Labrado Retires to Stud: Three-Time Champion to Stand at Haras Masama

The sensational sprinter says goodbye to the racetrack and is scheduled to arrive at the farm today to embark on his new career as a stallion. The elite runner concludes an illustrious racing career with an outstanding record of 15 victories, featuring 8 triumphs at the prestigious Grade 1 level

By Diego H. Mitagstein

Labrado, the three-time speed champion who captivated thousands of fans across four seasons with his massive heart and sheer brilliance, has run his final race. Following a fifth-place finish just a week ago in the Gran Premio Estrellas Sprint (G1), the sensational sprinter has been officially retired from racing. Today, he arrives in Marcos Riglos, La Pampa, to take up residency as the new headline stallion at Haras Masama—the prominent farm that recently made headlines by securing American Rascal, a son of Curlin and the fantastic Lady Aurelia (Scat Daddy).

Carrying the colors of Stud Don Ariel and conditioned throughout his illustrious career by Angel Bonetto, the bay stallion practically blazed a trail down the straightaways of Palermo and San Isidro every time he stepped onto the track. Whether delivering dazzling victories or facing rare defeats, he always put on a spectacular show and sold his losses dearly.

From the moment he debuted in late May 2022, Labrado made it clear he was cut from a different cloth. He put together a formidable racing career that earned him the title of Champion Sprinter in 2022, 2023, and 2024—a reign that was only interrupted last season by Le Cornette (Emmanuel).

After a winning debut on the Palermo straight, he quickly added the Clásico Estrellas Junior Sprint (G3) to his record. With just those two starts under his belt, the freshly turned three-year-old went on to dethrone the mighty Luthier Blues (Le Blues) in the Clásico Paraguay (G3). His first elite milestone arrived in the 2022 Gran Premio Suipacha (G1), where he defeated Rudy Trigger (Cosmic Trigger) and once again bested Luthier Blues, before capping off the year by capturing the Gran Premio Maipú (G1).

It was Luthier Blues who would eventually snap his undefeated streak in the 2023 Clásico Irlanda (G3) when Labrado was coming off a layoff. Following that, he ran a heroic second, beaten just a head, by the phenomenal Uruguayan mare Girona Fever (Texas Fever) in the Gran Premio Ciudad de Buenos Aires (G1).

Bouncing back in champion fashion, he rattled off consecutive victories in the Clásico Coronel Pringles (G3), the Gran Premio Estrellas Sprint (G1), and repeated wins in both the Clásico Paraguay and Gran Premio Suipacha. After finishing second in the Maipú (G1) and third in the Félix de Alzaga Unzué (G1), he kicked off his 2024 campaign with a triumph in the Ciudad de Buenos Aires, followed by repeat victories in the Estrellas Sprint and the Paraguay.

His brilliant run continued with further top-level successes in the Gran Premio Maipú and the Gran Premio Suipacha, with his final career victory coming this past February in the Clásico General Viamonte (G3).

In total, Labrado went to the post 27 times, compiling an outstanding record of 15 victories, 5 seconds, 4 thirds, and only two finishes off the board, bankrolling an incredible 161,718,500 pesos in purses.

By the highly generous sire Le Blues, Labrado extends the prominent Mr. Prospector sire line through Fusaichi Pegasus and Roman Ruler. He is out of the Sebi Halo mare Sabrina Land, hailing from a deep, classic family of Haras El Paraíso that includes memorable turf names like Grafitti (Gold Spring) and Estratégico (Excel II).

Following a magnificent career on the track, Labrado will now receive a well-deserved opportunity at stud at Haras Masama, one of the most prominent breeding operations in the Argentinian interior. There, he joins a roster that also recently welcomed Arellano (Angiolo), another elite sprinter of recent times.

While Labrado’s racing days have come to an end, his legacy as a defining speed talent of his era remains firmly intact. As he embarks on this exciting new chapter, the racing industry will eagerly await his first foals, carrying forward the hopes of breeding the next great Argentine champion.