Two-time Kentucky Oaks winning sire Proud Citizen was euthanized on June 4th at Brereton and Elizabeth Jones’s Airdrie Stud. A sire of nearly $35,000,000 in progeny earnings, Proud Citizen’s stallion career was highlighted by the exploits of his two Grade 1 Kentucky Oaks winning fillies Proud Spell and Believe You Can – both of which were bred and raced by Airdrie. Proud Spell’s victory in the 2008 Oaks helped her secure that year’s Eclipse Award as Champion 3-year-old Filly, while Believe You Can was retired with more than $1.2 Million in earnings. His talented Grade II Peter Pan Stakes winning son Mark Valeski also raced in the Airdrie colors and currently stands in partnership with Woodford Thoroughbreds in Reddick, Florida. Other graded stakes winners of note include Went the Day Well, Miz Ida, It Happened Again, River Proud and the South American Champion and Santa Anita Grade 2 winner Vamo a Galupiar.
Proud Citizen had been treated for chronic laminitis since 2012, but had remained comfortable under the care of Dr. Scott Morrison until taking a turn for the worse late last week. “No one could have done a better job for a horse than Dr. Morrison. He and our stallion team kept Proud Citizen happy and healthy over the last few years, and when the stallion’s condition began to worsen last week we made sure that he was treated humanely,” said Airdrie’s Brereton Jones.
“We’ve been very fortunate to stand some top stallions over the years, but I don’t think any have ever brought us more joy or left us with greater memories than did Proud Citizen. He was unbelievably good to us and there was not a kinder or more personable horse in the stallion barn. We are forever grateful to him and he will be greatly missed by our Airdrie family.”
