Grade 1 winner and millionaire Take Charge Indy was retired from racing
Monday after surgery to repair his left foreleg resulting from an injury
sustained in Sunday’s Monmouth Cup at Monmouth Park. The son of A.P. Indy will
stand at WinStar Farm for the 2014 breeding season.
“I was on the lead with a big smile on my face,” Hall of Fame jockey Gary
Stevens said. “He was cruising. The only question was how much would he win by.”
Immediately after the race, the four-year-old colt was shipped to nearby
Hogan Equine. Dr. Patty Hogan successfully performed a 30-minute procedure on
Take Charge Indy Monday morning, and he has come out of the surgery in good
condition.
“It’s unbelievable how classy this horse is,” Hogan said. “The surgery went
very well. He’s a super patient.”
A graded stakes horse at two, three and four, Take Charge Indy broke his
maiden by an impressive 6 1/2 lengths at Arlington Park in his two-year-old
debut. He followed up this performance with a close second in the
Arlington-Washington Futurity, setting the stage for his three-year-old season.
In a strong Florida Derby at Gulfstream Park including top performers Union
Rags and El Padrino, Take Charge Indy wired the field and won the Kentucky Derby
prep by a length. Earlier this year, he took the Alysheba at Churchill Downs
posting a 109 BRIS Speed rating.
“We purchased Take Charge Indy because of his gene pool,” WinStar Farm
President & CEO Elliott Walden said.
“Considering he might be the last great son of A.P. Indy, his mother winning
3 Grade 1’s, and he being a Grade 1 winner as well, we feel he has a tremendous
chance at stud. When I first went to see him, I thought I was looking at A.P.
Indy himself.”
Take Charge Indy is out of three-time Grade 1 winner and millionaire Take
Charge Lady, making him a half brother to current Grade 2-winning three-year-old
Will Take Charge, a prime contender for the August 24 Travers at Saratoga.
His stud fee will be announced at a later date.
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