by Karsten Bønsdorf, USTA Senior Newsroom Correspondent

Nuncio, who captured the $435,000 Kentucky Futurity in 2014 as well as that year’s $500,000 Yonkers Trot, has raced for the last time and will stand at Menhammar Stud in Sweden.

Gerard Forni photo

Nuncio, the 2016 Elitloppet winner, is officially retired to Menhammar Stud in Sweden.

Would he race again, or who would he go to stud – either in Sweden or in the United States? Speculations had been rampant within the last several weeks.

But on Saturday (Dec. 30) owner/trainer Stefan Melander revealed to the Swedish trade press, that he has sold a share in Nuncio, the 2016 Elitloppet victor, to Margareta Wallenius-Kleberg, who owns the famous Swedish stud farm, Menhammar, and that Nuncio will stand as stallion there.

The price for the services of Nuncio, who was bred by Russell Williams, has still to be decided.

The son of Andover Hall-Nicole Isabella was conditioned by Jimmy Takter and steered by John Campbell during his 2-and 3-year-old campaigns in the United States. The stallion collected $1.9 million in purse money from a record of 26-16-10-1 while on this continent and established his lifetime mark of 1:50.4 in his Kentucky Futurity triumph.