NEWS
Minardi retired, to stand at Walmac International
Posted: Monday, November 05, 2001
Multiple Group 1 winner Minardi, a half brother to Tale of the Cat and closely related to Breeders' Cup Juvenile (G1) winner Johannesburg, has been retired and will enter stud in 2002 at John T. L. Jones Jr.'s Walmac International near Lexington. The three-year-old son of Boundary out of Yarn, by Mr. Prospector, will stand his initial season for $12,500.
Bred in Kentucky by Indian Creek, Minardi was purchased by Irish bloodstock agent Demi O'Byrne for $1,650,000 at the 1999 Keeneland September yearling sale. Campaigned by Coolmore's Susan Magnier and Michael Tabor, Minardi won two of eight career starts with one second and one third and earned $291,017.
Highweighted at two on the English and Irish Free Handicaps, Minardi won the 2000 Middle Park Stakes (Eng-G1) at Newmarket and Phoenix Stakes (Ire-G1) at Leopardstown for trainer Aidan O'Brien. He failed to win in five starts as a three-year-old but finished third behind stablemates Black Minnaloushe and Mozart (Ire) in the Irish Two Thousand Guineas (Ire-G1) at the Curragh.
Minardi is one of three stakes winners and five overall winners produced by Yarn, a full sister to Grade 1 winner Preach, who is the dam of young sire Pulpit. Yarn is also the dam of Grade 2 winner and current Ashford Stud stallion Tale of the Cat and stakes winner Spunoutacontrol, as well as the winning Ogygian mare Myth, who produced Johannesburg as her first foal.
