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Multiple winning two year old ZEBEDEE has been retired from the Hannon yard to stand at stud in Ireland.
Too small and would struggle next season is the gist of it I think, from what is being said.
Connections will be gutted to have missed a pop at the nunthorpe this term. Would have thought it at least worth seeing out the season and having a go at the Middle Park.
Very premature end to his race career, poor show all round.
How can connections be gutted since they are the ones who sold him? Also does being small have the same affect or effect on a stallion?
A 2 year old retired to be a stallion? A 2 year old? Am I the only one who thinks this is BIZZARE?
The circumstances are unusual but not without precedent.
Explanation from Hannon’s website:-
Zebedee off to Irish stud
Zebedee, who was beaten only once in seven races, has been retired to stud in Ireland, and, doubtless, both the boss and Julie Wood, who owned the bonny little grey, will be ultimately to buy some of his offspring at the sales.
Richard Hannon said:"Zebedee proved an absolute star for us, and it was a pleasure to have him in the yard. He gave us some great days, winning the G2 Flying Childers Stakes at Doncaster and the G3 Molecomb at Goodwood, besides mopping up one of the big Sales races at Newmarket, and at 70,000gns he was one of his biggest bargains.
"You never like losing one of your best horses, but Zebedee was only small and a sprinter through-and-through, so it would have been tough for him next season against the older speed merchants and I can quite understand Julie accepting an offer for him to stand at stud in Ireland.
"I will miss the little horse, though he cost me a monkey! – I bet Julie £500 at the start of the season that Auld Burns would end the year with a higher rating than Zebedee, and, though I remain conviced that Auld Burns will eventually reward my faith, I was always going to have to pay up on this one."
IMO the owner puts good money into racing ownership and if she has been offered decent money for the horse then good luck to her.
Trainer has doubtless reinforced to her his view that the horse is small and lacks scope. A pure, precocious 2 year old, this was his year.
Trainer had a similar type last season in Monsieur Chevalier. Ran frequently, including the Abbaye, then broke a pelvis and became forgotten.
Good luck to Zebedee. Time for bed- boing!
An appalling and unsporting decision by his greedy owner who is hardly on the breadline.
How is flat racing supposed to be taken seriously as a sport when this sort of thing happens?
On the matter of his lack of size, this won’t have any bearing on his ability to sire winners. Star Kingdom, a similar physical type (small, neatly made), a top class 2-y-o sprinter who was slightly disappointing as a 3-y-o, turned out to be a fabulously successful stallion, one of the greatest of the last century.
Was Kingsgate native retired at 2 or 3? Does a small stallion throw small foals? I’m thinking of cattle where
they will use a small bull [eg a Dexter] for a cows first calf so she has an easier birth. Maybe it doesn’t matter so much with horses.
Holy Roman Emperor was the last high profile horse to stand at three. Any others?
Dark Angel was one – if you think of him as "high profile."
Cormack, here are 2 stallions who started their stud careers at 3.
Hail To Reason, champion American 2-y-o in 1960. Champion sire there in 1970.
Raise A Native, champion American 2-y-o in 1963. Sire of Alydar, Mr Prospector.
Fasliyev only ran at 2, won a couple of G1’s and was unbeaten.
Can’t believe someone’s called Zebedee’s owner greedy after all the money they’ve put into the sport.
This isn’t something of a knee-jerk reaction. Richard Hannon suggested as much after Zebedee’s Molecomb Stakes triumph.
If anybody knows the likelihood of a 2YO training-on, it’s Hannon.
It’s rather disappointing, but it would appear that the colt was purchased to do a job – job done.
As mentioned in a previous post, Dark Angel was retired after winning the Middle Park in 2007 for similar reasons. His current stud fee is 7,000 euros.
I would much rather the colt stay in training and find out if he could mix it with the older horses next year (not a great bunch, are they?), but I can certainly understand and respect the owners decision.
What a wonderfully entertaining, little fellow he was.
I wish him well at stud and I’m sure the older mares will teach him a trick, or two.
I’m not a fan of retiring horses prematurely, but I really can see why they have done it. If some 2yo sprinting types retired earlier their connections might have got a better end result. The reputation of Zebedee, for however much he might/might not be worth, is not in anyway damaged.
And with Hay List looming on the horizon for European sprinters next year, I think they have definitely made the right decision if they have been imaging what he might do to Zebedee.
And I’ve just read that Rachel Alexandra has been retired too.
Could there be wedding bells?
The question is why did they buy him in the first place.How can a trainer dismiss a brilliant horse which he selected last year (if he did select him).Seems like somebody was stiffed last year and now is cashing in on the trick.Northern Dance was taken home because he was too small to buy.
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