Robert Cole, Jr.’s Rapid Redux, the gelding who won 22 straight races and was honored with a Special Eclipse Award, has been retired.
Claimed for $6,250 in October 2010, the 6-year-old son of Pleasantly Perfect was 28-1-1 from 42 lifetime starts. In addition to setting a North American record for most consecutive victories with his 22-race win streak from December 2010 through early this year, Rapid Redux tied Citation’s record of most victories in a year with 19 in 2011.
Cole said he is working on plans to send Rapid Redux, who has been at trainer David Wells’ farm in Pennsylvania, to the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington.
Horse Park officials confirmed Cole had contacted the Maker's Mark Secretariat Center, which is located at the Horse Park, about taking Rapid Redux, but they had not yet made a decision.
The retirement was announced May 17 when Rapid Redux and his connections received a special award of merit from the Maryland Jockey Club at its Alibi Breakfast, two days before the 137th Preakness Stakes (gr. I). Rapid Redux won several of his races in Maryland, and Cole is a native of the state.
The owner said Rapid Redux is fit and could still compete but there is more risk than reward at this point in continuing to race the gelding.
“He looks better than he did four or five months ago,” Cole said, “but he has wear and tear in his legs and we felt this was the right decision. In my mindset, there is not much difference in winning 22 races or winning 23 if we started him again. And then there is the risk that he could lose.
“He won his last two starts by a length, and four or five months earlier that would have been five lengths.”
Cole said the retirement of Rapid Redux “ends a fairytale” story but he is proud of the way he and Wells managed the horse during the streak.
“Despite criticism we got of not running him in stakes or in not retiring him sooner, I’m proud that we got it right,” the owner said.