NEWS
Champion Conduit sold to Japan for stud duty
Posted: Saturday, October 31, 2009 3:12 PM
Shigeyuki Okada of Big Red Farm in Japan has acquired U.S. champion and English classic winner Conduit (Ire) for stud duty, owner-breeder Ballymacoll Stud announced.
Winner of the 2008 Emirates Airline Breeders’ Cup Turf (G1) and a leading contender for this year’s race on November 7 at the Oak Tree meeting at Santa Anita Park, the four-year-old Dalakhani colt will continue to race for Ballymacoll Stud until the end of this season.
Conduit earned an automatic invitation to the Japan Cup (Jpn-G1) on November 29 with his victory in the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes (Eng-G1) on July 25 at Ascot. He was among 39 horses pre-entered on October 16 for the Japan Cup.
Trained by Sir Michael Stoute, Conduit captured last year’s Breeders’ Cup Turf by 1½ lengths at Santa Anita after rolling to a three-length triumph in the Ladbrokes St. Leger (Eng-G1) at Doncaster. He was voted the Eclipse Award winner as champion turf male.
The King George is the only win in four starts this year for Conduit, who finished third to Sea The Stars in the Coral Eclipse Stakes (Eng-G1) on July 4 after finishing second in his season debut in the Blue Square Brigadier Gerard Stakes (Eng-G3) on May 28, both at Sandown. He finished fourth to Sea The Stars in the Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe on October 4 at Longchamp.
A three-quarter brother to Group 2 winner Hard Top (Ire), Conduit is out of the unraced Sadler’s Wells mare Well Head. He has posted six wins, two seconds, and three thirds in 13 career starts while bankrolling $3,756,913. He will stand alongside 2005 Emirates Airline Dubai World Cup (UAE-G1) winner Roses in May at Big Red Farm on Japan’s island of Hokkaido.
