Insane
 

Dark Angel retires to stud as a healthy sound 2yo and his owners aint Coolmore or a Sheikh!!!??? from racingpost

DARK ANGEL, winner of this year's Middle Park Stakes, has been retired to stud, although he remains sound. He will stand at Morristown Lattin Stud in County Kildare in 2008.

Despite being a Group 1 winner as a juvenile, connections felt it was not worth giving him a Classic campaign. The decision has echoes of Holy Roman Emperor, who was retired in March when a leading fancy for the 2,000 Guineas when it was announced that George Washington had fertility problems.

Joint-owner Catherine Corbett said on Tuesday: "The sale came through his trainer Barry Hills. He was approached by the stud.

"We - Barry, myself and fellow owner Chris Wright - discussed it, and myself and Chris were very happy with it all."

Corbett added: "He wouldn't have run in a Classic next year. It was felt he would be a six-furlong specialist and it's very hard for a three-year-old who has won a Group 1, so selling him wasn't really a wrench."

In addition to defeating Strike The Deal half a length in the Shadwell Middle Park Stakes three and a half weeks ago, Dark Angel won Newbury's Mill Reef Stakes and the St Leger Yearling Stakes during his nine-race campaign.
The Dewhurst Stakes, in which he was ninth behind New Approach, proved the final race in his career, in which he won £341,306.

Corbett added: "Winning the sales race was a terrific thrill, and we weren't expecting him to win the Mill Reef or Middle Park."

Tuesday's press release from Morristown Lattin Stud read: "Dark Angel is very much in the mould of his champion sire Acclamation, who also won the DBS sales race.

"But Dark Angel went on to outperform Acclamation by winningat Group 1 and 2 level, emulating his grandsire Royal Applause.

"Physically, he is very mature and has excellent conformation, having been the second highest-priced yearling from Acclamation's 2005 crop."

Wright, founder of Chrysallis Records, recently sold a homebred Galileo colt for 750,000gns to John Magnier at Tattersalls' October Yearling Sale. It was the best result he had enjoyed at a sale since setting up Stratford Place Stud at his Gloucestershire home 20 years ago.

I can't say this surprises me. He isn't a horse of Gr1 standard, but he has managed to win Gr1 (even though that race was no better than Gr3 standard). It would have been nearly impossible for him to win a Gr1 or Gr2 next year.

It's disappointing but the owners have taken the money and run away. He will stand for something like twice as much as he is actually worth.

Crazy, but i can't say surprised.

im not surprised either really, he won one of the worst G1s Ive ever seen in my life and they are cashing in. HRE set a dangerous precedent last year..

It did you're right. From a fans point of view it was the worst thing that could have happened, but from a Business point of view, i understand why they did it. It was a shame, but we all know this industry is all about money, and breeders/owners certainly aren't going to get money for actually racing their horses over here at the moment with the prize money being as it is at the moment.

When the news about HRE getting reitired became public i was like "what?!?!", but after a while i realised why they needed to do it. That doesn't mean i agree that they did it, but i understood why they did.