Art collector 1st place winner with more than $2.3 million in earnings, will stand at Claiborne Ranch near Paris, Ky., after he retires from racing.
A 5-year-old son of Bernardini Art Collector won 10 of 20 starts at various distances and surfaces for owner/raider Bruce Lunsford, featuring a pre-win at 1st place Woodward Stakes in 2021 He raced first or second on the first point of the call in eight of his 10 wins.
Walker Hancock of Claiborne said: “We are delighted to see another exciting prospect for our longtime client Bruce Lunsford. “Art Collector has the qualities we look for in a stallion and we believe he will be very warmly received by breeders in retirement.”
Art Collector has won graded bet races each year from ages 3-5. He rose to national prominence following a four-race winning streak in his 3-year-old season with coach Thomas Drury Jr., marked by a 3 1/2-length win in the Toyota Blue Grass. Staking (G2) at Keeneland overtake the final winner Preakness Stakes (G1) Swiss skydiver . He also leads at all times in the Derby Park Runhappy Ellis is listed to win by 3 1/4 lengths.
At the age of 4, Art Collector was transferred to trainer Bill Mott and continued another winning streak, starting with the top score in the Alydar Bet listed at Racecourse Saratoga. He then drew to win the Charles Town Classic (G2) with a length of 1 1/2.
Art Collector’s summer 2021 campaign culminated with a 1/2 length win in Woodward at Belmont Parkwhere he leads in every call to beat the 1st grade winners Maxfield and Honor code as well as classic placed Dr Post and class 3 winner Forza Di Oro .
Art Collector’s five-year-old campaign demonstrates that consistency, once again counting wins in Alydar and Charles Town Classic.
He won the best 107 Beyer Speed Figure of his career in Woodward; one of Beyer’s seven more than 100 attempts. Art Collector earned 121 Equibase Speed Figures in the 2021 Charles Town Classic and 120 in Woodward.
Art Collector is no longer the mare Funny Distortion won the level 1 bet Distorted legacy . A fee will be communicated to the Art Collector at a later date.
This press release has been edited for content and style by the BloodHorse Staff.
