WinStar Farm stallion Improbable , champion older male of 2020, was euthanized March 16 at Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital in Lexington after suffering from ataxia behind, the farm announced March 17.
"He was sent to Rood and Riddle yesterday morning to determine the exact cause of the ataxia," Elliott Walden, president of WinStar Farm said. "He was responding well to treatment, but went to lie down in his stall, and fell awkwardly. As a result, he broke his right tibia, which could not be repaired."
A son of City Zip, Improbable proved to be a rare talent. He won three consecutive grade 1 races in 2020, taking the Hollywood Gold Cup (G1) at Santa Anita Park, the Whitney Stakes (G1) at Saratoga Race Course, and the Awesome Again Stakes (G1) at Santa Anita en route to champion older male honors at season's end.
Undefeated at 2, Improbable was a five-length winner of the 2018 Los Alamitos Futurity Stakes (G1). A stakes winner each season from 2 to 4, Improbable concluded his stellar career with a runner-up finish in the 2020 Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) at Keeneland. All told, he won seven starts, six of them stakes, and earned $2,729,520 for owners WinStar Farm, China Horse Club, and SF Racing.
"These horses are our life, and we work every day to take care of them the best way we know how," Dr. Natanya Nieman, general manager and resident veterinarian at WinStar Farm said. "The whole team is reeling. Improbable gave us many great moments to share with our partners, our team, and the whole racing community. It is tragic."
Bred in Kentucky by St. George Farm and G. Watts Humphrey Jr., Improbable was acquired by Maverick Racing and China Horse Club for $200,000 out of the Taylor Made Sales Agency consignment at the 2017 Keeneland September Yearling Sale. Improbable was out of the A.P. Indy mare Rare Event. The 8-year-old stallion was bred to 329 mares in his first two books and is represented by his initial crop of 2-year-olds in 2024.
