Roses In May

Roses In May (foaled February 9, 2000) is an American thoroughbred racehorse. Roses In May made 13 starts and won 8 of them, placing in four. He retired with career earnings of $5,490,187,^[1] much of this money coming from his win in the 2005 Dubai World Cup.

Background

He was bred by Margaux Farm in Midway, Kentucky and bought by Danzel Brendemuehl of Classic Bloodstock at the Keeneland Yearling Sale in September 2001 as a pinhook. Subsequently sold by Classic Bloodstock at the OBS April 2002 two-year-old in training sale and purchased by Dr. Dave Lambert on behalf of Ken and Sarah Ramsey who owned him during his racing career. He was trained by Dale Romans and ridden in his most important races by jockey John Velazquez.

Racing career

When he was four, he won the Grade I Whitney Handicap, the Grade II Kentucky Cup Classic Handicap, and the Grade III Cornhusker Breeders' Cup Handicap. He came second in that year's (2004) Grade I Breeders' Cup Classic to Horse of the Year, Ghostzapper.

At five years of age, after placing in the Grade I Donn Handicap, won by Saint Liam, Roses In May was sent to Dubai for the world's richest horse race, the US$6,000,000 Dubai World Cup at Nad Al Sheba Racecourse in Dubai. Roses In May was favoured to win in the 2,000 metre race despite a poor draw. Roses In May broke slowly, but made up the lost ground and moved round the outside of the field to take the lead in the straight. He needed "little encouragement" to draw clear and win by three lengths from Dynever and Choctaw Nation.^[2]

The horse was the forty-third international winner at the 2005 Dubai International Racing Carnival. The carnival began on January 20, 2005 and concluded with the race for the Cup. In all, 200 horses and their trainers from twenty countries came to Dubai to compete for a total of US$25,000,000 in prize-money.

His win in Dubai proved to be his last race: in August 2005, veterinarian Dr. Steve Allday determined that Roses In May had sustained a tendon injury, which ended is racing career.^[3]

Stud record

Roses In May was retired on August 19, 2005 when a tendon tear was discovered in his left foreleg. He now stands at Big Red Farm in Niikappu, Hokkaido, Japan at a stud fee of approximately $35,000.

The Ferdinand Fee

When Roses In May went to Japan, there was a clause in his contract called a "buy-back clause." Ever since the death of the racehorse, Ferdinand, who was sent to a slaughterhouse in Japan when his breeding days were done, the New York Owners and Breeder's Association, based in Saratoga Springs, New York, has begun asking for a small voluntary per-race charge (collected from owners of New York Breds) called the "Ferdinand Fee". These monies are intended for the Bluegrass Charities and the Thoroughbred Charities of America to help them fund race horse rescue and retirement groups. Some owners are now including buy-back clauses within their stallion contracts.

References