He was a super racehorse winning the Belmont Stakes and the Breeders Cup back when it was the richest race in the world.
Then they retired him.
He went to stud and became one of the greatest stallions ever to walk the earth. His name was A.P. Indy and today, he died at the ripe old age of 31.
A.P. Indy (Seattle Slew-Weekend Surprise), the stout staying grandson of Secretariat, was found dead in his paddock at Lane’s End in Kentucky.
He died peacefully.
He had 8 wins from 11 starts but raced against the best each run. He was a Gr 1 winner on 4 occasions.
He was inducted into the National Museum Hall Of Fame back in 2000.
But it was in the barn that he sored to the loftiest of heights.
He was the Leading Sire in North America in 2003 and 2006. He was the Leading Broodmare Sire of North America in 2015.
His best babies were Gr 1 winners: Pulpit; Bernardini; Rags To Riches; Take Charge Lady; Dreaming Of Julia; Secret Status; Mineshaft; Malibu Moon; Tempera and Flatter.
“Probably the thing that most struck me about A.P. Indy was that he was fearless,” said his trainer, Hall of Famer Neil Drysdale. “He had no fear of humans or other horses or anything. His legacy as a sire is remarkable. He introduced stamina into the breed.”
As a yearling, A.P. Indy was a sales topper. His pedigree is about the best in the world. He is a half-brother to the great multiple Gr 1 winner Summer Squall, as well as stakes winners Eavesdropper, Welcome Surprise and Honor Grades.
As a stallion, he sired 950 foals that raced, with 694 of them winning races. Of them, 156 won stakes races.
As mentioned, he won the Gr 1 Belmont Stakes, as did his father Seattle Slew, as did his grandfather Secretariat and to complete the hattrick, his son Rags To Riches did also.
R.I.P, A.P!
