Showing Up, a millionaire and multiple grade I winner for Roy and Gretchen Jackson’s Lael Stables, has been retired from racing and will stand in 2009 at Frank Stronach’s Adena Springs South near Williston, Fla. The 5-year-old son of Strategic Missionout of the winning T. V. Commercial mare Miss Alethia will stand for a fee of $7,500 as the property of Adena Springs and Lael.
Trained by Barclay Tagg, Showing Up won seven of 10 races and earned $1,660,500. At 3, he won his first three starts, all on the dirt, including the Coolmore Lexington Stakes (gr. II) at Keeneland and a mile allowance in track-record time at Gulfstream Park. Following a sixth-place effort in the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I), won by stablemate Barbaro, Showing Up raced exclusively on the grass.
He made his turf debut a winning one in the $1-million Colonial Turf Cup Stakes, setting a course-record while defeating subsequent NetJets Breeders’ Cup Mile (gr, IT) winner Kip Deville. In his next start, he wired the field in the Secretariat Stakes (gr. IT) at Arlington under 126 pounds in 2:00.09, which was the second-fastest running of the 10-furlong event. After a third-place effort in the Man o’ War Stakes (gr. IT) at Belmont Park, he won the Jamaica Breeders’ Cup Handicap (gr. IIT) at Belmont and the Hollywood Derby (gr. IT), setting a stakes-record of 1:59.35 for 1 1/4 miles in the latter.
Showing Up raced once last year, finishing a neck behind Kip Deville in a runner-up effort in the Maker’s Mark Mile Stakes (gr. IIT) at Keeneland in what was his final start.
“Showing Up is a very appropriately named horse,” said Stronach. “He campaigned against the best of his generation and showed up each and every time he stepped on the track, regardless of the surface.”
Bred in Kentucky by Nellie M. Cox and Rose Retreat Farm, Showing Up is a half-brother to stakes winner Gimmeawink. Roy Jackson bought Showing Up for $60,000 at the 2005 Fasig-Tipton Midlantic sale 2-year-olds in training sale.