Storm Cat
| Storm Cat |
Foaled in 1983, Storm cat took the world by storm and his influence as a Sire-Of-Sires and Broodmare Sire are being felt all over the world. By Storm Bird out of an amazing mare Terlingua, she was by Secretariat – who is proving himself to be an extraordinary Broodmare Sire. Storm Cat is an eye-catching individual who passes on his good looks to his progeny.
He had 8 Starts, 4 Wins, 3 Places and achieved career earnings of $570,610. His wins included the Grade I Young America Stakes at The Meadowlands, and finished second by a nose in that year’s championship deciding race, the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile.
His race record and superb pedigree meant he had a chance to prove himself at stud, and he was duely retired to Overbrook Farm in Kentucky and in 1999 and 2000, he was the leading sire in North America for two years, as well as the worlds number 1 sire, and 7 time champion sire of 2 year olds.
Storm Cat has sired winners of $115 million incl 150 Stakes Winners, and 93 individual group winners. As a result of his resounding successes, he was equipped with a 24 hour armed guard.
His stud fee from 2002 to 2007 was $500,000 for each live foal during his prime, but his final published fee was reduced to $300,000 for 2008.
On May 13, 2008, after he had covered 30 mares and only 3 returned in foal, Overbrook Farm announced that Storm Cat at the age of 25 was to be pensioned from stallion duty due to reduced fertility, and he remains at Overbrook Farm.
Oddly enough, his stud career took a new direction. Storm Cat was made available to Quarter Horse mares, using artificial insemination, which is strictly banned in the breeding of Racehorses all over the world to protect the purity of the stud book. However, the American Quarter Horse Association allows artifical insemination and welcomed the opportunity to use such a successful stallion such as Storm Cat for their mares.
The fee was set at $20,000 per live foal which far from his Thoroughbred service fee of $500 000, is considered one of the highest stud fees in the Quarter Horse world. A portion of these stud fees was in turn going to be donated back to research with regards to A.I. In horses, and as the semen is able to be diluted and spread over a number of mares, stallions are able to prolong their breeding careers and mares have a higher chance of concieving.
Storm Cat’s progeny included Cat Thief, Forestry, Giant’s Causeway, Hennessy and Tale of the Cat, and Mogok standing at Scott Brothers, Brave Tin Soldier at Summerhill Stud, and Carpocrates who stands at Middlefield Stud (who was a world record breaking weanling – sold in the USA for 2.4 million USD) who all currently reside on farms in KZN.
Mogok has proven himself a worthy candidate, not only being a half-brother to infamous sire Machiavellian, but having sired the likes of Rathmor-bred Gypsy’s Warning and The Apache, to name but a few. Mogok consistently produces winners and has proved himself to be a perfect stallion for the buyers market.
Storm Cat is becoming a notable Sire-Of-Sires, and his most successful son at stud to date has been Giant’s Causeway. As a Broodmare Sire he is following in his own maternal grandsire Secretariat’s footsteps. Progeny produced by daughters of Storm Cat include the 2004 Breeders’ Cup Sprint Winner and Eclipse Award-Winning Champion Sprinter, Speightstown, as well as the 2005 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Winner and Champion 2-Year Old Filly, Folklore.
Progeny of Storm Cat not surprisingly were high in demand at public auction. At the 2004 Keeneland September sale a yearling Storm Cat colt named Mr Sekiguchi brought a final bid of $8 million. 2005 sale another of his colts, Jalil, sold for $9.7 million.
The price was the highest ever paid for a yearling sold at the Keeneland September sale and is third-highest overall.
Storm Cat has now sired the more $1 million yearlings than any other stallion in history.