World champion racehorse and sire American Ideal, a dual hemisphere stallion, passed away on Sunday, Jan. 28 at the age of 22.

He stood since the beginning of his career at Blue Chip Farms in the U.S. and had stood in Australia at Llowalong Farms in conjunction with Woodlands Stud of New Zealand.

While quarantined in Australia awaiting shipping back to the U.S., the horse developed severe colic. During emergency surgery, numerous cancerous masses were revealed, which resulted in the horse being humanely euthanized.

“It’s a sad day, as American Ideal was a longtime member of the Brittany family, and also endeared himself to everyone at Blue Chip Farms,” said Art Zubrod, manager of Brittany Farms and Brittany Stallion Management. “He was a sire who was an easy breeder with intelligence and a great personality.

“I like to say he never had a ‘down year,’ as since his first crop stepped on the track he has produced champions or prominent stakes winners every single year.”

American Ideal p,3,1:47.4 ($855,928), by Western Ideal out of Lifetime Success, was bred and raised by Brittany Farms and sold as a Tattersalls yearling. He raced from 2004 through 2006 for Mac Nichol, who partnered with Brittany during the colt’s sophomore season.

American Ideal’s most prominent victories included a division of the Bluegrass Stakes in what was a world record at the time of 1:47.4, the Tattersalls Pace, Confederation Cup and the Oliver Wendell Holmes, all while under the care of trainer Casie Coleman.

With a stallion career managed by Brittany Stallion Management, American Ideal had sired the winners of more than $167 million in North America and $25.1 million in Australia. He had sired 15 millionaires in North America.

His progeny is led by such greats as two and three-year-old world champion American Jewel p,3,1:48.2 ($1,834,823), world champion and Meadowlands Pace winner Hes Watching p,3,1:46.4 ($1,129,215), Heston Blue Chip p,3,1:48f ($1,779,373) and American History p,3,1:47 ($1,725,230). 

American Ideal is the all-time leading money-winning pacing sire in the New York Sire Stakes (NYSS) program. Last year alone, his two and three-year-olds earned almost $2 million in NYSS competition and included NYSS Two-Year-Old Filly Pace champion Peace Talks p,2,1:55.4h ($229,329).

Please join Standardbred Canada in offering condolences to the connections of American Ideal.

(With files from Brittany Stallion Management)