G1 winner Cross Traffic to Spendthrift for 2015

Cross Traffic, last year’s winner of the Whitney H. (G1) at Saratoga, has retired and will stand the 2015 breeding season at B. Wayne Hughes’ Spendthrift Farm in Lexington, KY. The brilliant son of Unbridled’s Song is being offered immediately to breeders through Spendthrift’s Share The Upside Program on a limited basis for $17,500. His 2015 stands & nurses fee will be $15,000.

“When you couple Cross Traffic’s devastating speed and his ability to carry it around two turns, with his pedigree and conformation, you’ve got the complete package,” said Ned Toffey, Spendthrift general manager. “We couldn’t be happier to offer him to our breeders through the Share The Upside program.”

A $300,000 yearling purchase by owner GoldMark Farm, Cross Traffic began his racing career with back-to-back wins at Gulfstream Park for trainer Todd Pletcher, including a 7 ½-length romp against allowance company where he earned a 105 Beyer. From there, Cross Traffic jumped straight into graded stakes company where he faced some of the best and most seasoned older horses in the country in some of America’s biggest races.

In his third start, Cross Traffic made all the running before falling just a head short to multiple Grade 1 winner Flat Out in a very fast renewal of the Westchester S. (G3) at Belmont. After running the first six furlongs in a wicked 1:08 4/5, the gray colt also finished fast down the stretch to hit the wire with Flat Out in 1:32 4/5 for a mile on dirt, just 3/5ths of a second off the Belmont track record at a mile. The performance earned both horses a 116 Beyer Speed Figure, which marks the fastest ever on record by an offspring of the late leading sire Unbridled’s Song.

In just his fourth start, Cross Traffic suffered another hard-luck defeat after setting a fast early pace, this time falling a nose short to Grade 1 winner Sahara Sky in a photo finish at the wire of the prestigious Metropolitan Mile H. (G1). Despite blitzing through the opening half mile in 44 4/5, Cross Traffic was brilliant all the way to the wire as they stopped the timer in 1:34 flat, earning another gaudy Beyer of 110.

Making his fifth start – and first around two turns, Cross Traffic broke through with an impressive victory against many of North America’s top older horses in the renowned Whitney H. (G1) at Saratoga. He again set the early pace in the 1 1/8-mile event with reigning Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1) winner Fort Larned and 2013 Breeders’ Cup Classic winner Mucho Macho Man stalking in close attention. Cross Traffic repelled the bids of both Breeders’ Cup Classic winners on the far turn and kicked home to score wire to wire in 1:47 4/5. He earned a 108 Beyer for the performance and asserted himself as one of the best older horses in North America with the win.

Cross Traffic retires with career earnings of $687,967. He is out of the multiple Grade 1-winning Cure the Blues mare Stop Traffic.

“Cross Traffic had as much brilliance as you’ll find in a horse,” said Pletcher. “It takes a special talent to do some of the things he did so early in a horse’s racing career. It’s very uncommon to see a horse run a 116 Beyer in his third start, and then turn around and run the way he did in a race like the Met Mile. I think his Whitney performance gives you some perspective of how good he was. Cross Traffic defeated a few of the very best older horses in the country that day, and did it in just his fifth start.”