AGED STALLIONS

READY FOR RETIREMENT.

BY LARRI JO STARKEY

Just call him “Pizza.”

The 2006 world champion aged stallion with the lengthy name Invest In My Pizzazz and the puppy-dog personality is known around the barn as Pizza.

“This horse is a great horse,” said owner John Rose. “The first time I saw him, shown a couple of years ago by the amateur, I really fell in love with him. He’s a great horse to be around. He actually floats, if you watch him come down the center aisle and to the judges, he just floats. He’s just beautiful.”

Invest In My Pizzazz, shown by Ted Turner, was first on four out of five judges’ score sheets to win the class. The 2002 sorrel stallion is by Misters Pizzazz and out of Savannah Invest by The Invester. He was world champion amateur and open 2-year-old stallion in 2004 and open world champion 3-year-old in 2005.He’s already passing on his legacy to foals, with one crop on the ground and another on the way.

“All of the owners are thrilled with their babies,” John said. “He’s got a real gentle attitude that’s passed on to them. Very pretty heads and obviously very good structure.”

Ted Turner showed Invest In My Pizzazz to his fourth world title.

With this win, Pizza will be retired to a stallion station.

“He’s retired,” John said. “He’s got four world titles and a Congress title, so he’s retired. He’s going to spend his time – even though he’s only 4 years old – he’s going to head to Florida and enjoy the breeding season down there.”

Pizza – who got the nickname because everyone at trainer Ted’s barn shortened the word “Pizzazz” – has already had some breeding success. John showed weanling Cool Pizzazz at the Bayer Select World Championship Show.

“He was a little small and it was a little early, but he looked good, got a lot of compliments,” John said, “and I wound up fourth with him, so I’m really thrilled.”

Next year – and for years after – John hopes to show more of them.

“It’s really exciting,” he said.