West Point Thoroughbreds announced May 7 the retirement of Jaxon Traveler, a multiple graded stakes winner who collected at least one stakes victory every season from ages 2 to 7. Stud plans have not been finalized.
Trained by Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen, the son of Munnings out of the Afleet Alex mare Listen Boy retires sound with earnings of $1,131,643 from 37 career starts.
Purchased by David Ingordo for West Point at the 2020 Ocala Breeders' Spring Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training, Maryland-bred Jaxon Traveler broke his maiden at first asking and was 3-for-3 as a 2-year-old, capped by a victory in the Maryland Juvenile Futurity. The horse bred by Dr. and Mrs. A. Leonard Pineau was honored as Maryland-bred Champion 2-Year-Old in 2020 and Champion 3-Year-Old in 2021. Ten stakes wins are on his resume, most notably the 2022 Maryland Sprint Stakes (G3) at Pimlico Race Course and the 2024 Whitmore Stakes (G3) at Oaklawn Park.
"Jaxon Traveler has been an absolute dream to have in the barn," said Terry Finley, President and CEO of West Point Thoroughbreds. "Steve did a Hall of Fame job managing his career, getting aggressive at the right times and being conservative at the right times. As hard as it is to say goodbye to a horse who still walks the shedrow with such pride, we know it's prudent to avoid the 'one more race' mentality. That philosophy is a gift we give to horses like him."
Steve Asmussen said, "We've loved having Jaxon in the barn. His name fit: he traveled, year in and year out, at a high level. Horses as sound and durable as him just don't come along very often."
