Carpe Diem will be missed
So much potential; for it all to end with an extremely disappointing middle of the pack finish in the Kentucky Derby, is such a same. Carpe Diem did win four times, three stakes, and two Grade 1 stakes in his short career, so it was not completely a case of unfulfilled hopes and dreams, but for his career to end after falling flat in his biggest career race -- and then never having the opportunity to redeem himself -- has to be a bitter pill to swallow. This fate for the talented son of Giant’s Causeway was confirmed yesterday with the announcement that he is being retired from racing due to a knee chip.
Owned in partnership by Stonestreet Stables & WinStar Farm, Carpe Diem finished tenth of 18 in the Kentucky Derby, despite coming into the first Saturday in May as one of the most well liked and respected three-year-colts in the land. Sent off as the 7-1 third choice, the Todd Pletcher trained colt stalked the moderate early pace set by Dortmund, but as first Firing Line, and then American Pharoah, went on with it, Carpe Diem, for whatever reason, came up completely empty on the far turn. As we all know, American Pharoah has continued to ‘go on with it’, while Carpe Diem will largely be remembered as a ‘what might have been’ runner.
Elliott Walden, the President and CEO of WinStar Farm, had this to offer regarding his poor race at Churchill Downs, and the reasoning behind his early retirement … “In the Kentucky Derby, we were in perfect position, but when he switched leads going into the far turn I felt something wasn’t right,” said Walden. “After missing the Belmont, we brought him home to evaluate him and try to get him back for the Haskell. However, a chip finally revealed itself in the lower joint of his right knee, and that can be problematic. I believe his raw ability puts him among the top of this talented group of 3-year-olds, which is probably the best group of runners we’ve had in years. It’s unfortunate, but given where we’re at in the season and what would be in front of him, Mrs. Banke, John Moynihan, and I just felt like retirement was the best option.”
Carpe Diem (Giant’s Causeway--Rebridled Dreams, by Unbridled’s Song) will stand stud in 2016 at WinStar Farm in Versailles, KY, where a stud fee will be announced at a later date.
A good looking and well bred thoroughbred specimen, Carpe Diem fetched the princely sum of $1.6 million last spring at the OBS March Sale. Once in Pletcher’s barn, he did absolutely nothing to make it seem like he was overpriced. He went directly from a flashy maiden score at 5 ½ furlongs late last summer at Saratoga, in his career debut, to becoming a Grade 1 winner when romping home against a large field in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Futurity at Keeneland in his second career start.
You could say that Carpe Diem started his career just about as well a horse could. A second place finish out West in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile, in his third career start, did little to squelch the optimism of the always highly regarded colt. That would prove to be his final start of his two-year-old season, but when he came back at three, he picked up right where he left off as a juvenile.
Carpe Diem began his sophomore season in style in sunny Florida, with an overpowering performance in the Grade 2 Tampa Bay Derby. Furthering his Kentucky Derby credentials, the heavily favored colt treated his $1 million Blue Grass Stakes competition in much the same manner.
Now, I’m in no way suggesting that he is cut from the same cloth as our brand new Triple Crown winner, but I truly believe there was a lot more under the hood of Carpe Diem than we saw on May 2. I believe he could have proven one of the best of his generation, and I even think he could have been a real tiger if ever given the chance to try the turf. Of course, I can never prove any of this, with him heading off to stud. It really is a shame, but I wish him well in his next career.