Grade 2 Winner Trappe Shot, 19, Son of Tapit, Dies in Turkey

Trappe Shot, a son of Tapit who stood at Lale and Zeynep Atman's Atman Stud, has died in Turkey at age 19, industry reports say. The stallion had resided at Atman Stud since the summer of 2019 and stood his first Turkish season in 2020, and he retires from the breeding shed with 12 crops of racing age, 286 winners and combined progeny earnings of more than $24.8 million.

On the track Trappe Shot retired 6-for-12 with $703,884 in earnings. The colt was scaled back to one turn for his 4-year-old season, kicking off his schedule in May with a victory in the Waldoboro Stakes at Belmont Park. He then earned his biggest career victory in the G2 True North Handicap, where he powered down the stretch to win by 8 1/2 lengths. Those performances were followed by a 2nd in the G1 Alfred G. Vanderbilt Handicap, 4th in the G1 Vosburgh Invitational Stakes and 4th in the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile.

Trappe Shot began his stud career at Claiborne Farm in Kentucky for the 2012 breeding season and "retired to Claiborne Farm as one of the first sons of elite sire Tapit to enter stud at a major Kentucky farm." His U.S. runners included Grade 2 winners One Timer (also a millionaire) and Hotshot Anna, Grade 3 winners Untrapped, Fish Trappe Road, Wild Shot and Explode, and Grade 1‑placed My Man Sam. He also sent two sons to the Kentucky Derby: My Man Sam (2016, 11th) and Untrapped (2017, 12th).

After his sale to Atman Stud, Trappe Shot made an immediate mark on Turkish racing. "In Turkey, Trappe Shot's top runner has been Comeback Is Real, winner of the G1 Anafartalar Stakes," and he is also responsible for Turkish stakes winners including Grade 3 winner Prens Levent and stakes winner Song Rising. BloodHorse previously noted he "is the fourth U.S.-bred stallion sold to a Turkish breeder since June," a line that underscores a broader pattern of U.S.-bred stallions relocating to Turkey in recent seasons.

Reports vary on the exact calendar day of death; aggregated industry accounts list Feb. 16–17, 2026, and one outlet states he "died Monday" at age 19. No cause of death has been disclosed in the materials reviewed. Turkish outlet Yarış Dergisi grouped Trappe Shot’s passing closely with the death of another stallion, Mendip, noting "just one day after Mendip’s passing, another major loss followed with the death of Trappe Shot at age 19."

The loss of Trappe Shot touches both commercial breeding strategy and on-track narratives. As an early Tapit son at a major Kentucky farm, his export to Turkey reflected shifting market dynamics for U.S. bloodlines and the Atman family’s strategy to expand quality stallion offerings domestically. His record of producing graded winners in the U.S. and a Turkish G1 winner illustrates the cross-border value breeders seek when buying proven American stallions.

A social media snapshot captured the immediate reaction: "Sad to hear he's gone. Grade 2 Winner, Veteran Sire Trappe Shot Dies In Turkey At Age 19." Exact confirmation of the calendar date and any cause of death remain pending from Atman Stud and Claiborne Farm.