Any Given Saturday retired

Any Given Saturday made his last start in the BC Classic (Michael J. Marten/Horsephotos.com)

Haskell Invitational S. (G1) winner ANY GIVEN SATURDAY (Distorted Humor) has

been retired and will stand at Darley near Lexington, Kentucky, for $40,000, it

was announced on Wednesday.

"Sheikh Mohammed considered keeping Any Given Saturday in training, but it was

decided that it was in the horse's best interest to retire him to stud," said

John Ferguson, Sheikh Mohammed's bloodstock advisor. "He'll join Discreet Cat

and his old adversaries Hard Spun and Street Sense at Darley, and you couldn't

wish for a more impressive bunch of new recruits."

Any Given Saturday has been knocking heads with the Street Sense, Hard Spun

and Curlin (Smart Strike) all year long. Trained by Todd Pletcher, the colt just

missed to Kentucky Derby (G1) hero Street Sense by nose in the Tampa Bay Derby

(G3), and held Hard Spun and Curlin to second and third, respectively, in the

Haskell. He finished behind all three when sixth in the Breeders' Cup Classic

(G1) in what has turned out to be his career finale.

The dark bay also owns wins in the Dwyer S. (G2), Brooklyn H. (G2) and Sam F.

Davis. from this year, along with a third in the Wood Memorial S. (G1). He was

second in the Kentucky Jockey Club S. (G2) when making his stakes debut as a

juvenile.

Any Given Saturday will head to the breeding shed with an 11-6-2-1 record

having accumulated $1,083,533 in earnings.