Breeze Easy sprint star Imprimis retired

Breeze Easy have elected to retired their multiple graded stakes winning sprint star, Imprimis, after the eight-year-old gelding came out of a March 8 work over Gulfstream Park’s Tapeta surface showing signs of wear and tear in an ankle.

A private purchase for Breeze Easy, Imprimis established himself as one of the best turf sprinters in the country, winning nine races, $883,483. Trained throughout his career by Joe Orseno, Imprimis scored his first stakes victory at the age of four in the Jim McKay Turf Sprint at Pimlico, and later that term added the Wolf Hill Stakes at Monmouth Park. The following term, Imprimis took the Silks Run Stakes at Gulfstream Park by 3 1/4 lengths, setting astonishing fractions of :20.68, and :42.92 and stopping the clock in :54.64, earning a 110 Beyer Speedfigure. He followed up gaining his first graded stakes triumph by beating the formidable Bound For Nowhere a neck in the Shakertown Stakes (G2) at Keeneland, despite stumbling at the start. Imprimis would go on to compete at Royal Ascot that year, finishing sixth beaten just 4 3/4 lengths by world champion sprinter, Blue Point, in the King’s Stand Stakes (G1).

At six, Imprimis started the year with what appeared to be a decisive victory in the Troy Stakes (G3) at Saratoga, but despite being clearly the best was demoted third for bumping a rival. He soon put that hiccup in the rearview mirror by delivering a dramatic late charge to take the Kentucky Downs Turf Sprint (G3). Imprimis’ final victory came last January when he captured the Janus Stakes at Gulfstream Park.

Imprimis cores a dramatic victory in the Shakertown Stakes (G2)

Bred by Craig Wheeler, Imprimis is a son of Broken Vow out of the Put It Back mare, Shoppers Return, now also owned by Breeze Easy. Dam, also of the stakes placed filly Warranty, Shoppers Return is half-sister to the Fashion Stakes winner Fifth Avenue, and to the dam of stakes winning and grade one placed Shoplifted. Under her second dam can be found such as grade one winners Miss Shop and Power Broker, and graded scorers Tin Type Gal and Trappe Shot. Shoppers Return also has a 2021 colt by Frosted, a 2022 filly by Quality Road, and visits Constitution this year.

Plans are for connections to approach Old Friends Retirement Farm to see if Imprimis can be placed among the other numerous standout runners at the Georgetown, Kentucky facility.