'Brilliantly fast' Met Mile winner Bee Jersey retired due to injury

Bee Jersey, the Grade 1 Met Mile winner who just seemed to be coming into his own, has been retired after suffering a tendon injury, connections announced Tuesday.

Charles Fipke's homebred by Jersey Town raced for both trainer Doug Watson in Dubai before running his top races as an older horse in the United States while under the care of Steve Asmussen.

The 4-year-old won five of six starts in America, including the Grade 3 Steve Sexton Mile at Lone Star Park before the Met Mile, won in a tight finish over Mind Your Biscuits.

“He’s just a gorgeous, absolutely brilliantly fast horse with a great temperament," said Asmussen, who was campaigning Bee Jersey to be a Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile prospect.

According to the announcement, stud plans are to be determined. Additionally, sire Jersey Town, who now stands in British Columbia, will return to the U.S. in 2019, Fipke said.

“He covered 37 mares in British Columbia, which is good for the region, but I’ll see what offers I get from the States," the owner and breeder added. "The horse now has a Grade 1 winner from his first crop and may be an appealing stallion for a regional program.”