Two-time grade 1 winner Englishman has been retired to Lane's End. He will stand for $50,000 in 2027 at the farm near Versailles, Ky.
The decision to retire Englishman from racing was made following a routine, end-of-season veterinary exam. The exam revealed a flake in each of his ankles. They were subsequently removed. He is anticipated to be available for inspection beginning the first week of December.
Campaigned by Lee and Susan Searing's C R K Stables, Englishman dazzled the Belmont Racing Festival crowd in the Woody Stephens Stakes (G1) at Saratoga Race Course. Winning by a margin of 5 3/4 lengths, he earned a 115 Beyer Speed Figure and stopped the clock at 1:20.40, equaling the track record for 7 furlongs set in 1978.
Englishman followed his first grade 1 victory with another spectacular performance, winning the H. Allen Jerkens Memorial Stakes (G1) by 3 3/4 lengths. He nearly broke his own Saratoga track record and earned a 117 Beyer, the highest for a 3-year-old in 2026.
Never worse than second in his career, the Cherie DeVaux trainee won his 2-year-old debut at Churchill Downs in September of last year by 7 1/4 lengths. In his 3-year-old debut, he put in another stellar performance, winning at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots by 7 1/2 lengths. Englishman made his graded stakes debut in the Pat Day Mile Stakes (G2), where he was a respectable second behind Crude Velocity, whom he then defeated in the Woody Stephens. His final start was a valiant second in the grade 1 Breeders' Cup Sprint (G1). He retires with $1,134,500 in earnings.
"Englishman is the fastest horse I've ever worked with," said DeVaux. "When he gets into full stride, he is something to behold. I had an inkling of it when he first started training, but when he broke his maiden I knew the sky was the limit. That otherworldly talent was evident in his Woody Stephens victory, and his win in the H. Allen Jerkens was special for so many reasons."
Bred in Kentucky by Fifth Avenue Bloodstock, Englishman later sold at the 2024 Keeneland September Yearling Sale for $400,000. A son of exciting young stallion Maxfield , Englishman is out of the winning mare In It for the Gold, by Speightstown. Englishman's second dam is All Due Respect, who is multiple graded stakes-placed, including the Santa Anita Oaks and Ballerina Stakes (both G1).
"There is no doubt about Englishman's speed, which he displayed every time he stepped on the track," said Lane's End president Bill Farish. "He is a correct and beautifully made horse, as his yearling sale price reflects. That combination of brilliant speed and exceptional looks will be of great appeal to breeders and makes an excellent addition to our roster."
