Champion Ginger Punch Retired

Ginger Punch, last year’s champion older female, has been retired from racing to become a broodmare for breeder/owner Frank Stronach. She finished sixth in the Oct. 24  Breeders’ Cup Ladies’ Classic (gr. I). She is scheduled to be shipped from California to Stronach’s Adena Springs Kentucky near Paris. Breeding plans are undecided.

Five-year-old Ginger Punch, who won last year’s running when the Ladies’ was billed as the Distaff, was in the hunt for a repeat championship going into the Ladies. She had scored graded wins in the Go for Wand (gr. I) and Ogden Phipps (gr. I) Handicaps, plus the Personal Ensign (gr. I) and Louisville (gr. II) Stakes. She began the year with a victory in the restricted Sunshine Millions Distaff Stakes.

Sent off at 10-1 in the Ladies’, Ginger Punch never threatened while running fifth for most of the race, won by odds-on favorite Zenyatta, who appears certain to be voted the championship. Ginger Punch concluded the year with five wins and two placings, both in grade I stakes, from eight starts.

Trained by Bobby Frankel, Ginger Punch retired with a dozen wins, half-dozen seconds, and two third-place finishes from 22 starts. She earned $3,065,603. In addition to her win in the 2007  Breeders’ Cup, she also won that year’s Go for Wand, Ruffian Handicap (gr. I), and First Flight Handicap (gr. II).

Bred by Adena Springs, Ginger Punch is by farm stallion Awesome Again   and is out of grade II winner Nappelon (by Bold Revenue.).