‘A Lot Of People Stepped Up For Him': Double Crown's Former Owners Collaborate On Retirement
Graded stakes winner Double Crown, who ran for three different owners during his 55-race career, has been retired, reports The Racing Biz.The winner of the 2022 Grade 2 Kelso Handicap and several listed stakes made his final racetrack appearance with an eighth in the 2024 Charles Town Classic.'A lot of people stepped up for him,' Gaudet told The Racing Biz.
The 8-year-old gelding currently resides at his first racing owner Debbie Rhodes' Equine Rescue of Aiken, a Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance-accredited farm in Aiken, S.C., until he is mentally and physically ready for a second career.Double Crown began his career for Rhodes and trainer Lacy Gaudet. Dean and Patty Reeves of Reeves Thoroughbred Racing owned Double Crown for 15 races, until he was claimed by Lynn Cash's Built Wright Stables LLC for his remaining 38 starts, which included a victory in the Kelso.
After the Charles Town Classic, Double Crown spent some downtime at the farm. Cash ultimately reached out to Gaudet to inquire about retiring the gelding.When Double Crown's second owners, Reeves Thoroughbred Racing, found out about his retirement, they donated to aftercare organizations in Double Crown's honor and offered to pay for his shipping from Gaudet's barn in Maryland to Rhode's rescue in South Carolina.'Dean [Reeves] has also offered to do some fundraising for our new rehab barn,' Rhodes explained to The Racing Biz. 'This situation shows the good in racing. We're not perfect, but the Thoroughbred industry does more for its retired horses than any other equine industry. I try to protect every horse I've ever owned.'
Maryland's champion older male of 2023 is now a pasture companion to 18-hand Belgian draft named Boston.Read more at theracingbiz.com.
This story was originally reported by Paulick Report on Jul 25, 2025, where it first appeared.
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