Derby Runner-Up Proud Citizen to Airdrie

Proud Citizen, second in last year's Kentucky Derby (gr. I) and third in the Preakness Stakes (gr. I) to champion War Emblem, has been retired and will stand for $12,500 live foal at Brereton and Libby Jones' Airdrie Stud near Midway, Ky.

"We've never had a better looking stallion at Airdrie," said Brereton Jones about the 4-year-old son of Gone West whose third dam is Northern Dancer's full sister. "He had a ton of speed and certainly proved he could carry it the classic distances against the very best."

Bred by Edmund J. Loder and a $425,000 Keeneland September yearling, Proud Citizen scored his big win in the 2002 Coolmore Lexington Stakes (gr. II) at Keeneland in his second start after coming back from knee surgery the previous September. As a 2-year-old, he had broken his maiden by 9 1/4 lengths in 1:02.99 for 5 1/2 furlongs at Belmont Park in his second start.

Proud Citizen, whom D. Wayne Lukas trained for Robert Baker, David Cornstein, and William Mack, finished ahead of such stars as Perfect Drift, Medaglia d'Oro, Came Home, and Harlan's Holiday in the Kentucky Derby.

Proud Citizen suffered a condylar fracture in an unplaced finish in the Belmont Stakes (gr. I) and was sidelined until this year. Following his return in May, he won an allowance at Churchill Downs and ran fourth in Aldebaran's Metropolitan Handicap (gr. I). He retires with three wins from 16 starts and earnings of $638,822. Proud Citizen's dam, Drums Of Freedom (by Green Forest), is a half-sister to four stakes winners.

Proud Citizen will stand as the property of Airdrie in partnership with the team of Baker, Cornstein, and Mack.