Dean Martini Retired From Racing; Joins Old Friends

Graded stakes winner Dean Martini has been retired by David A. Bernsen LLC's and has taken up residency at Old Friends in Georgetown, Kentucky on October 23. A popular horse with the fans while sporting Bernsen's "Siamese Cat Drinking a Martini" silks, Dean Martini retires with earnings of $664,780, while logging wins in the Gr3 Ohio Derby and more recently the 2024 running of the Japan Turf Cup. "While Dean (Martini) was competitive this year and could have continued racing it was not going to be at stakes level. He was a very popular horse with the public, and it was important that when the time came to retire him, he was sound and healthy," noted David Bernsen. Bernsen continued, "We were very grateful that Old Friends had already accepted Dean when the time came to retire him. His health has been monitored very closely the last couple of years with Peter Eurton and more recently with Lacey Gaudet. All too often you see classy, successful geldings slide down the claiming ladder, and we were adamant that would never happen with Dean, so ultimately it was an easy decision to send him to Old Friends to enjoy the rest of his life at such a fantastic place." John Nicholson, President and CEO of Old Friends, commented, "Dean Martini, who was bred by our good friends Brereton and Bret Jones, has been a very nice racehorse and we are pleased to welcome him to Old Friends. We are grateful to David Bernsen, who has been a longtime supporter of Old Friends, for sending him to us." Dean Martini joins two other David A. Bernsen LLC's runners who have been retired to Old Friends; two-time Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint winner and Eclipse Award Champion Stormy Liberal, and Graded Stakes Winner Signalman.