Heritage Stallions announced Aug. 27 the addition of Tritap to its stallion roster for 2015. The son of runaway leading sire Tapit is in the process of being syndicated by Heritage, which is located near Chesapeake City, Md.
He will be the first son of Tapit to stand in Maryland.
Tritap, bred in Kentucky by Copper Penny Stables and out of the Ikari (Seattle Slew) mare Victory Road, sold for $450,000 to Winchell Thoroughbreds as a yearling at the 2010 Keeneland September sale—the highest-priced yearling by Tapit that year. Tapit was raced by Winchell Thoroughbreds, which owns a significant portion of the stallion.
Trained by Steve Asmussen, Tritap won two of nine starts with four seconds and earned $155,936. After making three starts at 2, with a pair of seconds, Tritap broke his maiden in his 3-year-old debut at Saratoga Race Course. Three starts later he set the track record for 1 3/16 miles at Churchill Downs, getting the trip in 1:58.12.
In his 4-year-old debut last year he ran second, beaten just a head, by the grade I-winning Fed Biz in the San Fernando Stakes (gr. II) going 1 1/16 miles at Santa Anita Park, earning an Equibase speed figure of 115 in the process.
The leading stallion of 2014 with more than $9.6 in progeny earnings, Tapit is the sire of 53 stakes winners (15 grade I winners). He has 12 stakes winners this year including classic winner Tonalist , Besilu Stables Florida Derby (gr. I) winner Constitution , and Untapable, the pro tem leader of the 3-year-old filly division.
Tapit (Pulpit—Tap Your Heels, by Unbridled) stands at Gainesway Farm near Lexington. His 2014 fee was a market-leading $150,000. Other sons of Tapit at stud include Concord Point, Tapizar , and Trappe Shot .
Tritap is a full brother to grade III winner Touching Beauty, who also ran second in the 2009 Matron Stakes (gr. II), and stakes winner Noisy Feet. Tritap's third dam, the stakes-winning Talc Shaker, produced stakes winner She's a Shaker and stakes-placed Carr Shaker, the dam of grade III winner Dewars Rocks and graded stakes-placed Wholelottashakin.
"I am excited to have a horse by this sire, with his sound family behind him, and the looks to go with it," said Heritage Stallions' Dr. Thomas Bowman, in a release.
Winchell Thoroughbreds has retained several breeding shares, and Copper Penny Stables intends to support Tritap with multiple mares.