by Jeff Lowe

Gorella (Fr), the 2006 Beverly D. Stakes (G1) winner and Eclipse Award finalist, has been retired following the detection of an ankle chip.  

Breeding plans have not been finalized for the five-year-old Grape Tree Road (Fr) mare out of Exciting Times, by Jeune Homme.

Gorella was in training at Keeneland Race Course when the injury was discovered on March 1. She was sent to Bluewater Farm in Lexington on Monday.

“I was hoping she was going to have another great year,” said owner Martin Schwartz, who withdrew Gorella from Bluewater’s consignment in the 2006 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky fall mixed sale. “We could have taken the chip out, but I didn’t want her to go downhill.”

Schwartz said he would consider selling Gorella privately before she is bred this spring.

“I love horse racing; I’m not a breeder,” he said. “I’ll breed her if I have to, but I’d rather sell her. It’s got to be at the right price. I’d like to take the capital and re-load.”

Trained by Patrick Biancone, Gorella scored consecutive victories in the 2006 Just a Game Breeders’ Cup Handicap (G2) at Belmont Park, Beverly D. at Arlington Park, and First Lady Stakes (G2) at Keeneland Race Course before finishing seventh to Miesque’s Approval in the NetJets Breeders’ Cup Mile (G1) at Churchill Downs. She finished second to Ouija Board (GB) in Eclipse Award voting for champion turf female.

“I got a tremendous enjoyment out of watching her run, not only because I owned her but because she was such a great athlete,” Schwartz said. “It’s fun to watch great horses run, and how often do you get such a wonderful horse that’s so honest? I was heartbroken [about the injury] and I was numb for a couple of days.”

Schwartz purchased Gorella privately after she won the 2005 Prix de Sandringham (Fr-G2) and finished second to Starcraft (NZ) as a three-year-old facing older males in the NetJets Prix du Moulin de Longchamp (Fr-G1). She finished a close third to Sweet Talker in the Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup Stakes (G1) at Keeneland in her North American debut and then finished third to Artie Schiller in the Breeders’ Cup Mile at Belmont Park.

Bred in France by E.A.R.L. Elevage De La Source, Gorella won seven of 17 career starts and earned $1,456,209.

Jeff Lowe is a Thoroughbred Times staff writer