Grade I winner Pool Land has been retired from racing and will be bred to A.P. Indy. Owned by Eugene Melnyk, the 5-year-old daughter of Silver Deputy retired with seven wins from 11 starts and earnings of $529,776.
"She's had some nagging problems and rather than go on and try to win another graded stakes, we felt it was more important to breed her early and get an early foal," said Phil Hronec, who manages Melnyk's Winding Oaks Farm near Ocala, Fla.
Campaigned by Melnyk Racing Stables, Pool Land started out winning her first three races, including the 2006 Summer Colony Stakes by seven lengths at Aqueduct. Two races later, she won the Doubledogdare Stakes by a dozen lengths at Keeneland and then took the Allaire du Pont Breeders' Cup Distaff Stakes (gr. III) at Pimlico.
Pool Land scored her big win in last year's Ruffian Handicap (gr. I) at Belmont Park. She also ran third in the Go for Wand Handicap (gr. I) at Saratoga.
Pool Land started twice this year for new trainer Tom Albertrani, who took over from Todd Pletcher. She won the Beautiful Pleasure Stakes at Belmont and then ran unplaced in the Nov. 23 Top Flight Handicap (gr. II) at Aqueduct in her final race.
Bred in Kentucky by Kings Way Farm and Windfields Farm, Pool Land was bought by Melnyk for $475,000 at the 2003 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga yearling sale. She was consigned by Kings Way Farm and Silver Deputy Syndicate.
A granddaughter of Deputy Minister, Pool Land is out of the Slew City Slew mare Slew City Slicker, who is a half-sister to Breeders' Cup Sprint (gr. I) winner Very Subtle.
The resultant foal from the mating of A.P. Indy to Pool Land will be bred similarly to A.P. Indy's daughter, 2007 Belmont Stakes (gr. I) winner Rags to Riches, who is out of a Deputy Minister mare.
