'This is the most beautiful horse I have ever seen' - Arcangelo to stand at Lane's End

Arcangelo, the multiple Grade 1 winner and leading contender for champion three-year-old male, will enter stud at Lane's End Farm upon conclusion of his racing career.

Campaigned by Jon Ebbert's Blue Rose Farm and trained by Jena Antonucci, Arcangelo has not lost since breaking his maiden in March in a one-mile maiden special weight at Gulfstream Park by three and a half lengths

He prevailed in the Grade 3 Peter Pan Stakes at Belmont Park, edging out favourite Bishops Bay,  earning a 97 Equibase Speed Figure in his stakes debut. He then followed in the path of A.P. Indy and Tonalist  by annexing the Belmont Stakes, defeating five Grade 1 winners, including champion two-year-old male Forte. Arcangelo earned a 100 ESF and made Antonucci the first female trainer to win a Triple Crown race.

Arcangelo followed up his breakout performance in the Belmont with a win in the Travers Stakes at Saratoga, just like his late sire Arrogate, boosting his career earnings to $1,754,900. Defeating both the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes winners, he earned a 103 ESF. 

This performance propelled him to the top of the three-year-old division, making him the likely favourite for the Breeders' Cup Classic at Santa Anita on November 4

Ebbert said: "It has been a surreal experience to own a horse of this magnitude. The day I laid eyes on him at the yearling sale, I said to myself that this is the most beautiful horse I have ever seen. I'm so blessed the way everything unfolded and so appreciative of my team. 

“To win the Belmont, the Travers, and looking as the possible favourite in the Breeders' Cup is incredible. From the beginning of this journey, I tried to make every right decision for this horse, and now I have another important one to make. Upon his retirement, I've chosen Lane's End as the perfect fit for his stallion career.”

Antonucci said: "Having the opportunity to steward Arcangelo thus far in his racing career has been the absolute blessing of a lifetime, for which I will be eternally grateful. Watching him grow into his mental and physical greatness has been remarkable. We will be excited to see the talent of his progeny and watching Arcangelo pass along his innate ability, talent, and desire to be a champion.” 

By champion Arrogate, the sire of five Grade 1 winners in his brief career at stud, Arcangelo was bred by Don Alberto Corporation. His dam, Modeling, by Tapit, was a $2.85 million Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale broodmare purchase. 

Modeling is a half sister to Streaming, winner of the Grade 1 Hollywood Starlet Stakes. She hails from the family of Broodmare of the Year and prolific producer Better Than Honour, the dam of back-to-back Belmont winners Rags To Riches and Jazil.

"Arcangelo's historic three-year-old campaign fits a profile that we are very familiar with on our stallion roster," said Lane's End's Bill Farish, 

"There's no doubt that Arrogate's brief career at stud has had a major impact on racing, and the opportunity to stand a classic-winning son of his with such a deep pedigree makes Arcangelo an exciting and unique prospect for Lane's End."

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