SAILOR’S CAP (Distant View), winner of Sunday’s Poker H. (G3) in his first
start of 2009, collapsed and died in his stall in trainer Jimmy Toner’s barn at
4:30 a.m. (EDT) on Wednesday. Cause of death is unknown and a necropsy will be
performed at the New Bolton Research Center in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania.
“He spiked a temperature during the day on Tuesday and simply collapsed early
in the morning,” Toner said.
“We are all in complete shock over this turn of events.”
The Team Valor homebred established himself as a top three-year-old grass
horse last season, winning the Colonial Turf Cup (G3) and placing in the
Virginia Derby (G2) and American Turf S. (G3), and appeared to be coming into
his own this year under the careful stewardship of veteran conditioner Toner.
Sailor’s Cap upset the heavily favored Kip Deville (Kipling) with a strong turn
of foot into the stretch of the one-mile Poker, registering a commendable 104
BRIS Speed rating for the 1 1/4-length score.
The four-year-old colt earned $616,970 from a 10-4-1-2 line. The
Kentucky-bred was out of the Caveat mare Wave On, a daughter of Hot Option (Explodent),
a filly raced by a partnership formed by Team Valor’s Barry Irwin in the late
1980s. Winner of the 1989 Honeymoon H. (G3), Hot Option is considered by Irwin
to be the best domestically raced female ever to carry his stable’s silks.
“Sailor’s Cap had the same explosive turn of foot as Hot Option,” Irwin said.
“He was just coming into his own. This shows the highs and lows of this game. It
is a tough nut to swallow.”