Multiple graded stakes winner and Grade 1-placed Messier will take up stud duties in 2025 at Rockridge Stud in Hudson through a deal brokered by Matt Bowling of Bowling Bloodstock.The Sam-Son Farm homebred was purchased at the Fasig-Tipton Selected Yearling Showcase by Donato Lanni on behalf of SF Bloodstock, Madaket Stables and Starlight Racing for $470,000 – the highest-priced Empire Maker sold that year.Second in his debut at 2, he broke his maiden in his second start in a maiden special weight, winning by 6 1/2 lengths. Messier’s next start was the Grade 3 Bob Hope, where he bested Forbidden Kingdom by 3 1/2 lengths, followed by a second-place finish in the Grade 2 Los Alamitos Futurity
Messier’s best race came in his 3-year-old debut – a resounding victory in the Grade 3 Robert B. Lewis by 15 lengths to earn a 103 Beyer. He secured his place in the Grade 1 Kentucky Derby with a second-place finish behind Taiba in the Grade 1 Santa Anita Derby. Messier returned to top form with a runner-up finish in this year’s Excelsior Stakes at Aqueduct in March, followed up a few weeks later with a win in the Grade 3 Westchester at the Belmont at the Big A meeting.
Messier retired with a record of 4-5-1 in 15 starts and earnings of $593,690. “Messier was an exceptionally athletic colt with a very high cruising speed,” said SF Racing’s Tom Ryan. “He won graded stakes races at ages 2 and 3 and again at age 5. His performance in the Bob Lewis was outstanding, stopping the clock at 1:42.4 and winning by 15 lengths with a 103 Beyer. He is an exciting addition to the stallion ranks in New York.”