dubai World Cup
(UAE-G1) in late March.
“He brought me and my family to a new level,” Ken Ramsey told the
Blood-Horse. “He was special to us, a real home-run horse. All the big races he
ran in…his Dubai World Cup was the highlight of my career. What a great joy
that was leading that horse into the winner’s circle of a prestigious race like
that.”
Roses in May worked six furlongs on August 11 at Saratoga but eight days
later an ultrasound performed by Dr. Steve Allday revealed the tendon injury.
The near-black horse made his 2005 debut in the Donn H. (G1), finishing second,
prior to his Dubai World Cup run. Last year, he suffered just one loss, that
coming as a second in the Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1) to eventual Horse of the
Year Ghostzapper, but scored in his other
five races, including the Whitney H. (G1) and Kentucky Cup Classic H. (G2).
Trained throughout his career by Dale Romans, the five-year-old finished off the
board only once, running sixth in the 2003 Jerome H. (G2), and retires with a
record of 13-8-4-0 and $5,490,187 in accumulated earnings.
Roses in May was sold to Japanese interests earlier this season and is
scheduled to take up stud duty next year in Japan. A clause in the contract will
allow Ramsey to bring Roses in May back when his breeding career is finished.