Sky Classic Pensioned

Sky Classic (Nijinksky II–No Class, by Nodouble), a member of the Canadian Hall of Fame, has been retired from stud duty at the age of 28 and will be pensioned at Josephine Abercrombie’s Pin Oak Stud. Sky Classic sired six champions, 10 Grade I winners, and 59 stakes winners in his 19 crops of racing age. His top earner was Canada’s 2006 champion male turf horse Sky Conqueror, and he was also responsible for Thornfield, Canada’s Horse of the Year and champion male turf horse in 1999. He is the broodmare sire of an additional 43 stakes winners, including three champions, English Classic winner Speciosa (Ire) (Danehill Dancer {Ire}) and 2014 GI Matriarch S. winner La Tia (City Place). Sky Classic was a nine-time graded stakes winner and earned over $3 million for breeder Ernie Samuel’s Sam-Son Farm during his racing career. He finished second by a nose in the 1992 GI Breeders’ Cup Turf. The chestnut, a half to champions Regal Classic, Grey Classic and Classy ‘n Smart–the dam of Hall of Famer Dance Smartly and Smart Strike–earned the Eclipse Award in 1992 for a campaign that included a win in the GI Turf Classic Invitational S. He was Canada’s champion 2-year-old colt in 1989, and champion older horse and male turf horse in 1991. Sky Classic retired to Pin Oak stud in 1993. “There are not many stallions who start and end their careers at the same farm,” said Pin Oak Stud manager Clifford Barry. “Sky Classic has been a special horse and we thank the Samuel family for entrusting us with his care for the majority of his lifetime.”