Derby Winner Super Saver Retired

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Photo: Anne M. Eberhardt

Super Saver in the Kentucky Derby.
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Super Saver  , winner of the 2010 Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr I), has been retired from racing and will stand at Kenny Troutt’s WinStar Farm near Versailles, Ky. He had been sidelined from racing since late summer because of condylar bruising.

“The final decision to retire Super Saver was a difficult one that may not be popular with fans but should be very popular with our breeders,” said Elliott Walden, WinStar vice president and racing manager. “The bone bruising that was discovered by Dr. Larry Bramlage which limited his performance during the latter half of this year should subside with time. However, it created a risk that he would not return to the form he showed as a 2-year-old and through the Kentucky Derby. He was a top 2-year-old and became WinStar's and (trainer) Todd Pletcher's first Kentucky Derby winner. We felt like he had nothing more to prove.”

Super Saver raced as a homebred for WinStar at the time the farm was owned by Troutt and Bill Casner.

Derby Slideshow

Relive Super Saver's Derby.

Super Saver was a leading 2-year-old. He broke his maiden by seven lengths in his second start at Belmont Park before shipping to Churchill Downs, where he won the Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes (gr. II). In that race, Super Saver set the pace and scored by five lengths in stakes-record time of 1:42.83 for the 1 1/16 miles.

Super Saver, who closed out his 2-year-old season as one of the winter book favorites for the Kentucky Derby, was weighted at 122 pounds on the Experimental Free Handicap for males.

Super Saver placed in the Arkansas Derby (gr. I) and the Tampa Bay Derby (gr. III) in his lone starts at 3 prior to the Run for the Roses. Despite the fact he went in winless for the year, he was regarded as a top Kentucky Derby contender by many racing analysts.

Sent off as the second choice in the field of 20, Super Saver showed good tactical speed throughout under Calvin Borel. As the field hit the top of the stretch, Super Saver took full command inside the quarter pole and streaked clear down the Churchill stretch to score a decisive 2 1/2-length victory over a sloppy track. He earned a 104 Beyer Speed Figure.

“I've dreamt of winning the Kentucky Derby since I was six years old,” Pletcher said. “Super Saver was my fastest 2-year-old last year, and his stakes-record performance in the (Kentucky) Jockey Club told me he was a Derby horse. I just had to harness that speed and get him ready. Thank God it happened just that way.”

Super Saver raced three times after the Derby, with his best effort coming in a fourth-place effort in the IZOD Haskell Invitational Stakes (gr. I). He ran unplaced in the Travers Stakes (gr. I) at Saratoga in his last start. During his career, he won or placed in six of 10 races and earned $1,889,766.

By champion Maria's Mon, Super Saver hails from one of the prolific Phipps female families. His dam, Supercharger, by A.P. Indy, is a full sister to graded stakes winners Daydreaming, Girolamo, and Accelerator. Supercharger also is a full sister to She’s a Winner, dam of WinStar sire Bluegrass Cat, second on this year’s leading first-crop sire list. The family descends to the great foundation mare La Troienne.

“Super Saver is a special horse,” said WinStar president Doug Cauthen. “He made a lot of dreams come true for the entire WinStar team. Having him back at the farm this past month has been like having a family member return home. We ultimately felt like it was best for him to retire now, and we're thrilled to have the rare opportunity to stand a horse of his caliber here where he was born and raised. With his impressive mix of speed and a classic pedigree, Super Saver is an exciting stud prospect.”

Fans and breeders are invited to celebrate the homecoming of Super Saver to the WinStar stallion barn on Saturday, Oct. 30, from 11 a.m to 1 p.m. Pletcher will be on hand at the stallion complex, and the Kentucky Derby trophy will be on display.

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