WinStar Farm announced that grade I winner and millionaire Take Charge Indy has been retired from racing after surgery to repair his left foreleg resulting from an injury sustained in the July 28 Monmouth Cup (gr. II). The son of A.P. Indy will stand at WinStar Farm for the 2014 breeding season.
Hall of Fame jockey Gary Stevens said he heard a "loud pop" when 3-5 favorite Take Charge Indy was leading the field by 1 1/2 lengths through a :47.43 half-mile. He quickly eased the 4-year-old.
"I was on the lead with a big smile on my face. He was cruising. The only question was how much would he win by," Gary Stevens said.
Digital radiographs revealed a condylar fracture of Take Charge Indy's left foreleg and he was immediately shipped to nearby Hogan Equine. Dr. Patty Hogan successfully performed a 30-minute procedure on Take Charge Indy the morning of July 29, with WinStar reporting he came out of the surgery in good condition.
"It's unbelievable how classy this horse is," Hogan said in a WinStar release. "The surgery went very well. He's a super patient."
Trained by Patrick Byrne for Chuck and Maribeth Sandford and WinStar, Take Charge Indy retired with a record of three wins and six placings from 14 starts and earnings of $1,103,496.
"We purchased Take Charge Indy because of his gene pool. Considering he might be the last great son of A.P. Indy, his mother winning three grade I's, and he being a grade I winner as well, we feel he has a tremendous chance at stud," said WinStar Farm president and CEO Elliott Walden. "When I first went to see him, I thought I was looking at A.P. Indy himself."
In the biggest victories of his career, Take Charge Indy won the 2012 Florida Derby (gr. I) and this year's Alysheba Stakes (gr. II). The colt also finished second in the Clark Handicap (gr. I), Skip Away Stakes (gr. III) and Arlington-Washington Futurity (gr. III), and was third in the Donn Handicap (gr. I) and Fayette Stakes (gr. II).
