Forest Danger Retired; to Stand at Taylor Made

Forest Danger, who ran fifth in the Sept. 3 Forego Handicap (gr. I), his first start in three months, has re-aggravated an injury, forcing his retirement.

The 4-year-old colt, winner of the grade I Carter Handicap in April, will stand in 2006 at the Taylor family's Taylor Made Farm near Nicholasville, Ky.

Forest Danger will stand as the property of Aaron and Marie Jones, who bought him at the 2003 Fasig-Tipton Florida sale of 2-year-olds in training for $900,000 and raced him to five wins in eight starts at three and four and earnings of $423,000.

The Joneses board their mares at Taylor Made and also raced and stand Forest Danger's sire, Forestry, there. Forestry, by Storm Cat, stood this year for $75,000.

No stud fee was announced for Forest Danger, who was bred in Kentucky by Barbara Jean and Jerry Dutton from the graded stakes winning Ice Age mare Starry Ice.

"There are amazing similarities between Forest Danger and his sire, Forestry," Ben Taylor of Taylor Made said in a release. "Both horses were extremely fast and both were campaigned by Aaron and Marie Jones. Both are great-looking horses that sold for a lot of money. Forest Danger set a new track record while Forestry set a new stakes record and both were grade 1 winners."

In his first start this year, having not been out for nine months, Forest Danger ran 6 1/2 furlongs in 1:14.44, breaking the track record over the new Gulfstream surface set by Medalist nine days earlier.

Forest Danger was a top 3-year-old in a season cut short by injury. He made four starts and won three, including the Bay Shore Stakes (gr. III).

Following his track record setting performance in his first start at four, he won the Carter and then finished fifth in the Met Mile (gr. I). He was found to have torn a muscle in his left rear and was away from the races for three months. He came back to run fifth in the Forego in what would prove to be his final start.

"He was nothing short of brilliant," his trainer, Todd Pletcher, said in the release announcing his retirement. "He could work faster than any horse in my barn and had natural talent from the very start. He pulled a muscle in the Metropolitan, and he seems to have aggravated that injury. I was looking forward to the Breeders' Cup Sprint (gr. I), hoping for a repeat of Speightstown's performance. This horse had the same kind of talent. It's a disappointment to see Forest Danger retire; however, if he is received at stud like Speightstown  , his future as a stallion would sure seem bright."