WinStar Farm’s & Twin Creeks Racing’s Constitution has been retired to stud at WinStar Farm for 2016, and the multiple Grade 1-winning millionaire by Tapit will stand for a fee of $25,000 stands and nurses.
“Constitution is such a talent that we hoped we could get away with fast-tracking him to our goal of the Breeders’ Cup Classic, but he showed us that he’s just not where he needs to be. Timing is everything in this game, and Constitution is such a tremendous stallion prospect that it only makes sense to retire him at this time,” said Elliott Walden, President & CEO at WinStar. “As a fast, good-looking multiple Grade 1 winner of such major races as the Florida Derby and Donn Handicap, he’s without a doubt one of the elite sons of Tapit. Breeders are going to love this horse, and we can’t wait to show him off during the November sales.”
Trained by Todd Pletcher, Constitution became the first son of leading sire Tapit to win Grade 1 events in back-to-back seasons, capturing the $1 million Florida Derby (G1) as a 3-year-old in just his third start and then returning at four to prove best in the $500,000 Donn Handicap (G1).
“Constitution is as good a horse as I have ever been associated with,” said Randy Gullatt of Twin Creeks Racing. “When Elliott and I looked at him at the Saratoga sale, he was the best yearling I had ever seen. It’s nice for the business when an expensive yearling like him turns out to win two major Grade 1 races.”
Constitution was named a TDN Rising Star after capturing his debut in a seven-furlong Maiden Special Weight race at Gulfstream to start his career. A month later, he stretched out to 1 1/16 miles to score a 3 ¼-length victory over Tonalist in a talent-filled Allowance race, before becoming an undefeated winner of the Florida Derby.
In 2015, Constitution earned his second Grade 1 triumph in the Donn H., defeating Lea by three-quarters of a length and earning a 111 Beyer speed figure – one of the fastest Beyers over a mile in North America this year, and the fastest Beyer ever recorded around two turns by a son or daughter of Tapit.
A $400,000 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Select yearling, Constitution retires with earnings of $1,031,596. The 4-year-old colt is out of the young, multiple graded stakes-producing Distorted Humor mare, Baffled.
Constitution will be available for inspection at WinStar during the November breeding stock sales. For more information about Constitution, please contact Kyle Wilson, Sean Tugel, or Caroline Walsh at 859-873-1717, or you can visit Constitution’s website at WeFollowConstitution.com, or WinStarFarm.com.
