Will Take Charge retires with injury

LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- Will Take Charge, last year's 3-year-old male champion whose career included wins in the Travers and Pennsylvania Derby, has been retired because of a mild strain in his leg.

He will stand at Three Chimneys Farm in Midway, Kentucky. The chestnut colt with the white blaze had seven wins in 21 career starts and earnings of $3,924,648.

Trained by Hall of Famer Wayne Lukas, Will Take Charge lost by a nose to Mucho Macho Man in last year's $5 million Breeders' Cup Classic. Lukas said Sunday that Will Take Charge's retirement is particularly disappointing because he was being pointed toward this year's Classic at Santa Anita on Nov. 1.

As a 4-year-old this year, Will Take Charge won the Grade 2 Oaklawn Handicap, and finished second in a trio of Grade 1 races: the Donn Handicap, Santa Anita Handicap and Stephen Foster Handicap. He finished third in his last start, the Grade 1 Whitney on Aug. 2.

Last year, Will Take Charge won the Grade 1 Travers and Clark Handicap, Grade 2 Pennsylvania Derby and Rebel Stakes, and the Smarty Jones. He ran 11 times in 11 months at eight different tracks.

Will Take Charge was owned by Willis Horton of Marshall and Three Chimneys Farm, Horton to campaign for breeding. A stud fee for the 2015 breeding season hasn't yet been announced.

Sports on 09/23/2014

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