Five-time grade 1 winner and champion Idiomatic, who was positioned to defend her title in the Breeders' Cup Distaff (G1), was found to be lame the morning of Oct. 25 and an issue, that should heal readily, was identified in her left knee. Owner/breeder Juddmonte Farms said it had decided to retire the 5-year-old daughter of Curlin .
"Unfortunately, it will rule her out of running in the Breeders' Cup and it has been decided to retire her to stud," said a statement from Juddmonte. "Idiomatic was a model of consistency who elevated herself to grade 1 level and stayed there for two exciting campaigns. Her power, ability, and honesty were exciting characteristics. This is the first time she has been sidelined, which is a tribute to her soundness."
Trainer Brad Cox said the issue was discovered during her routine inspection prior to training Friday morning.
"We found something different," Cox said of how she was moving during her trot on the pavement outside of his Churchill Downs barn. "We immediately took x-rays and saw something was brewing. Nothing major at all, just needs time but obviously the timing is awful in regards to trying to bring her back. It is what it is but I'm glad we caught it before it became worse than it did."
Garrett O'Rourke, manager of Juddmonte USA, said everyone was looking forward to the showdown between Idiomatic, who won the La Troienne Stakes (G1) and Spinster Stakes (G1) this year, and four-time grade 1 winner Thorpedo Anna, whose elite victories include the Kentucky Oaks (G1).
"These are tough decisions to swallow, but they are easy decisions to make," O'Rourke said. "It's with total admiration for the filly to do the right thing for her and now look forward to her broodmare career."
Idiomatic's injury is relatively minor, according to O'Rourke, and in another horse could be healed in a couple months with the capability of returning to racing.
"It is a timing thing," he said. "We gave her an extra year and had great fun with her. We were hoping to end it on the same note at the Breeders' Cup.
"We have given her deserved breaks before but none that we were forced to give her," O'Rourke continued. "Last year, we gave her time off and turned her out. Some of them show their aches and pains when they come back and she didn't. After her time off, she came back perfect and bounced right back into grade 1 form. She has gone through two full campaigns and performed at the very top and that is very admirable in this game."
Cox said Idiomatic has meant a lot to his career. Although difficult to turn the page after losing a champion, Cox is already hopeful for the future as her 2-year-old Into Mischief half sister Chasten just joined his Churchill Downs barn Oct. 24.
"She's been very good for us. For her to come back at age 5 and accomplish what she did was amazing," Cox said. "I'm very proud of her career. I'm excited about getting her shipped off, bred, and maybe at some point down the road train a few of her babies.
"She taught us to be patient, she rewarded us for being patient to start her career. She's been a very talented, hard-knocking filly."
No decisions have been made regarding potential mates for the champion older mare of 2023.
"We have to discuss that with the family but the easy thing with these elite mares is there are only a few elite stallions good enough for her," O'Rourke said. "I don't think it will be a difficult decision whatever we settle on."
Idiomatic is out of Lockdown, a stakes winner by First Defence and a full sister to multiple grade 1 winner and 2014 champion older mare Close Hatches. Also entered in this year's Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Sprint (G1) is Scylla, a Juddmonte homebred daughter of Tapit out of Close Hatches.
Idiomatic thrived in routes of nine furlongs and longer. O'Rourke said he recalled a conversation with Cox after the then-4-year-old launched her 2023 campaign with a 6 1/4-length win in a 1 1/4-mile allowance race at Turfway Park. The only black-type race for her around that distance to aim for was the 1 3/16-mile Delaware Handicap (G2).
"We were not sure she was up to that. At the time, we thought that was a pie-in-sky goal and look what she kept on doing," O'Rourke said. "Once we got her around two turns and got that stride going, she got good and stayed good to the very end."
Idiomatic won the 2023 Delaware Handicap is near-gate-to-wire fashion by a head and followed with consecutive wins in the Personal Ensign Stakes (G1), Spinster Stakes (G1), and the Breeders' Cup Distaff. This year she launched her 4-year-old campaign with a 3 3/4-length romp in the La Troienne. She would later bookend a win in the Molly Pitcher Stakes (G3) with second-place finishes in the Ogden Phipps Stakes (G1) and the Personal Ensign, both by a head. She then appeared to be in top form to repeat in the Breeders' Cup Distaff with a 6 1/2-length win in the Spinster.
She retires with a 12-3-2 record from 17 starts and $3,944,190 in earnings.
