Grade 1 winner El Deal retired, stud plans pending

Trainer Jorge Navarro announced this week that El Deal, winner of this year’s Grade 1 Alfred G. Vanderbilt handicap, has been retired.

The news came a month after connections elected to pass on the Breeders’ Cup Sprint with the 5-year-old son of Munnings not “training the way that we think (he) should be to compete at this level.”

El Deal earned $575,000 and finished his career with a record of 9-3-1 in 17 starts. According to the Daily Racing Form, stud plans for him are pending.

“You never want to see a horse like El Deal leaving your barn,” Navarro said in a statement on his website. “But, we must do (what’s) best for him.”

Campaigned by Al and Michelle Crawford Racing, El Deal returned from an eight-length victory in the July 29 Vanderbilt to finish second in Belmont Park’s Sept. 30 Vosburgh in his career finale.

The horse was caught up in a bit of controversey as well after Navarro planned to enter the horse to run in Laurel Park’s Frank J. De Francis Dash, but track owner the Stronach Group reportedly declined to accept Navarro’s entries. The trainer was filmed in August celebrating a win at Gulfstream Park in which one of his owners, Randal Gindi, referred to Navarro as “the juice man.”