Cairo Prince, the early spring favorite for the Grade 1 Kentucky Derby, has been officially retired from racing and will begin his stud career at Brereton and Elizabeth Jones’s Airdrie Stud in Midway, Kentucky as a partnership between Airdrie and Darley. Cairo Prince ascended to the top spot of the major Derby watch lists this year with his 5 ¾-length win in the Grade 2 Holy Bull Stakes, a race in which he defeated leading three-year-olds Wicked Strong and Intense Holiday. The win followed a two-year-old campaign that saw Cairo Prince win his first two races by open lengths, including an emphatic score in the Grade 2 Nashua Stakes, before finishing a nose short of the highly regarded Honor Code in the Grade 2 Remsen Stakes – a race in which he spotted all his rivals at minimum five pounds. The stretch duel in the Remsen would go down as one of 2013’s most memorable races.
Following his standout victory in this year’s Grade 2 Holy Bull Stakes- a race in which his 4 Ragozin Number remains the benchmark for 2014’s sophomores – Sheikh Mohammed’s Godolphin Stables purchased a majority interest in Cairo Prince from owners Namcook Stables, Paul Braverman, Harvey Clarke and Craig Robertson. Sent off the 6-5 favorite in the Grade 1 Florida Derby for the new partnership, Cairo Prince finished a disappointing fourth but was subsequently found to have suffered an injury that cut short his career.
Cairo Prince is the first son of the emerging sire star Pioneerof the Nile to stand at stud. A Grade 1 winner and leading three-year-old himself, Pioneerof the Nile stands atop America’s second-crop sire list and is the sire of the nation’s leading juvenile colt in two-time Grade 1 winner American Pharoah. A $250,000 yearling purchase by Steve Shahinian, Cairo Prince is out of the multiple stakes winning and graded-placed Holy Bull mare Holy Bubbette, also the dam of Grade 1 Frizette filly Nonna Mia and the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Sprint placed Holdin Bullets.
Airdrie’s Brereton Jones is bullish on Cairo Prince’s prospects at stud, “This is a horse that was an absolute top two-year-old and then showed the three-year-old brilliance to be the favorite for the Kentucky Derby. He’s also an absolutely gorgeous individual by one of the hottest young stallions in America. Everything is in place for him to be a top stallion and the commitment that Airdrie and Darley have made to the horse will help get him there.”
Cairo Prince will stand his first season in 2015 for a fee of $10,000 Stands and Nurses.
