Grade I winner Purim, a member of the stallion corps at Nathan Fox’ Richland Hills near Midway, Ky., was euthanized Jan. 14 at Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital near Lexington following colic surgery. The 10-year-old son of Dynaformer was scheduled to stand for a fee of $7,500. His first foals are 3-year-olds.
Purim was unraced at 2 but won his first three starts at 3, including the Arlington Classic Stakes (gr. IIIT) in his third start. He was then beaten a nose in the American Derby (gr. IIT) in his next. He got better as he got older, winning two stakes at 4 and three at 5. His efforts at 4 included a victory in the Razorback Breeders’ Cup Handicap (gr. III) and at 5 he captured the Shadwell Turf Mile Stakes (gr. IT) at Keeneland.
Trained by Tom Proctor, Purim was retired with a record of 9-3-1 from 23 races and earnings of $928,543 for breeder/owner E.J. Sukley.
Purin, who entered stud at Richland Hills in 2008, was represented by six 2-year-old winners of 2011 from his first crop of foals.
“He was a young and promising horse and had a reasonable start to his stallion career last year with his first crop,” said farm manager Terry Nickell, who handled Dynaformer when that stallion stood at Fox’s former farm, Wafare Farm, in Central Kentucky. “They weren’t bred to be precocious. They were bred to be better as they matured, and I expect big things out of them this year. He was a neat horse, a magnificent animal, and a very talented racehorse. He also was a kind horse and fun to be around.
“Purim was a big part of our lives, and now there’s a big void without him,” Nickell added. “We feel his best years are ahead of him. We feel his second crop of foals may be stronger than his first, and we think his 3-year-olds this year are really going to take off. And we’ve got a good crop ready to be born this year.”
Purim is represented by 124 foals of racing age, including 2-year-olds.
Bred in Kentucky, Purim is out of the stakes-placed Lord At War mare Kirsteena, whose second dam is a half sister to Horse of the Year Dr. Fager and champion Ta Wee.