Bayern, winner of the 2014 Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) and expatriate stallion, died July 5 at Great Hill Farm in South Korea because of complications following emergency hernia surgery, the farm announced on social media. He was 15.
The multimillionaire son of Offlee Wild developed colitis following his surgery.
"We fought alongside him day and night, exhausting every possible medical intervention and providing intensive care in a desperate struggle to save his life," read the farm's post as translated by Instagram. "Heartbreakingly, his condition did not improve, and we were ultimately left with no choice but to make the agonizing decision to euthanize him.
"His extraordinary presence, his gentle eyes, and the magnificent, overwhelming power of his stride on the track can never, ever be replaced by any other horse," the post continued. "Right now, this immense loss and the empty void he leaves behind feel completely unbearable. However, I hold onto the earnest hope that his outstanding progeny will carry on their father's fierce bloodline and grow to be just as brilliant. We will quietly and longingly wait for the day when watching his foals run powerfully down the track will help, even just a little, to fill this profound sorrow and emptiness."
Helen Alexander bred Bayern in Kentucky out of the Thunder Gulch mare Alittlebitearly, a granddaughter of the important broodmare Courtly Dee. Alittlebitearly was out of multiple graded stakes winner Aquilegia (Alydar), who was a full sister to 1983 champion 2-year-old filly Althea and graded stakes winner Aishah and a half sister to grade 1 winners Ali Oop and Ketoh as well as graded stakes winners Native Courier and Twining.
Bayern sold for $320,000 during the 2013 Fasig-Tipton Midlantic May 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale to Ed Savant out of Eddie Woods' consignment.
Racing for Kaleem Shah and trainer Bob Baffert, he won his debut at 3 at Santa Anita Park by 3 1/4 lengths and followed with a 15-length allowance win going a mile at Santa Anita. In his third start, he finished third in the Arkansas Derby (G1) and was sent to Churchill Downs with a possibility he could earn a spot in Kentucky Derby (G1) but, with that scenario unlikely, Baffert ran him in the Derby Trial Stakes (G3), where he finished a nose in front but got disqualified and placed second for bumping with Embellishing Bob in the stretch.
Bayern won his first graded stakes in the Woody Stephens Stakes (G2) and followed with wins in the Haskell Invitational Stakes (G1), Pennsylvania Derby (G2), and the Breeders' Cup Classic. Bayern played a central role in a controversial start in the Classic where he took a hard left at the break and bumped Shared Belief, knocking him off stride and into Moreno, who was expected to challenge Bayern for the lead. Bayern won gate-to-wire by nose over Toast of New York and a neck in front of California Chrome . Following a 10-minute stewards inquiry, the results were left unchanged.
Bayern was retired with a 6-1-3 record from 15 starts and $4,454,930 in earnings. He entered stud at Hill 'n' Dale Farms and finished in the top 10 by progeny earnings as a freshman sire of 2019, but did not get a stakes winner until his second-crop year. He sired Biddy Duke, winner of the Senator Ken Maddy Stakes (G3T) and Canadian stakes winner El Bayern during his second-crop year and also was represented by Fair Ground Oaks (G2) runner-up Tempers Rising.
In 2021, Bayern was purchased by Great Hill Farm. The stallion had already sired a Korean champion when he started stud duty there in 2022 through his son Raon the Fighter, who was champion miler of 2022 and then 2023 champion sprinter. To date, Bayern has sired 11 black-type winners that include four graded/group winners. His progeny have earned more than $20 million.
