2004 Tampa Bay Derby Winner
Limehouse was a flashy and consistent colt who became one of the top three year olds of 2004. He was foaled in 2001 and trained by Hall of Famer Todd Pletcher for Dogwood Stable, the racing partnership owned by W. Cothran Campbell. His sire was the popular stallion Grand Slam, a son of Gone West, and his dam was Dixieland Blues, a daughter of Dixieland Band. He was bought as a yearling at the 2002 Fasig Tipton August sale for 140,000 dollars, a price that would soon look like a real bargain.
Limehouse burst onto the Triple Crown trail in early 2004. He won the Hutcheson Stakes at Gulfstream Park in his three year old debut, beating top sophomores in dominant fashion. He came back next time out and won the Tampa Bay Derby, stamping himself as a real contender for the Kentucky Derby. He went into the Run for the Roses with high hopes, but he could not match the eventual winner Smarty Jones at Churchill Downs. He stayed close to the lead but faded in the stretch and finished off the board.
He kept running well in stakes company through the rest of his three year old year. He was always tough on the front end and proved he could carry his speed at a mile or longer. As a four year old in 2005, he stretched out to a mile on the grass and earned a spot in the Breeders Cup Mile at Belmont Park, where he ran in some of the toughest turf company in the world. He retired soon after with 7 wins from 21 starts and earnings of over 700,000 dollars.
After his racing days, Limehouse went to stud at Spendthrift Farm in Kentucky and later moved to other farms. He stood as a regional sire and produced several useful runners. Limehouse is remembered as a tough campaigner from the Dogwood Stable team and one of the bright young stars on the 2004 Triple Crown trail. He gave Todd Pletcher another talented graded stakes winning colt during one of the busiest years of his Hall of Fame career.
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