Not For Love, Maryland's leading sire for more than a dozen years, was euthanized Sunday because of complications from colic, according to a news release from Northview Stallion Station.
Pensioned since March 2015 at his longtime home at Northview in Chesapeake City, the son of Mr. Prospector was 26. The bay stallion, out of the Northern Dancer mare Dance Number, entered stud at Northview in 1996 after being purchased as a 5-year-old by Richard L. Golden from breeder Ogden Mills Phipps.
A stakes-placed full brother to champion 2-year-old Rhythm and graded stakes winner Get Lucky, granddam of Kentucky Derby winner Super Saver, he was a member of the tremendous stallion family descending from La Troienne. His second dam was champion 2-year-old filly Numbered Account.
Not For Love made headlines with his first crop, when the 2-year-old colt La Salle Street sold for $2 million in 1999, equaling the record for a 2-year-old sold at public auction.
With 17 crops to race, Not For Love has sired at least one stakes winner per crop, and 85 stakes winners total. His runners have earned nearly $72 million, topped by millionaire son Eighttofasttocatch.
Eighty-four percent of his foals of racing age have started, 80 percent of his starters have won and his average earnings per starter is more than $91,600. He was the leading North American sire outside Kentucky for eight straight years. He leads all Maryland sires by lifetime progeny earnings, lifetime juvenile earnings and is the all-time leading sire by Maryland Million wins, his offspring having taken 34 Maryland Million races, including the featured Classic six times, three by Eighttofasttocatch.
Three times he had as many as four winners on the Maryland Million Day card. Named Maryland Stallion of the Year a record 13 times, he leads all Maryland stallions on the 2016 progeny earnings list. He is the sire of more than 1,010 foals, with 21 in his final crop, now yearlings.
Not For Love has become renowned as a broodmare sire, most notably through his grandson California Chrome, the richest North American runner in history after winning this year's Dubai World Cup (Grade 1), and rated the top horse in training in the United States.
At the announcement of the stallion's retirement in 2015, Golden noted: "Not For Love will set the bar in Maryland for all stallions standing there in the future."
Jockey leaving: Apprentice Lane Luzzi, fifth in wins and money won during Laurel Park's winter-spring meet, will move his tack from Maryland to South Florida and Gulfstream Park beginning this weekend. Luzzi, the 18-year-old son of longtime New York-based rider Mike Luzzi, won his first race Dec. 4 at Laurel. He has won with 35 of 341 mounts this year. Walter Blum Jr., agent of Tyler Gaffalione, will take Luzzi's book. "It's been in the works for a few weeks now," Luzzi said. "An agent down there, Walter Blum Jr., he saw me ride and noticed I could be doing a little better than I was here in Maryland. It came to a point where I wanted a little more experience, a chance to get on some better horses and make a move. It's probably a good thing for me."
Belmont Stakes: Preakness winner Exaggerator tops a list of early probables for the third leg of the Triple Crown on June 11 at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y., according to the New York Racing Association. Brody's Cause, Cherry Wine, Creator, Destin, Governor Malibu, Lani and Suddenbreakingnews also are listed as probable. Stradivari, Wild About Deb and Trojan Nation are listed as questionable.
NFL
Browns promote Gilman alum Chisom Opara
The Cleveland Browns promoted Chisom Opara (Gilman) from senior player personnel assistant to director of player personnel, the team announced Tuesday. Opara has worked for the Browns since 2005 after a 10-month stint in the Ravens' player personnel department. As a senior at Gilman in 1998, Opara scored 18 touchdowns, rushed for 664 yards and caught 54 passes for 942 yards. He played at Princeton, then went undrafted in 2003 before signing with the Ravens as a free agent. He was cut late in the preseason but returned to the organization for a job in the player personnel department. Opara was hired by the Browns in 2005 as an area scout and spent nine years in that role.
—Jeff Zrebiec
Colleges
Terps to play Richmond in men's basketball in N.Y.
The Maryland men's basketball team will play Richmond in the first round of the Barclays Center Classic in Brooklyn, N.Y., two sources with knowledge of the situation confirmed. Maryland agreed in November to play in the tournament. The other two teams in the tournament are Kansas State and Boston College. One source confirmed that the tournament will take place Nov. 25 and 26. The Terps have played Richmond 40 times, but not since the 1982 National Invitation Tournament, when Maryland won, 66-50. The Spiders finished 16-16 (7-11 in the Atlantic 10) last season. They last made the NCAA tournament in 2011.
—Jake Lourim
WNBA: Forward Angel McCoughtry (St. Frances) was named Player of the Week by the Associated Press after averaging 20.6 points in three victories for the Atlanta Dream, which has won five of its first six games — its best start since 2013 when the team started 10-1. "We have a great chemistry and the one thing that I've learned in my career is positivity," McCoughtry said. "I didn't know how to channel adversity when I was younger. I love to win so much, I would get frustrated when we didn't. Now I channel my adversity by not getting frustrated and playing through it." Atlanta was 15-19 last year and missed the playoffs for the first time since its inaugural season when the Dream finished 4-30.
Et cetera
Columbia, Frederick youth soccer teams win regionals
Two Maryland youth soccer teams won United States Youth Soccer Association Region I championships Monday in Reisterstown and advanced to the National Presidents Cup July 14-17 in Tulsa, Okla. SAC Premier Blue Flores of Columbia won the under-13 girls final, 3-0, against SYA Cardinals White of Virginia. Alliance Soccer Club Galaxy of Frederick took the under-16 boys title game, 2-0, against Real NJYS Atletico '99 of New Jersey.
Major League Lacrosse: Chesapeake Bayhawks midfielder John Maloney was named Rookie of the Week.
National Women's Soccer League: Forward Laura del Rio, a Spanish international, will miss the remainder of the Spirit's season after undergoing surgery to fix a cartilage defect in her left ankle May 24.
United Women's Lacrosse League: Mount St. Mary's coach Lauren Schwarzmann (Johns Hopkins, Century) was added to the coaching staff of the Baltimore Ride, a team in the first-year semipro league.
