Azeri’s Successful Run Comes to End

Owner Michael Paulson announced Thursday that Azeri, the leading career money-winner among North American females, had been retired.

Azeri, a 6-year-old mare who earned $4,079,820 and won the horse-of-the-year title in 2002, has been stabled with trainer Wayne Lukas at Santa Anita and was expected to run once more before being sent to Kentucky to be bred. In changing that plan, Paulson did not identify the first stallion Azeri would be bred to.

Azeri was bred by Allen Paulson, Michael Paulson’s father, who died in 2000. The elder Paulson also bred and raced Cigar, No. 1 on the money list with $9,999,815.

Azeri, trained by Laura de Seroux before this year, was moved to Lukas after Michael Paulson disagreed with de Seroux’s recommendation that the mare be retired because of a tendon injury.

De Seroux won the 2002 Breeders’ Cup Distaff with Azeri, which clinched the national title. This year, Azeri won three Grade I races, bringing her total to 11. She finished fifth in her last race, the Breeders’ Cup Classic on Oct. 30. Overall, Azeri won 17 times and finished second four times in 24 starts.

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Two of trainer Richard Mandella’s three contenders, Rock Hard Ten and Minister Eric, drew the outside posts when 12 horses were entered for the $250,000 Malibu, one of the opening-day stakes at Santa Anita on Sunday. Mandella’s other horse, Spellbinder, will break from the No. 8 post.

This is the field: Love Of Money, Mass Media, Harvard Avenue, Stone Rain, Jeffries Bay, Grand Reward, Perfect Moon, Spellbinder, Lava Man, Quintons Gold Rush, Rock Hard Ten and Minister Eric.

-- Bill Christine