Daredevil, More Than Ready’s Champagne S. (G1) winner at two, has been retired and will stand in 2016 at WinStar Farm in Versailles, KY. A fee will be determined and announced soon.
“Daredevil is the fastest 2-year-old ever by More Than Ready, which is a big statement when you look at how successful of a juvenile sire More Than Ready has been,” said Elliott Walden, President & CEO at WinStar. “Now, More Than Ready is emerging as an important sire of sires around the world, and it’s happening through his best juvenile sons like Sebring, who’s the sire of recently-named Australian Horse of the Year Dissident.
“Daredevil was an extremely fast winner of one of the most important 2-year-old races around, the Grade 1 Champagne, which has been won in recent years by horses like Uncle Mo, Union Rags, and Scat Daddy. Daredevil earned a 107 Beyer in his Champagne, which is the single fastest Beyer earned by a 2-year-old colt since Uncle Mo and The Factor. I also love the fact that there are five Grade 1 winners under Daredevil’s first two dams. We believe he possesses everything to stand alongside his sire More Than Ready as an exciting son that has a big shot at carrying on that sire line.”
Trained by Todd Pletcher, Daredevil quickly showed his precocious talent with a 6 ¼-length debut win at Belmont as a 2-year-old, zipping through fractions of 22.07, 44.94, and 57.03 before stopping the clock in 1:09.87 for six furlongs. He earned a 96 Beyer for the performance, which marked the fastest maiden race run in New York in 2014.
In his second start, Daredevil stretched out to a mile to win the $500,000 Champagne S. (G1) at Belmont as the favorite. He showed another dimension in the Champagne, stalking the early pace four-to-five wide before sweeping to the lead and kicking clear from his rivals. Under very little encouragement from jockey Javier Castellano, Daredevil cruised comfortably to the wire the final sixteenth of a mile, finishing 2 ½ lengths ahead of eventual Grade 2 winner Upstart.
The final time of 1:36.62 for the mile earned Daredevil a 107 Beyer – the single fastest performance of 2014 by a juvenile and the fastest Beyer in over 20 years in the Champagne, which has been won by such top sires as Buckpasser, Seattle Slew, Forty Niner, and Maria’s Mon, among others. Daredevil’s 107 Beyer also makes him the fastest 2-year-old colt since 2010, when Uncle Mo and The Factor both recorded similar speed figures late in their respective 2-year-old campaigns, and it represents the fastest Beyer earned by a 2-year-old at the mile distance in over 20 years.
“Daredevil’s brilliance at two reminded me of Uncle Mo, and More Than Ready, and a lot of the better juveniles I’ve been fortunate to be around,” said Pletcher. “I have always thought the really talented two-year-olds went on to make the best stallions.”
Daredevil retires with earnings of $424,600 for owners Let’s Go Stable, WinStar Farm, and China Horse Club. A $260,000 yearling selection by Todd Pletcher, the dark liver chestnut colt is out of the multiple Grade 1-producing Forty Niner mare, Chasethewildwind, and he’s one of five Grade 1 winners under the first two dams in his female family.
Daredevil will be available for inspection at WinStar during the November breeding stock sales. For more information about Daredevil, please contact Kyle Wilson, Sean Tugel, or Caroline Walsh at 859-873-1717, or visit WinStarFarm.com.
