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3.
Johannesburg Retired To Kentucky
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01/08/2002 |
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Coolmore Stud has announced the retirement of last season’s champion juvenile colt Johannesburg, raising the possibilty that he will be shuttling to Australia in 2003.
The three-year-old will stand alongside his sire Hennessy at
Ashford Stud in Kentucky in 2003 and could already be counted as almost certain to be among the Coolmore shuttle sires visiting Australia next year.
Johannessburg was unbeaten in seven starts as a two-year-old in 2001, winning G1 events in Ireland, France and England before his season ending triumph in the G1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile at Belmont Park in New York.
In winning the BC Juvenile Johanessburg went one better than both his sire Hennessy and and his grandsire Storm Cat.
The decision to retire Johannesburg follows a disappointing three-year-old season that saw him aimed the Kentucky Derby by trainer Aidan O’Brien.
“Unfortunately, we made the mistake of aiming Johannesburg at the Kentucky Derby,” O’Brien said.
“The combination of training him on bad ground in our wet spring, and trying to stretch his stamina too far just bottomed him out.
“However, he was an exceptional two-year-old and achieved more in one season than most horses do in their entire careers.
“He had brilliant speed, was always very sound and had a great attitude”.
Johannesburg’s other G1 wins were recorded in the Phoenix Stakes, Prix Morny and Middle Park Stakes.
His BC Juvenile victory saw him win America’s Eclipse Award for champion two-year-old, a rarity for a colt who raced only once in the US during the season.
Johannesburg started his three-year-old season with a nose second in the G3 Gladness Stakes in Ireland but was beaten 13 lengths into eighth place in the G1 Kentucky Derby in May.
His final race was at Royal Ascot in June when he ran ninth in the G1 Golden Jubilee Stakes.
Johannesburg was bred in Kentucky and was sold at the 1999 Keeneland November sale to Chestnut Valley Farm for $US240,000.
The following year he was purchased by Coolmore agent Demi O’Byrne at the Keeneland Keeneland September sale for $US200,000.
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