Multiple Graded Stakes Winner Officer Dies at Age 26

Multiple graded stakes winner and sire Officer died Aug. 1 at age 26 in Korea, according to the Korean Studbook. Officer was one of the top juveniles in 2001, winning the Champagne Stakes (G1) and the Del Mar Futurity (G2) for trainer Bob Baffert and owners The Thoroughbred Corporation. The news was first reported by Paulick Report. The cause of death was not listed. Officer began his stallion career in 2003 at Gainesway Farm near Lexington, before moving to Taylor Made Farm near Nicholasville, Ky. in 2007. A deal was brokered in 2010 to move the son of Bertrando to Korea, where he covered mares from 2011 through the 2018 season before being pensioned. Some of his most notable progeny in North America include grade 1 winner and stallion Boys at Tosconova, grade 1 winner Princess Violet, and Elite Squadron, winner of the 2004 Churchill Downs Stakes (G2). Boys at Tosconova also wound up in Korea but preceded his sire in death in 2022. Officer was bred in California by Mr. and Mrs. Martin Wygod. He sold for $175,000 as a yearling and was picked up by The Thoroughbred Corporation for $700,000 at the 2001 Barretts Equine Limited March Selected Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training. He won six of his nine career starts, only finishing off the board once. He retired with a bankroll of $804,090.