Beautiful Pleasure to be bred to Thunder Gulch
John Oxley's champion Beautiful Pleasure, who was retired earlier this year, will be bred to champion and dual classic winner Thunder Gulch next year.Beautiful Pleasure, who used her victory in the 1999 Breeders' Cup Distaff (G1) as part of a campaign that culminated with an Eclipse Award as outstanding older mare, retired with ten wins in 25 starts with five seconds and two thirds for earnings of $2,734,078.
Trained by John T. Ward Jr., the six-year-old daughter of Maudlin finished sixth in the Beldame Stakes (G1) on October 6 at Belmont Park in her final career start. Her victories included the 1999 Beldame, Personal Ensign Handicap (G1), 2000 Personal Ensign and Hempstead Handicap (G1), and '97 Matron Stakes (G1).
Thunder Gulch won seven races in 1995 including the Kentucky Derby (G1), Belmont Stakes (G1), and Travers Stakes (G1) en route to year-end honors as champion three-year-old colt. From three Northern and Southern Hemisphere-sired crops, he is represented by 11 group/graded stakes winners including Preakness Stakes (G1) and Belmont winner Point Given and last year's Distaff winner Spain.
The nine-year-old son of Gulch stands at Ashford Stud near Versailles, Kentucky and shuttles to Coolmore Stud's Australia division.