Never Retreat not retired yet, going to go for the Marshua’s River Stakes next year says Chris Block
The 6-year-old Chris Block trained mare, Never Retreat, was scheduled to retire after coming out of the Grade 1 Matriarch Stakes, where she turned in a disappointing performance to finish third after being sent off as the 4 to 5 favourite three weeks ago
at Hollywood Park on 25 November, 2011.
But it seems the mare isn’t going to retire yet, and according to trainer Chris Block, the connections have decided to give Never Retreat one more chance to enter a grade 3 event to show her stuff before she is retired and headed off to the breeding shed.
Instead of Hollywood Park, Never Retreat will now end her career at Gulfstream Park, when she goes out to race for the last time in the Grade 3 Marshua’s River Stakes at Gulfstream Park on 7 January, 2012, at about 1 1/16 miles over the turf course, and
the race will be exclusive for 4-year-old and above fillies and mares.
Earlier this year, Never Retreat competed in the Grade 3 Marshua’s River Stakes on 9 January, 2011, at Gulfstream Park, but couldn’t visit the winners’ circle as she finished third to winner Justaroundmidnight who defeated our protagonist.
The 2011 edition of the Marshua’s River Stakes was the beginning of a series of back to back graded stakes races for Never Retreat through the course of the season. Right after the Marshua’s River, Never Retreat finished second in the Grade 3 Suwannee River
and then landed two back to back graded stakes races.
She won the Grade 3 Honey Fox Stakes at about a mile at Gulfstream Park, and then landed the Grade 2 Jenney Wiley Stakes at Keeneland, running over a distance of 1 1/16 miles.
Second in the Grade 2 Nassau Stakes, and bagged the Grade 2 Canadian Stakes followed by Grade 1 First Lady Stakes.
Never Retreat banked $902,000 of her nearly $1.3 million in career earnings this year. She returned to Florida and for the first time worked there, turning in an easy half mile in 51.43 seconds over Gulfstream Park’s main track, going through the opening
quarter mile in 26.23 seconds.
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