Never Retreat retired

by Brisnet.com

Never Retreat, who had been scheduled to make her final career start in next

Saturday's Grade 3, $100,000 Marshua's River Stakes at Gulfstream Park, has been

retired and on her way to Lexington, Kentucky, for a date with War Front.

The six-year-old turf star had originally been scheduled to retire after the

Grade 1 Matriarch Stakes on November 25. A third-place finish as the odds-on

favorite at Hollywood Park prompted trainer Chris Block to give Never Retreat a

chance to retire with a victory in the Marshua's River.

"She had a little issue in the foot that caused her to miss a work or two, so

we decided to go ahead and retire her," Block said. "It would have been her last

race anyway if we had made it. She's on the way to Lexington to be bred."

Purchased privately following her three-year-old season, the daughter of

Smart Strike won seven stakes for Team Block, including five graded stakes. All

of her graded stakes triumphs, including a Grade 1 score in the First Lady

Stakes at Keeneland on October 8 came last year, starting with a length victory

in the Grade 3 Honey Fox Stakes at Gulfstream on March 5.

"The Honey Fox last year at Gulfstream kind of jump started her season. We

learned something about her that day that she doesn't necessarily be back off

the pace. She could be forwardly placed. That's what we used going forward for

her races for the rest of the season," Block said. "We kind of forwardly placed

her and that seemed to be where she enjoy and ran her best."

Her Grade 1 victory, of course, was the highlight of her career.

"Our expectations were to win a Grade 3 with her when we bought her and never

expected to win a Grade 1," said Block, who has also recently retired Giant Oak,

the winner of last year's Grade 1 Donn Handicap at Gulfstream Park.

Never Retreat's other major wins last season were the Dance Smartly Stakes

and Canadian Stakes at Woodbine, and the Jenny Wiley Stakes at Keeneland, all

Grade 2 events.

She retires with a mark of 32-11-7-7, $1,298,769.