Mr. Speaker Retired to Lane's End

It was announced today that 4-year-old Grade 1 winner Mr. Speaker (Pulpit) has been retired to Lane’s End for the 2016 season, joining Honor Code (A.P. Indy) and Liam’s Map (Unbridled’s Song) as new stallions on the roster.

When winning the Grade 1 Belmont Derby in 2014, Mr. Speaker defeated 10 other horses, with four eventual Grade or Group 1 winners and last year’s Breeders’ Cup Classic runner-up in the field. Among his other victories were the Grade 2 Commonwealth Cup Stakes, Grade 3 Coolmore Lexington Stakes, and Grade 3 Dania Beach Stakes. He retires with six victories and two other on-the-board finishes in 18 starts for $1,247,544 in earnings.

Mr. Speaker at Keeneland in April 2015

Mr. Speaker will be the sixth A.P. Indy son or grandson to sit on Lane’s End’s stallion roster for 2016 with the farm also having A.P. Indy’s son Honor Code visiting the shed for the first time next year. A.P. Indy stood at Lane’s End for his entire career and is currently pensioned at the farm. Mr. Speaker is bred on the same A.P. Indy over Unbridled cross as leading sire Tapit (Pulpit) while arguably having a stronger female family as that stallion.

His dam Salute (Unbridled) placed in the Grade 2 Demoiselle Stakes Tempted Stakes and Tempted Stakes and produced winners State Flag (Street Cry (IRE)) and Fire Away (War Front) in addition to Mr. Speaker. The mare also has a yearling colt named Snap Decision by Hard Spun and is in foal to Malibu Moon for 2016.

Salute is out of the great undefeated mare Personal Ensign, making her a half-sister to multiple producers including Our Emblem (Mr. Prospector) who sired dual-classic winner War Emblem; Pennant Champion (Mr. Prospector) who is the granddam of horses such as Ocho Ocho Ocho (Street Sense), Divine Oath (Broken Vow) (who ran second to Mr. Speaker in the Lexington) and Interactif (Broken Vow); and Breeders’ Cup winner My Flag (Easy Goer) who also produced another Breeders’ Cup winner in Storm Flag Flying (Storm Cat).
“I’ve been very lucky to train for Mr. Phipps for a long time, through that time I’ve trained most of this family. Mr Speaker has the same kind of class, quality & ability as the rest of that family. It’s remarkable how many good horses have developed from Personal Ensign,” said Shug McGaughey, who trained Mr. Speaker.
 
Mr. Speaker will stand for a fee of $10,000 in 2016. Look for an All Equine All the Time New Sires piece on him in the coming months.

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