Imagining, a 14-year-old son of Giant's Causeway, was euthanized Aug. 23 due to complications from colic, according to Anchor & Hope Farm where he stood since 2018.
The stallion was under the care of veterinarians at New Bolton Center in Kennett Square, Pa. Surgery was attempted but the extent of the damage was too severe, and the decision was made to humanely euthanize him on the operating table.
Imagining was a grade 1 winner and millionaire for his owner/breeder Phipps Stable, who bred the horse out of the multiple graded stakes-winning A.P. Indy mare Daydreaming. Trained by Shug McGaughey, he was a winner from 3-to-7 with his best performances coming in the 2014 Man o' War Stakes (G1T), Pan American Stakes (G3T), and Red Smith Handicap (G3T). He was also runner-up in three grade 1 stakes before retiring with a 9-5-2 record from 26 starts and $1,177,394 in career earnings.
He retired to stud in 2015 with Heritage Stallions, a partnership between Louis Merryman and Drs. Tom and Brooke Bowman. He went to Merryman's Anchor & Hope Farm when the partnership dissolved in 2017.
"Imagining has been with us since the start in 2015. We want to thank Shug McGaughey and the Phipps family for trusting us to bring a grade 1-winning millionaire from a prolific Phipps pedigree to Maryland. We were proud to do so and will be grateful to Imagining for what he did for us," said Grace Merryman of Anchor & Hope Farm.
Imagining sired 50 winners from four crops of racing age, led by multiple stakes winner Monday Morning Qb, who won the 2020 Maryland Million Classic Stakes and the 2019 Heft Stakes. Monday Morning Qb also was runner-up in the Discovery Stakes (G3) at Aqueduct Racetrack and in the Federico Tesio Stakes. The sire's daughter Quiet Imagination was a multiple winner who was also second in the 2020 Maryland Million Distaff Handicap. His winners included 11 that earned more than $100,000.
"His kids are routinely on the board around the Mid-Atlantic and they include stakes horses, graded placings, both dirt and turf winners, and recently, talented runners over fences. With his pedigree, we look forward to seeing the broodmare careers of his daughters," said Louis Merryman.
Daydreaming is out of the Mr. Prospector graded stakes winner Get Lucky, a half sister to champion and successful sire Rhythm. Imagining's dam also is a full sister to grade 1 winner Girolamo, graded stakes winner Accelerator, and to Supercharger, the dam of Kentucky Derby (G1) winner and sire Super Saver, graded stakes winner Cyrus Alexander, and graded stakes winner and sire Brethren .
