B. Wayne Hughes' Spendthrift Farm announced formally April 11 that it had acquired the breeding rights to multiple grade 1 winner Gormley, who April 8 captured the $1,000,000 Santa Anita Derby (G1). The 3-year-old son of Malibu Moon , who stands at Spendthrift, will stand at the farm's Lexington operation upon his retirement.
"Malibu Moon has been A.P. Indy's best sire over the course of the last decade, and now we're starting to see him develop into a sire to sires through popular sons like Orb ," said Hughes. "He has certainly been the marquee sire during this era of Spendthrift Farm, and we've waited for the right son to come along that we could bring to stud to stand alongside Malibu Moon. We are thrilled for that to be Gormley, whose precociousness, athleticism, class and good looks make him an exciting stallion prospect."
Owned by Jerry Moss and Ann Moss, Gormley earned the biggest of his four lifetime wins to date in the Santa Anita Derby. Trained by John Shirreffs, the colt now heads to Louisville as potentially one of only three multiple grade 1-winning colts being aimed toward this year's Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (G1), along with Practical Joke, and Classic Empire.
"Gormley is the best colt by Malibu Moon I've seen at the yearling sales, and John (Shirreffs) fell in love with him at Keeneland," said bloodstock agent David Ingordo, who helped acquire Gormley privately for the Mosses as a yearling, and brokered the breeding rights deal with Spendthrift. "Now, he's a grade 1 winner at 2, a Santa Anita Derby winner at 3, and he comes into the Triple Crown as a major contender."
Bred in Kentucky by Castleton Lyons & Kilboy Estate, Gormley has earned $920,000 from six starts, which also include victories in the FrontRunner Stakes (G1) at Santa Anita Park as a 2-year-old and the Sham Stakes (G3) at Santa Anita in his first this year. Gormley broke his maiden in his debut last September at Del Mar.
Gormley will continue to be owned and managed by the Mosses throughout the remainder of his racing career, and there is currently no timetable for the colt's retirement. Gormley will participate in Spendthrift's renowned "Share The Upside" program upon retirement, and he'll be the first son of the farm's cornerstone sire Malibu Moon to stand alongside at stud in Lexington.
Gormley is the first foal out of the Gulfstream Park stakes winner Race to Urga, by Bernstein. His second dam, Miss Mambo, was third in the 2004 Gainsborough Poule d'Essai des Pouliches (G1, French One Thousand Guineas), and his fourth dam is multiple grade 1 winner Estrapade.