Obituary: Arrogate

The racing world was shocked and saddened this morning by this news:  Leading money winner and champion racehorse Arrogate, 7, had to be euthanized because of an issue with his neck, it was announced by Juddmonte Farm, for which the champ raced.  The exact cause of death has not been determined, but he could not get up as a result of the neck problem.  He won the 2016 Travers and the Breeders' Cup Classic.

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Like Justify, he was unraced as a two-year-old.  Also like Justify, and, for that matter, American Pharoah, he was trained by the ubiquitous Bob Baffert.

He won seven races out of 11 and amassed a record $17 million.

Unraced until April of his 3-year-old season, Arrogate finished third on debut for trainer Bob Baffert, then he won each of his next seven starts. He made his stakes debut in the middle of that streak, shipping from Southern California to Saratoga to test the Grade 1 Travers Stakes and winning by 13 1/2 lengths.

In addition to besting that year's Preakness Stakes winner (Exaggerator) and Belmont Stakes winner (Creator), Arrogate set a new track record for a mile and a quarter in the Travers, stopping the clock in 1:59.36. The previous record of 2:00 flat, set by General Assembly, had stood since Aug. 18, 1979.

Arrogate moved on to the 2016 Breeders' Cup Classic at Santa Anita Park, where he bested California Chrome by a half-length. The winning duo were 10 3/4 lengths clear of the third-place finisher.

The Travers Stakes and Breeders' Cup Classic victories were enough to secure Arrogate the Eclipse Award for champion 3-year-old male. He was also a finalist for Horse of the Year, finishing second in the voting to California Chrome.

The 2016 Travers, which he broke the nearly 40-year record set by Secretariat son General Assembly:




The 2016 Breeders' Cup Classic, beating California Chrome: