First Breeders Classic winner euthanized

LEXINGTON, Ky., Dec. 5 (UPI) -- Wild Again, the winner of the first Breeders' Cup Classic, has been euthanized, Three Chimneys Farm in Midway, Ky., said.

Three Chimneys said Wild Again was 28 when he died Friday morning at due to infirmities of old age, the Lexington (Ky.) Herald-Leader reported.

"We all knew this day would come, but that doesn't make it any easier to accept," Three Chimneys owner Robert Clay told the newspaper. "At 28 years old, he lived a long and fruitful life. Wild Again was integral to the success of Three Chimneys and proved to be a highly significant sire and broodmare sire both in the U.S. and abroad."

Wild Again sired 88 stakes winners, including two-time Santa Anita Derby winner Milwaukee Brew, Canadian champion older mare Wilderness Song, stallion Wild Rush and Breeders' Cup Sprint winner Elmhurst. His offspring have earned nearly $81 million.

He will be buried in the farm's stallion cemetery, next to former barn mate, Capote.