Horse Racing
Jim Dunleavy | Daily Racing Form 8y

Cathryn Sophia out of Cup

Horse Racing

Cathryn Sophia, winner of this year's Kentucky Oaks, will not compete in the Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Sprint as scheduled. She instead will be sold at the Fasig-Tipton November sale in Lexington, Ky.

Chuck Zacney, the owner of Cathryn Sophia, entered her in the sale in August. On Thursday evening, Zacney confirmed he has decided to sell her at the auction. Cathryn Sophia will be part of the Taylor Made Sales Agency consignment.

Zacney purchased Cathryn Sophia for $30,000 at the Fasig-Tipton Midlantic fall yearling sale at Timonium in 2014. She is the second young horse he has bought at a bargain price. In 2004, he paid $75,000 for Afleet Alex as a 2-year-old. He went on to win the Grade 1 Hopeful, Grade 2 Arkansas Derby, Preakness, and Belmont Stakes.

"I have a few mares that I breed to Afleet Alex," Zacney said. "But I'm enjoying racing again, and Cathryn Sophia does have some value to her. I've decided to take some chips off the table and put her through the sale. We have some nice 2-year-olds, and we've bought some yearlings. I'm excited about the future."

Cathryn Sophia, who is trained by John Servis, worked a half-mile in 47.40 seconds at Parx Racing on Wednesday. It was her first workout since she finished third behind Songbird and Carina Mia in the Grade 1 Cotillion at Parx on Sept. 24.

Servis said the workout was not as good as he hoped and the decision was made to retire the daughter of Street Boss.

"Her white blood count was a little high after the Grade 1 Cotillion Stakes," Servis said in a release issued by Taylor Made. "I watched her very closely after the race and actually she recovered from that remarkably fast. I gave her a little work yesterday which I thought was solid, but I really wanted to see spectacular. Horses of this quality are a rarity and you have to take care of them."

Cathryn Sophia won 6 of 9 starts and earned more than $1.2 million. She won the Grade 2 Forward Gal and Grade 2 Davona Dale at Gulfstream Park last winter and then moved on to Kentucky, where she finished a close third in the Grade 1 Ashland and then won the Oaks by 2-3/4 lengths.

Her other two stakes wins came in the $150,000 Princess of Sylmar, a race she won easily three weeks prior to the Cotillion, and the Gin Talking at Laurel Park as a 2-year-old.

"It's a tough game, a rough business," Zacney said about retiring Cathryn Sophia. "I'm going to miss her a lot but we had a great run. Being center stage at Churchill Downs and winning the Kentucky Oaks was an amazing experience."

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