GEORGETOWN, KY – OCTOBER 28, 2020 – Five-time Grade 1 winner Einstein has died.
The 18-year-old son of Kentucky Derby winner Spend a Buck had been pensioned at Old Friends Thoroughbred Retirement Farm in Georgetown, KY, since 2019. He was euthanized this morning at Park Equine Hospital due to complications of cancer.
Michael Blowen, founder and president of Old Friends, made the announcement this morning.
Trained by Helen Pitts, Einstein (Spend a Buck--Gay Charm, by Ghadeer) captured the 2009 Santa Anita Handicap (gr. I) and four grade I stakes on turf, including back-to-back triumphs in the Woodford Reserve Turf Classic at Churchill Downs.
Other wins included the 2008 Clark Handicap (gr. II), also at Churchill, and the Mervin H. Muniz Jr. Memorial Handicap (gr. IIT) at Fair Grounds. Einstein was among the first to have victories on all three track surfaces: dirt, turf, and synthetic.
In all Einstein made 27 starts, winning 11 races. He won or placed in 13 stakes, all of which were graded, and his career earnings totaled $2,703,324.
Einstein retired from racing in 2010 to stand at The Stronach Group’s Adena Springs near Paris, KY. He later stood at Adena Springs North in Ontario, Canada, and at Magali Farms near Santa Ynez, CA.
His top runners include grade III winner Rankhasprivileges and multiple-stakes-placed E Equalsmcsquared. In 2019 Einstein was retired by Adena Springs to the non-profit organization.
“When we first retired Einstein, he was diagnosed with a tumor,” noted Old Friends’s Blowen. “Dr. Rhodes Bell of Park Equine performed a delicate operation and removed the tumor. The procedure allowed Einstein to enjoy more than a year of happy life with Old Friends before the fast-growing tumors re-occurred over the weekend.
“Einstein was as classy and smart as he was handsome," Blowen added. "He was a farm favorite, and he was especially fond of John Bradley. I wished we could have taken care of him for another decade.”
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