Shadow Play retired

Dr. Ian Moore has announced that 2008 Little Brown Jug and Adios winner Shadow Play has been retired, with the son of The Panderosa already at Blue Chip Farms in New York awaiting the beginning of his stallion career. Shadow Play retires with 20 wins in 49 career starts, including a career-best 1:47.4 effort, and $1,549,881 in earnings.

Writing in a blog on the Standardbred Canada website, Moore said the decision to retire Shadow Play came “after two less than Shadow performances at Lexington recently,” noting the colt’s fifth and sixth-place finishes in the Allerage elim and final, respectively.

Last year, Shadow Play developed a problem in his right front foot on Jug day, and Moore said since then “it has been one thing after another.”

Despite his health issues, Shadow Play won three of 11 starts this year, including his career-best win in the $328,750 U.S. Pacing Championship on Hambletonian day Aug. 8 at the Meadowlands. His 1:48.2 win in an Adios elimination at The Meadows set a new world record for 3-year-old colt pacers on a five-eighths mile track.

“Myself especially, but also my partners Ron and Gail MacLellan, Serge Savard and this year’s partner, Blue Chip Farm, have all enjoyed the ride Shadow gave us the past three years, and we are all anxiously awaiting the start of his new career,” said Moore.

“The many moments of enjoyment and all the time myself and family personally spent with Shadow throughout his training and racing career, will never be forgotten and we certainly thank him for that,” he added. “When I was leaving Lexington a week ago Sunday, I stopped in to feed him one last time at five in the morning on my way to the airport, and I certainly shed a tear as I walked back to my car.

“Blue Chip Farm has a beautiful facility with excellent people there, and I do know he will be well looked after, and that's really all that matters. So long, Shadow.”

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