Confessional Retired, To Maria's Mon in 2002

Josephine Abercrombie's homebred Confessional won Keeneland's A.P. Indy Stakes on Saturday and retired to her birthplace on Sunday. Abercrombie owns Pin Oak Stud near Versailles, Ky., where Confessional is scheduled to be bred to Maria's Mon in 2002.

Clifford Barry, who manages Pin Oak, said Confessional is 100% sound, but after her Aug. 4 win in the Royal North Handicap (Can-IIIT) the decision was made to give the 5-year-old mare one more start, then retire her. In 23 lifetime starts she has a record of 12-4-1 with $827,638 in earnings.

"She's got all the traits you really want in a broodmare," Barry said. "She's a grade I winner, and a strong good-looking mare. There's not a pimple on her. It's a credit to Graham and the filly herself." Graham is trainer H. Graham Motion, who saddled Confessional for her last 10 starts--all but one of those were wins.

Confessional (Holy Bull--Whisper Who Dares) was initially trained by Bill Mott and won the grade I Frizette in her fifth start. She competed against Silverbulletday and Excellent Meeting in the 1998 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies' (gr. I) and finished ninth. After one win in four starts early in her 3-year-old campaign, Mott moved the filly to the turf where she ran second in the Lake Placid (gr. IIT) and Boiling Springs Breeders' Cup (gr. IIIT) Handicaps later that year.

In May of 2000, Confessional made her first start for Motion, which she won. It was her only dirt race while in his care. In her next nine starts she won the 2000 and 2001 runnings of the Royal North at Woodbine plus five listed stakes, including the A.P. Indy.

Josephine Abercrombie owns Pin Oak, based near Versailles, Ky., and bred Confessional from the Green Dancer mare Whisper Who Dares. A 2-year-old full sister to Confessional, Litany, is with Motion at Delaware Park. To date she has placed in two of her three starts.