Citronnade retires a winner

Citronnade began and ended the year on a winning note (Benoit Photo)

Grade 1 heroine CITRONNADE (Lemon Drop Kid) has been retired and will now

head to the breeding shed after suffering a slight injury when taking the Dahlia

H. (G2) on Sunday, Dan Hall told The Blood-Horse.

"She was four, getting ready to turn five, and she had a little minor injury

after the race, but even if she hadn't, we were still kicking it around what to

do, whether to run her again next year or to go on and retire her," Hall

explained. "She had become a Grade 1 winner and had had such a good year this

year."

Citronnade captured five of her seven starts in 2007, including the San

Gorgonio H. (G2), Santa Ana H. (G2), Gamely Breeders' Cup S. (G1) and Beverly

Hills H. (G2), which were won in succession. In the Dahlia last out, the bay

easily took command early in the race and went on to post a two-length victory.

She was second in the Yellow Ribbon S. (G1) prior to the Dahlia, and her only

off-the-board placing came as a fourth over the good going in the Beverly D. S.

(G1) at Arlington in mid-August. The four-year-old miss opened her stakes

account with wins in the Graceful Darby S. and Audrey Skirball-Kenis S. in 2006.