by Ed DeRosa

Vindication, the undefeated two-year-old male champion of 2002 and the last son of Seattle Slew to enter stud, died on Thursday morning at Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital from an irreparable gastric rupture.

The eight-year-old out of Grade 3-winner Strawberry Reason, by Strawberry Road (Aus), had just completed his fifth season at stud at Hill 'n' Dale Farms. His first crop is now three years old and includes Grade 2 winner More Happy, stakes winner Ferragamo, and impressive maiden winner Maimonides who finished third in last year’s Hopeful Stakes (G1).

“It was an enormous coup for the farm to purchase and stand an undefeated Breeders’ Cup winner and Eclipse champion,” said Hill ‘n’ Dale President John G. Sikura. “It moved us to the upper echelon of stallion business. We’re immensely gratified that Padua chose to give us that vote of confidence to stand a horse that everyone wanted and had such great promise.”

Vindication raced for Satish and Anne Sanan’s Padua Stables and burst on the scene in summer 2002 for trainer Bob Baffert by winning a maiden race on July 27 at Del Mar by 5 1/2 lengths.

Vindication reeled off three more victories en route to championship honors that year, including a 2 3/4-length win in the Bessemer Trust Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (G1) in which he defeated international Group 1 winner Hold That Tiger, eventual Canadian Triple Crown winner Wando, and multiple Grade 1 winner Toccet.

Padua purchased Vindication for $2.15-million at the 2001 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga selected yearling sale, and the colt earned $680,950 during his race career. Satish Sanan named the yearling because he thought his success on the track would bring vindication for previous failures in the industry.

Injuries kept Vindication from competing in the Triple Crown in 2003, and an attempted comeback in late summer of that year came up short in getting the champion ready for that year’s Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1). He entered stud in 2004 with a fee of $50,000, which increased by 20% to $60,000 for his last four seasons.

“His yearlings were immensely popular at the sale and [as two-year-olds] got off to a great start on the racetrack,” Sikura said. “He had a bit of bad luck with a few promising juveniles getting hurt or sick. We were really looking forward to him being an important and successful sire.”

Vindication sired 119 registered three-year-olds, 110 two-year-olds, and 101 yearlings. He covered 127 mares last year. Vindication’s 83 starters through July 9 include 41 winners and have earned $2,061,281.

Hill ‘n’ Dale is also the final resting place of Triple Crown winner Seattle Slew.

To view Vindication's page in the Thoroughbred Times Interactive Stallion Directory, click here.

Ed DeRosa is news editor of Thoroughbred Times