“We are truly humbled to own a horse that has provided us with such wonderful memories,” Sean Fitzhenry, Sovereign Awards, April 2019
Two-time Sovereign Award winning star MR. HAVERCAMP has been retired from racing, according to trainer Catherine Day Phillips who posted the unfortunate news on Twitter on May 30.
Sean and Dorothy Fitzhenry’s popular homebred gelding by Court Vision was pulled up in a workout and was deemed to have an injury to his pelvis.
“It is with a heavy heart that we announce the retirement of multiple Canadian Champion Mr Havercamp.,” said Day Phillips on Twitter. “We are all so grateful for the journey that he has taken us on! Havercamp injured his pelvis breezing yesterday. Full recovery is expected.”
Bought back by the Fitzhenrys for $19,000 as a yearling, the foal of 2014 took the Toronto couple on a great ride since he won his maiden in the summer of 2017. A graded stakes winner in 2018 of the Play the King Stakes (G2) on the turf at Woodbine, he also won the Grade 2 Autumn Stakes on the Tapeta that fall. One of his biggest runs was his second-place finish in the Grade 1 Woodbine Mile to Oscar Performance in September 2018 and that effort led to his two championships for Champion Older Male and Champion Turf Male for 2018.
Mr. Havercamp followed his championship season up with a victory that gave the Fitzhenrys a once-in-a-lifetime thrill in the summer of 2019.
In his first start in eight months, Mr. Havercamp sped to a half-length victory in the $150,000 Forbidden Apple Stakes (G3) at famed Saratoga racecourse. Despite the course being listed as yielding – not the big gelding’s favourite type of turf – Mr Havercamp was trained to the minute by Day Phillips and he defeated some top American turf milers including Grade 1 winner Voodoo Song.
“I have dreamed about standing here for a long time,” said Fitzhenry to reporters about winning a race, a graded stakes race no less, at the ‘Spa’.
In the winner’s circle at legendary Saratoga racecourse; Mr. Havercamp and his proud people – NYRA photo
Mr. Havercamp, named for a character in the movie Caddyshack, finished fourth in the Grade 3 Seagram Cup last fall at Woodbine which would be his final outing of his career. He was called “tough and resilient” by Day Phillips and is no doubt one of the successful trainer’s favourite horses in recent years.
Produced from the mare Tennessee Lamb, Mr. Havercamp had a 14 8-1-0 career record with winnings of $679,558.
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