by Michael Burns

Juddmonte Farms’ homebred multiple Grade 1 winner Aptitude will shuttle to South America for the upcoming Southern Hemisphere breeding season to stand at Haras Vacacion in Argentina.

A ten-year-old A.P. Indy horse out of multiple Grade 1 producer Dokki, by Northern Dancer, Aptitude stands at Juddmonte Farms in Lexington, for $20,000. He entered stud in 2002.

Aptitude won or placed in eight stakes events during his career. He won five of 15 career starts with four seconds and two thirds for earnings of $1,965,410.

Aptitude finished second in both the 2000 Kentucky Derby (G1) and Belmont Stakes (G1), and captured the 2001 Jockey Club Gold Cup Stakes (G1) by ten lengths at Belmont Park. Aptitude also won the ’01 Hollywood Gold Cup (G1).

In three crops of racing age, Aptitude has sired 58 winners from 127 starters that have earned $4,677,673 through Tuesday. Among his top progeny are Great Hunter, winner of the 2006 Lane's End Breeders’ Futurity (G1) and ’07 Robert B. Lewis Stakes (G2), Grade 3 winner Outperformance, Grade 2-placed stakes winner Amandatude, and ’06 Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands third-place finisher Steppenwolfer..

Michael Burns is a South America-based Thoroughbred Times correspondent