Union Rags Retired

Union Rags became a potential Kentucky Derby horse during the 2011 Saratoga meet. As the 2012 Saratoga meet opened Friday, Union Rags’ owner Phyllis Wyeth made the decision to retire her Belmont Stakes winner.

While preparing the colt for the July 29 Haskell Invitational, trainer Michael Matz noticed a leg issue. It was quickly determined there was a ligament problem that would require months of rest. So, Union Rags was declared out for the balance of the 2012 season. Now, the big colt is gone forever, his owner searching for a stallion deal with one of the major Kentucky farms.

"No decision has been reached on that," Wyeth’s advisor Russell Jones said. "This is the right time of the year to be talking to these guys so she wants to have the word out there that we’re moving ahead, that the decision has been made."

Matz was really hoping the colt would come back and run in 2013. Not going to happen. Union Rags may have been able to make it back in top form, but there was no guarantee.