World champ to Blue Chip

World Champion American Ideal p,3,1:47.4 ($786,055) has been retired from racing and will begin his stud career in 2007 at Blue Chip Farms in New York, it was announced today. The announcement comes from his owners, Brittany Farms, Blue Chip Stallions, Mac Nichol and the American Ideal Stable.

Brittany Farms’ owner George Segal said American Ideal’s partners didn’t want to jeopardize the horse’s stud career by continuing to race him this season and risking further injury. The 4-year-old American Ideal has been bothered with hind cannon bruises this season.

“This is truly one of the best pacing colts I’ve ever owned,” said Segal. “Since he’s out of a daughter of Three Diamonds, he has a special place in my heart. I really look forward to breeding great mares to him and racing his foals down the road,” he added.

American Ideal gained worldwide fame with his breathtaking performance last year at Lexington’s Red Mile, where he won the Bluegrass Stakes in 1:47.4, the fastest mile ever recorded by a three-year-old pacer. That was also the fastest pacing mile of 2005, regardless of age, a distinction he also holds over the half-mile track, with a mark of 1:50.3 set taking the Confederation Cup over his home track at Flamboro Downs.

The Casie Coleman trainee also set a track record at the Meadowlands earlier that season when he won the Oliver Wendell Holmes by five lengths over Rocknroll Hanover in 1:48.3. He set seven new track or season’s records in all in 2005 and won or placed in 10 stakes races.

His future career as a stallion, from both a racing and pedigree standpoint, offers incredible promise, as he is one of three world champions from the first crop of Western Ideal (by Western Hanover), and from a daughter of the great pacing mare and producer Three Diamonds.

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