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Sun King retired to Darby Dan
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The durable Sun King came within inches of being a two-time Grade 1 hero
(Bill Denver/Equi-Photo) |
Multiple Grade 2-winning millionaire SUN KING (Charismatic) has been retired
following his runner-up effort in Saturday's Ack Ack H. (G3) and will begin his
new career at stud at Darby Dan Farm near Lexington, Kentucky, in 2008. The dark
bay will stand for a
$10,000 fee.
Campaigned by Tracy Farmer and trained by Nick Zito, Sun King captured his
second career race and followed that up with third-place efforts in the
Champagne S. (G1) and Breeders' Cup Juvenile (G1). The colt began his sophomore
campaign with a pair of strong wins in the Sunshine State, the latter coming in
the Tampa Bay Derby (G3). He also went on to capture the Pennsylvania Derby (G2)
and Leonard Richards S. (G3) in the same year, while placing in the Jockey Club Gold
Cup (G1) and Haskell Invitational S. (G1).
At four, the Zito trainee landed the Commonwealth Breeders' Cup S. (G2) in
brilliant fashion, just missed by a head in the Metropolitan H. (G1), and was a nose second to subsequent Horse of
the Year Invasor (Arg) in the Whitney H. (G1). Arguably Sun King's best voyage in
2007 was a second-place finish in the Woodward S. (G1). For his career, the now
five-year-old amassed $2,240,008 in earnings with a 28-6-7-5 mark while facing
the best in his division for four seasons.
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"That's his last race," Farmer said following the Ack Ack. "He's going to
Darby Dan on Wednesday. He's tired, and when they tell you, it's time to do it. He's been very good to us. If you do what's right for
the horse, he'll do what's right for you."
"He's had a fabulous career," Zito added. "He's done everything we've asked him
to, as far as just showing up and giving us some great thrills. We've hardly
missed a dance with him."
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