'He's doing great' - Coolmore's Epicenter off to good start at Ashford Stud

Nearly four months after suffering a career-ending injury in the 2022 Breeders' Cup Classic, champion three-year-old male Epicenter is making a harmonious transition to life as a stallion and has already serviced about 30 mares at Coolmore America's Ashford Stud in Kentucky.

"Epicenter is doing great," said David Fiske, racing manager for Winchell Thoroughbreds, which owned and raced the son of Not This Time. 

"I heard he has bred about 30 mares and the first ones are due to be scoped this weekend to see if they are in foal."

Fiske said he expects the four-year-old to be bred to about 200 mares during his first season at stud.

"He gets hand-walked for at least 45 minutes a day and came through everything great," he said.

Epicenter, a $260,000 purchase from the Bettersworth Westwind Farms consignment at the Keeneland September Yearling Sale, won six of 11 starts for Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen, his career highlighted by a victory in the 2022 Travers Stakes and seconds in the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes. The Westwind Farms-bred colt earned $2,940,639.

He suffered a lateral condylar fracture to his right foreleg in the November 5 Breeders' Cup Classic and underwent surgery at Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital the next day. Equine surgeon Dr Larry Bramlage inserted two screws in the leg to stabilise it, though they broke and had to be re-inserted in December.

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