FEATURE STALLION
Storm Cat still on top
by Jordan Strickler
When Monday evening rolled around and the announcement for champion two-year-old filly was
made, it was no surprise that
the daughter of STORM CAT, Sweet Catomine, took home the trophy. Defeated only once in five
career starts,
she earned all but one of the votes for the award. She is the second Eclipse winner for the
22-year-old sire; Storm Flag Flying, a nominee for this year’s older mare
division, was crowed champion two-year-old filly in 2000.
Sweet Catomine’s three victories of 2004 were all in graded
stakes: Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1), Del Mar Debutante S. (G1) and Oak
Leaf S. (G2). Eight days prior to winning the award, the bay filly began the new
year much the same way it had ended, tromping home victorious in the Santa Ysabel S. (G3) as the heavy favorite.
One day before the Santa Ysabel, another Storm Cat offspring,
Storm Surge, recorded a victory in the LeComte S. (G3). Sitting back in
fourth-place through a majority of the race, the three-year-old colt took a
narrow lead as the group entered the stretch and held off all opponents in the
end. The dark bay vaulted himself into Kentucky Derby (G1) contention with the
victory.
Also adding to Storm Cat’s success at stud recently was Catienus,
an 11-year-old son of Storm Cat, who became the leading North American sire of
individual two-year-old winners. Nineteen of his offspring saw the winner’s
circle with one, Kathern’s Cat, winning the Freedom of the City S. in October.
Storm Cat began his racing career in 1985, winning three of his
six starts as a two-year-old, including the Young American S. (G1). In his final
juvenile appearance, the dark bay colt put in a hard fight before losing the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile S. (G1) by
just a nose. The next year, the Jonathan Sheppard charge raced only twice,
winning an allowance before ending his career with a fourth in the
Annapolis S.
In 15 crops, Storm Cat has produced 516 winners of more than
$87.6 million, an average earnings of $123,258 per starter. The 16-hand stallion
has sired 130 stakes winners, including Giant’s Causeway (six-time Group 1
winner in Europe), Cat Thief (Breeders’ Cup Classic [G1]),
Storm Flag Flying (Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies), Desert Stormer
(Breeders’ Cup Sprint [G1]), Tabasco Cat (Belmont S. [G1] and Preakness S. [G1]) and High Yield
(Blue Grass S. [G1]).
His daughters have produced such winners as last year’s
Breeders’ Cup Sprint hero and recently honored champion sprinter, Speightstown (Gone West); Wood
Memorial S. (G1) victor Buddha (Unbridled’s Song); and Hopeful S. (G1) winner Sky
Mesa (Pulpit).
In 2004, Storm Cat had 11 yearlings, two-year-olds and other
horses of racing age sell for more than $1 million each, including an
unnamed yearling who sold for $8 million at the Keeneland
September Yearling Sale to Hideyuki Mori.
Storm Cat stands at Overbrook Farm near Lexington, Kentucky, for
a live foal fee of $500,000.