Cloud Computing And Awesome Slew Retired
Gr.1 Preakness Stakes winner 3YO Cloud Computing has been retired from racing and will stand at stud with Spendthrift Farm. He won the Preakness over Classic Empire less than 100 days after making his debut.
The dark bay colt will become the newest stallion to participate in Spendthrift's "Share The Upside" program. For breeders not interested in the Share The Upside program, Cloud Computing will be offered for $7,500 on a standard stands and nurses contract.
Despite qualifying for the Kentucky Derby, trainer Chad Brown instead pointed Cloud Computing to the Preakness because he had run three times in eight weeks. The colt rewarded his connections with their first classic victory when he ran down 2-year-old champion Classic Empire in the stretch and stopped the clock in 1:55.98.
The 102 Beyer Speed Figure he earned for this performance which matches the winning Beyer figures for recent Preakness winners American Pharoah and Lookin At Lucky exceeds the Beyers earned by Justify and Exaggerator in the middle jewel of the Triple Crown.
The classic win which was over a field that also included Kentucky Derby winner Always Dreaming and multimillionaire Gunnevera, among others came only 98 days after Cloud Computing's career debut, making him one of racing's fastest millionaires in recent history.
Cloud Computing retires with earnings of US$1,125,200.
Multiple graded stakes winner Awesome Slew has also been retired and will stand the upcoming breeding season at Ocala Stud.
Trained by Mark Casse for owner/breeder Live Oak Plantation, Awesome Slew won stakes ranging in distance from seven furlongs to 1 1/16 miles. The 5-year-old son of Awesome Again captured the 2016 Smarty Jones Stakes Gr.3 at Parx Racing besting a field that included future grade 1 winners Seeking the Soul and Discreet Lover and prevailed in the seven-furlong Commonwealth Stakes Gr.3 and one-mile Ack Ack Stakes Gr.3 in 2017.
In addition to his graded stakes victories, Awesome Slew finished second to eventual champion sprinter Drefong in the 2017 Forego Stakes Gr.1 and was also runner-up in both the 2018 Carter Handicap Gr.1 and 2017 Belmont Sprint Championship Stakes Gr.1. The Florida bred entire retires with five wins from 23 starts and US$1,223,310 in earnings.
Credit: Ritesh Jamkhedkar ritesh.jamkhedkar@secretariatsworld.com