Page 12 - August/September 2007 The Game

12 The Game, August/September 2007 Canada’s Thoroughbred Racing Newspaper
Storm Cat influence in Triple Crown forecast
Mike Fox (left) and Alezzandro (right) finished one-two in this year’s Queen’s Plate at Woodbine. Alezzandro went on to win this year’s Prince of Wales at Fort Erie. Michael Burns Photo
By Adam Hickman
From the first triumphs of owner D. Morgan Firestone, trainer Ian Black and jockey Emma-Jayne Wilson in the Queen’s Plate to the breakout performance of trainer Kevin Attard in the Prince of Wales, the first two jewels of the Canadian Triple Crown have spawned a litany of classic firsts.
Mike Fox and Alezzandro did more than allow new
human connections to celebrate in the Woodbine and Fort Erie winner’s circles.
Lost in the aftermath of these two important sophomore events are the potential waves their respective successes may have on the shores of the breeding world.
When Mike Fox tagged Alezzandro a jump or two before the Queen’s Plate wire, he helped a world-class stallion shed his maiden status
in the historic 1 1/4-mile event.
On June 24, Mike Fox became the first
descendant of 24-year-old Storm Cat to win the Queen’s Plate. Mike Fox is by English and Irish champion three-year-old Giant’s Causeway, a successful son of Storm Cat residing at Ashford Stud in Kentucky.
Taken at face value, it’s a notable achievement since it’s been no secret how competitive sons, daughters, grandsons and grand-daughters of Storm Cat have been on this planet for some time.
With about two months until the conclusion of the 2006 racing season, Storm Cat could take direct credit for no less than 150 career stakes winners. His progeny collectively surpassed the $100 million plateau in earnings and had combined for over 1,800 victories.
His long-term success caused his stud value balloon to $500,000 per live foal, helping to create a strong market for his successful sons, which populate stallion stations in major and minor markets with more affordable four and five-figure stud fees next to their catalogue pictures.
Listed in the orange-leaf appendix of the 2007 edition of the Blood Horse Stallion Register are 116 such names. From Florida-based Alajwad to Illinois stud Z Z Cat, a
Richard Moylan, Agent
Is proud to be CONSIGNING the following YEARLINGS in the 2007 CTHS (Ontario) Sales
Hip 6 Chestnut Colt by SALT LAKE
Glory’s Story, by Defensive Play
Hip 143 Grey/Roan Colt by CITY ZIP
Wildcard Coyote, by SW Wildcard
Hip 145 Bay Colt by D’WILDCAT
Wild Executive, by Bold Executive
Hip 216 DkB/Br Colt by TOMAHAWK
Emotionally, by Explodent
Hip 220 Bay Filly by WHERE’S THE RING
Esprit Fabuleux, by Dauphin Fabuleux
Hip 258 Bay Filly by ENDEAVOR
Jennair, by Cherokke Colney
Hip 430 Chestnut Filly by BOLD N’ FLASHY
Fillygris, by Langfuhr
RICHARD MOYLAN Thoroughbred Bloodstock Agent
Hunterview Farm
North off Hwy #9, Between Airport Rd. & Hwy #50 993445 Mono-Adjala Townline, Orangeville
Farm: 519-940-0319 Cell: 416-999-1249
mass contingent of Storm Cat sons inundate the market. In the United States, Storm Cat scratched out his first two classic scores in 1994, when his third-crop star Tabasco Cat triumphed in the Preakness and Belmont
Stakes.
For it to take until 2007 for his first representative to
parade into the Queen’s Plate winner’s circle is some- what of a head-scratching piece of trivia. But it is explainable by an even more surprising detail: Entering this year’s edition of the Queen’s Plate, only one of the event’s 174 starters since 1992, the year Storm Cat’s first foal turned three, had any of the Overbrook Farm stud’s blood in his genetic composition – from top or bottom of their pedigrees.
The individual, who competed in the 2006 running, was the unlikely 60-1 shot Cifercat, a son of Ciano Cat and a grandson of Storm Cat. The Bruno Schickedanz charge finished eighth.
So, the absence of winning Storm Cat descendants is easily justified by the infrequent appearance of his family members, providing credence to a slightly modified version of the old racetrack adage ‘you can’t win it for your sons and grandsons aren’t in it.’
That problem appears to have rectified itself. Entrants Mike Fox and Alezzandro, a son of High Yield (by Storm Cat), served to triple the number of Storm Cat representa- tives entering the starting gate. Note that, had two-year- old champion Leonnatus Anteas, a son of Stormy Atlantic (a son of Storm Cat) not scratched, the representation would have quadrupled this
year. Demonstrating
immediate Plate success, the two grandsons of Storm Cat finished one-two, separated by just a half- length at the wire.
Cont. next page - See Storm Cat
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