Grade 1 winner Graydar, Unbridled’s Song’s undefeated top older horse of 2013, has been retired to Taylor Made Stallions in Nicholasville, KY as property of a syndicate. His 2014 stud fee will be $15,000 stands & nurses.
“Graydar’s quarter crack that forced us to miss the Breeders’ Cup wasn’t healing like we hoped to be able to make the Cigar Mile or any other Grade 1s left on the racing calendar,” said trainer Todd Pletcher. “He’s among the most talented horses I’ve had the privilege to train. The performance that will always stand out to me was his Donn Handicap win this year. You just don’t see horses turn in a dominant performance on that stage in just their fourth career start. It was very special, and knowing this horse and how brilliantly fast and good looking he is, I’m very excited about his future as a stallion.”
Campaigned by Twin Creeks Racing Stables, Graydar displayed immense talent from the start, dominating a Gulfstream maiden race by 8 ½ lengths last year in his career debut, earning a 100 Beyer. He returned to capture a one-mile allowance race as a 3-year-old at Gulfstream, stopping the clock in 1:33.72 – just a hundredth of a second off Commentator’s track record of 1:33.71.
Off that impressive allowance score, Graydar stepped right into graded stakes company in the Grade 1 Donn, turning in an electrifying performance to defeat four Grade 1 winners with an easy three-length victory in the prestigious race. He earned a 109 Beyer for the performance, which fittingly gave his late sire Unbridled’s Song a landmark of 100 career stakes winners – and his fifteenth Grade 1 winner – as a stallion.
Graydar took his game on the road in his next start, showing another dimension to win the New Orleans H. (G2) from off the pace over several graded stakes winners, vaulting to the top of the older horse division in North America. The imposing gray colt remained undefeated in 2013 after a front-running win in last month’s Kelso Invitational H. (G2) at Belmont, running a mile in 1:34 flat while carrying top weight.
Graydar retires with a near-flawless record, having only seen defeat once, and triple-digit Beyer Speed Figures in all but one lifetime start. He earned $841,560.
“Graydar is the closest thing I’ve seen to Unbridled’s Song, and obviously we’ve had the privilege to be around a lot of good ones through the years,” said Taylor Made President & CEO Duncan Taylor. “His combination of looks, class, and sheer brilliance remind me of his sire, both on and off the racetrack, and he has that special presence about him like Unbridled’s Song had. We’re extremely excited about Graydar and look forward to continuing our great relationship with Steve Davison, Randy Gullatt and the group at Twin Creeks. We’ve always felt that Graydar would be a great heir to carry on his terrific sire line.”
Bred by William Farish, Graydar is out of the Dehere mare Sweetest Smile. He will stand new in 2014 as a Twin Creeks Racing / Taylor Made Stallions Venture. For more information about Graydar, please contact Travis White at 859-885-3345, or visit TaylorMadeStallions.com.
