Cryptoclearance

Better Talk Now, my favorite turf horse, is retiring because of an injury to the suspensory ligament in his left hind leg. I'm depressed.

Cryptoclearance was born in 1984 in Kentucky by Fappiano, out of Naval Orange. He sold for $190,000 in the 1985 Keeneland September yearling sale. At two, Cryptoclearance destroyed a field of maidens at Saratoga by 12 1/2 lengths and went on to win a mile allowance at Belmont, defeating Gone West.

At the beginning of his three-year-old season, Cryptoclearance raced five times in Florida in preparation for the Kentucky Derby and placed first and second in all of them. The most prestigious of these victories was the G1 Florida Derby, where he had a tough trip when he was forced six and eight wide on the final turn and stretch. The stallion ran in all three legs of the Triple Crown, finishing fourth in the Derby, third in the Preakness, and second in the Belmont. He ended his three-year-old season with a 5th out of 12 runners in the Breeders' Cup Classic at Hollywood Park after making a bid from last place.

Cryptoclearance returned better than ever at four. He destroyed an allowance field at Gulfstream before coming out on top by a nose in the G1 Gulfstream Park Handicap. He finished second in the G2 Nassau County Handicap next out. The same year he dominated in the G2 Budweiser Hawthorne Gold Cup by 10 lengths and the G2 Paterson Handicap. But when the Breeders' Cup Classic came around, he once again finished a fast closing 5th.

Cryptoclearance returned for one last time in 1989 for his five-year-old season. He started that season off with a bang with a win in the G1 Donn Handicap, followed a win in the G1 Widener Handicap, and a repeat victory in the Hawthorne Gold Cup. His second-to-last start was in the G1 Jockey Club Gold Cup, a mile and a half race at the time. Cryptoclearance chased Easy Goer all the way up the stretch, the two horses drawing away from the field by 20 lengths. His final race was his third try in the Breeders' Cup Classic, where he ironically finished 5th after coming up from last place.

Cryptoclearance retired with 44 starts, 12 wins, 10 seconds, and 7 thirds, and over $3 million in earnings.

His stud career began with a bang when he sired Stategic Maneuver and Ride The Rails in his very first crop. Stategic Maneuver quickly proved herself as a top filly when she won several large stakes races at 2 years of age, losing out in the voting for top 2-year-old filly to Juvenile Fillies winner, Phone Chatter. Ride The Rails won the Foolish Pleasure Breeders' Cup Stakes at two and ran second in the Florida Derby at 3. He won 10 of his 14 lifetime starts before becoming the first son of Cryptoclearance to stand at stud.

Cryptoclearance's best offspring is Eclipse winner Victory Gallop, earner of over $3.5 million and top racehorse and stud. A stakes winner at 2, Victory Gallop went on to place second in both the Kentucky Derby and Belmont before going on to prevail in a thrilling 1988 Belmont Stakes where he denied Real Quiet a Triple Crown victory. Victory Gallop went on to shatter the track record in the Stephen Foster Handicap and defeat Behrens in the Whitney.

Another son of Cryptoclearance, Volponi, startled the racing world with a huge upset in the 2002 Breeders' Cup Classic.

As of 2008, Cryptoclearance had sired the earners of almost $50 million, including 3 champions, 13 graded stakes winners, 42 stakes winners, and 49 stakes placed horses.

The 25-year-old stallion stood for $5,000 for the 2009 season at Margaux Farm in Kentucky. He died of complications from colic surgery on Thursday.

RIP Cryptoclearance