Storm Cat

By the early 2000s, the commercial Thoroughbred breeding industry still resembled a relatively broad ecosystem. Elite stallions mattered enormously, but a wide range of sires maintained meaningful market share, regional programs remained viable, and biological limits naturally constrained how dominant any one stallion could become. That landscape has changed dramatically. A review of sire progeny earnings distributions from 2001 through 2025 reveals one of the clearest long-term structural shifts in modern Thoroughbred breeding: an increasingly small number of stallions now account for a growing share of the sport's economic output....

So this week it was Not This Time who landed two big punches: a 13th career Grade I scorer, Claret Beret, in the Apple Blossom Handicap; plus the Grade II prize named for his own sire Giant's Causeway, through In Our Time. If Not This Time and Into Mischief are going to slug it out all year long, they will of course be drawing on the same well--each extending a different branch of Storm Cat. How do you trademark that horse's legacy? Well, a couple of years ago we tapped...

Halters worn by Storm Cat, Sovereignty, Good Cheer and Gun Runner will feature as part of the Bourbon & Bayou silent auction held by the nonprofit child advocacy organization CASA of Lexington. Each halter comes with a certificate of authenticity and is valued at $1,000. Bidding is available here opened Wednesday and continues until 9:45 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 27. Also included with Gun Runner's halter is an exclusive VIP tour for up to 10 people of Three Chimneys Stallion Complex. The silent auction is part of CASA of Lexington's...

The Grayson-Jockey Club Research Foundation will honor Mrs. Lucy Young Hamilton with the Dinny Phipps Award, the organization announced Wednesday. The award, created by Ambassador Earle Mack to honor individuals who have demonstrated dedication to equine health, will be presented at a cocktail reception hosted by the Grayson-Jockey Club Research Foundation in Lexington, Kentucky, at The Apiary on October 14, 2025. Tickets are available here. Mrs. Hamilton created the Storm Cat Career Development Award in 2006 to introduce young researchers to equine sciences. The award is named in honor of...

Cathy Sheppard, the widow of Hall of Fame trainer Jonathan Sheppard, was found dead Monday in a hotel room in Dania Beach, Florida. Her passing was confirmed by the Broward County (Fla) Sherriff's Offices (BSO). She was 69. The Sheppards were married in 1990 and Jonathan Sheppard passed away on Aug. 29, 2023. According to a spokesperson for the BSO, "deputies in Dania Beach responded to an unresponsive person at a hotel in the 100 block of Southwest 18th Avenue. Upon arrival they located a deceased adult female. BSO's Homicide...

Observations on the European Racing Scene turns the spotlight on the best European races of the day, highlighting well-bred horses early in their careers, horses of note returning to action and young runners that achieved notable results in the sales ring. Sunday's Observations features the half-sister to an American multiple Grade I winner.  13.57 Naas, Mdn, €18,000, 2yo, f, 5f 205yT DRAMATIC (Medaglia D'Oro) was a $1.5-million purchase by Coolmore at the 2022 Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale and becomes the latest Aidan O'Brien juvenile to come out to play....

It almost feels like he's on the other end of some celestial phoneline, listening in and smiling. Because somehow Marty Wygod seems to have arranged things so that family and friends, since mourning his loss in April, could be consoled by an afterglow of the same vitality that had sustained his 84 years. First a colt gifted to his daughter Emily Bushnell and longtime racing adviser Ric Waldman took them to the GI Kentucky Derby; and now another graduate of his program has assisted its transition with a $2.4 million...

On the 15th anniversary of the passing of Vincent O'Brien, his successor at Ballydoyle, Aidan O'Brien, extended his record at Epsom to 10 wins in the Derby. Vincent O'Brien's daughter and son-in-law Sue and John Magnier were not at Epsom on Saturday but several of the late, great trainer's grandchildren were in the winner's circle to greet City Of Troy. Their own family is now so strongly enmeshed with the man who shares their grandfather's surname but is no relation to the creator of Ballydoyle. Just like City Of Troy,...

Emily Bushnell and Ric Waldman's Resilience (c, 3, Into Mischief--Meadowsweet, by Smart Strike) punched his ticket to the GI Kentucky Derby for Hall of Famer Bill Mott in an eventful renewal of Saturday's GII Wood Memorial S. at Aqueduct. Last out Aqueduct maiden winner Society Man (Good Magic), off at boxcar odds of 106-1, was second. Another longshot Protective (Medaglia d'Oro), a maiden of two starts, was third at 38-1. The race was marred by a spill in the stretch when the Uriah St Lewis owned/trained-longshot Deposition (Constitution) appeared to...

Forestry (Storm Cat--Shared Interest, by Pleasant Colony), winner of the 1999 GI King's Bishop S. at Saratoga and sire of GI Preakness S. winner Shackleford and fellow GISWs Discreet Cat, Forest Danger and Diplomat Lady, passed away at the age of 27 in Paraná, Brazil on Wednesday. One of the longest-lived and most successful sires in all of South America, Forestry died due to health problems caused by old age, according to Dr. Joaquim Antunes, chief veterinarian of Haras São José da Serra. Bred by Robert S. Evans in Kentucky,...

Pearling (Storm Cat--Mariah's Storm, by Rahy), the dam of triple Group 1 winner and stallion Decorated Knight (GB) (Galileo {Ire}), passed away this week, Imad Al Sagar's Blue Diamond Stud announced on Tuesday. The 17-year-old, who was set to return to Frankel this season, foaled a Frankel (GB) filly this week, the stud confirmed to the TDN. "Very sad to lose Pearling this week," the stud tweeted. "She was one of the first mares to join Blue Diamond and gave us a true star in Decorated Knight. She leaves a lasting...

Since 2004, we've shined the spotlight on over 1,500 'TDN Rising Stars' worldwide, recognition given to a horse early on its career who has done something so impressive on the racetrack that our team believes they will go on to become graded stakes winners.  A horse is designated as a 'Rising Star' by the TDN staff after a careful and comprehensive review of many factors--including the quality of the field, margin and time of victory, pedigree, sales price and more. Over the years, it has become a badge of honor...