NEWS
Multiple Grade 1 winner Defensive Play dies
Posted: Thursday, December 06, 2007 5:55 PM
by Jeff Lowe
Defensive Play, a Grade 1 winner on dirt and turf in the early 1990s and the broodmare sire of Emirates Melbourne Cup (Aus-G1) winner Efficient, died on November 20 at JDL Farm in Vaughn, Montana. He was 20.
The Fappiano horse out of Grade 1 winner Safe Play, by Sham, had arrived at the farm a few months back after standing seven seasons at Woodstead Farm in Washington.
Bred and raced by Juddmonte Farms, Defensive Play won the 1990 Man o’ War Stakes (G1) at Belmont Park in his first start in the United States.
After being transferred to trainer Shug McGaughey’s care, Defensive Play registered a head victory in the Charles H. Strub Stakes (G1) on the dirt at Santa Anita Park over My Boy Adam.
Later moved to Bobby Frankel’s barn, Defensive Play won the 1992 Excelsior Handicap (G2) at Aqueduct and finished second in the Oak Tree Invitational Stakes (G1), Californian Stakes (G1), and Pacific Classic Stakes.
Defensive Play stood at Payson Stud in Lexington and Waikato Stud in New Zealand from 1993 to 1999. He is the sire of 2000 South African champion three-year-old filly Mythical Play, Australian Group 1 winner Millward, and 11 other stakes winners.
Defensive Play sired 246 winners from 384 starters who earned $12,870,209 through Wednesday. His daughter Refuse The Dance produced Efficient, a Zabeel gelding who won the 2006 AAMI Victoria Derby (Aus-G1) and scored by a half-length in the Melbourne Cup on November 6.
Bred in Kentucky, Defensive Play won six of 26 career starts and earned $1,688,631.
Jeff Lowe is a Thoroughbred Times staff writer
