2017 Kentucky Derby winner Always Dreaming dies of colic
Always Dreaming, whose four-race winning streak was climaxed by his triumph as the 9-2 favorite in the 2017 Kentucky Derby, died of colic this week in Oklahoma.
“Yes, unfortunately that is a fact,” Francisco Bravo of River Oaks Farm in Sulphur, Okla., said in a text message Friday afternoon. He confirmed details reported first by Thoroughbred Daily News.
Flashback: Always Dreaming wins 2017 Kentucky Derby.
A 10-year-old stallion, Always Dreaming was diagnosed with colic this month and taken to a clinic, TDN reported.
“The horse was sick. ... They didn’t have to do any surgery on him. Everything was fine. He seemed to be OK. He turned the corner,” bloodstock agent Chad Schumer told TDN. “They sent him back to the farm, and I think it was the cecum in his stomach (near the large intestine). It just burst.”
Schumer put together the deal that sent Always Dreaming from WinStar Farm in his native Kentucky to River Oaks, TDN said.
Bred by Santa Rosa Partners, Always Dreaming was by Bodemeister out of In Excess mare Above Perfection and was sold as a yearling for $350,000. Campaigned by MaryEllen and Anthony Bonomo’s MeB Racing and Brooklyn Boyz stables, Animal Kingdom raced twice as a maiden at age 2 for co-owner and trainer Dominick Schettino.
Before the 2017 season, Vinnie Viola joined the partnership, and Always Dreaming was transferred to trainer Todd Pletcher. With John Velázquez riding, the colt collected all four of his wins between January and May that 3-year-old season. They included a maiden-breaking score at Tampa Bay Downs, an allowance victory and then the Grade 1 Florida Derby at Gulfstream Park followed by the Kentucky Derby.
Always Dreaming raced five more times over the ensuing year. He finished third in the 2017 Jim Dandy (G2) and second at age 4 in the Gulfstream Park Mile (G2) before he was retired to stud after a fifth-place result in the 2018 Alysheba (G2). That race came almost exactly one year after his Kentucky Derby triumph.
WinStar Farm, which had joined the racing partnership by then, announced in September 2018 that Always Dreaming would be added to its stallion roster. Of his five crops of progeny, 2023 Pennsylvania Derby (G1) winner Saudi Crown has been the standout.