Sunday Silence
1986-2002
On August 19, 2002, Sunday Silence died at his home in Hokkaido, Japan, where he stood stud at Shadai Stallion Station. He passed away due to heart failure, after a lengthy, but courageous battle with a leg infection, as well as laminitis. This web page is my tribute to this great champion, who on and off the track, proved his worth time and time again. I hope this page can serve to properly honor this horse, who was one of the reasons I became involved in the sport of thoroughbred racing.
Undoubtedly one of the top American thoroughbreds of the last twenty years, Sunday Silence was, and remains, a favorite of mine. The late 1980's marked the period in which I began my interest/love for the sport of throughbred racing. Though I had been witness to great horses before 1989 (Personal Ensign, Risen Star, and Alysheba among others), Sunday Silence was the first horse who truly captured my young attention. My first witness to his abilities came in April, 1989, when he crushed the field in the Santa Anita Derby by 11 lengths. His fluid form, and nearly black coat stood out to me, despite that I had seen Easy Goer demolish the Gotham Stakes field by the same margin, on the same day.
When May rolled around, only weeks later, it was only the second time I had seen him run. But this was the Kentucky Derby, and Sunday Silence was much the best that day. The black colt zig-zagged through the lane as he came off the far turn, seemingly distracted by the roar of 100,000-plus people at Churchill Downs. Despite this, he ran on, finishing 2 1/2 lengths in front of the much-hyped Easy Goer. This would set the stage for the most fantastic races I have had the pleasure to witness.
The Preakness came two weeks later, and yet people were not convinced by Sunday Silence's Derby win. The bettors kept Easy Goer as favorite once again, leaving the Kentucky Derby winner as second choice. This race unfolded in the early going much as it had two weeks before. The Lukas-trained Houston ran on the lead, as he had in the Derby, with Sunday Silence tracking him not far behind. As the field neared the far turn, though, there suddenly came the massive strides of Easy Goer with Pat Day, obviously wanting to get the jump on the Derby winner. Easy Goer ran by Sunday Silence, and roared onward to the lead in a sensational burst. Pat Valenzuela, aboard Sunday Silence, quickly asked his colt to move. Move he did. The Derby winner quickly gained ground, and by the time the field hit the top of the stretch, Sunday Silence had moved to even terms with Easy Goer. For the next quarter of a mile, the two were inseparable.
Sunday Silence thrust his nose out as the they came upon the wire, and captured the Preakness. Sunday Silence suddenly stood on the verge of winning racing's coveted Triple Crown, but to do so, he would have to win the Belmont Stakes, upon Easy Goer's own "home" track.
The task of beating Easy Goer at Belmont proved insurmountable even for Sunday Silence. Sunday Silence tracked Le Voyageur into the sweeping far turn at Belmont, sticking a nose in front, and raising the hopes of many for a Triple Crown. But the long-striding Easy Goer came with a rush, sweeping by both runners. This time, Sunday Silence was no match, as the son of Alydar roared to an eight length win.
Following the Triple Crown campaign, Sunday Silence and Easy Goer went seperate ways. Easy Goer stayed in New York, while SS went west. Their respective campaigns could not have been more different. Sunday Silence was raced only twice, in lower caliber races, between the Belmont Stakes and Breeders Cup. Easy Goer ran one of the more impressive fall campaigns I can ever remember seeing, winning the Whitney, Travers, Woodward, and Jockey Club Gold Cup. The question of which horse was best had surfaced yet again. The two would meet for the final time in the Breeders Cup Classic, to settle the question.
The Classic would live up to its hype, indeed. Slew City Slew went out and set the pace, with top older horse Blushing John second, and Sunday Silence just in behind those two. Pat Day kept Easy Goer well off the pace, hoping to come with his usual late run. As the field neared the far turn, Slew City Slew began to give way quickly, and Angel Cordero Jr. send Blushing John to the front. Chris McCarron (riding in place of the suspended Pat Valenzuela) sent Sunday Silence after him. Before the horses hit the final quarter mile, Sunday Silence was matching strides with him, and ran on by as they straightened out for the stretch drive. Easy Goer was still lagging behind, but Pat Day put him to a strong drive. With a furlong to go, Sunday Silence had assumed a clear lead, with Blushing John hoping for second. But Easy Goer was flying on the outside, and as they neared the wire, was closing strongly with every stride.
Sunday Silence held on by what track announcer Tom Durkin deemed "a desperate neck". He had won the Clasic in a then stakes-record for the mile-and-a-quarter Classic, 2:00.20. Having won three of four races against Easy Goer, Sunday Silence was named the 1989 Horse of the Year, as well as the Champion 3-year-old Title for the same year.The two horses would not renew their rivalry at four. Sunday Silence raced only twice in 1990, before being purchased by Japanese interests.
After his retirement, Sunday Silence stood at Shadai Stallion Station in Hayakita, Japan. From 1995 onward, he was Japan's leading sire, and proved to be a prolific and popular one. In 2001, alone, he covered 221 mares. In June, 2002, Sunday Silence began to suffer from a bacterial infection in a leg. Through three surgeries the stallion showed his champion's heart. Yet the infection proved to be too much, as laminitis would ultimately set in due to shifting his weight off the injured leg. On August 19, 2002 Sunday Silence passed away, at the age of 16.
Lineage:
Born March 25, 1986
Sire: Halo
Dam: Wishing Well
Race Record:
Lifetime- 14 Starts, 9 Wins, 5 Second, Earnings $4,968,554
Age 2: 3 Starts, 1 Win, 2 Seconds, Earnings $21,700
Age 3: 9 Starts, 7 Wins, 2 Seconds, Earnings $4,578,454
Age 4: 2 Starts, 1 Win, 1 Second, Earnings $368,400
At Two:
Maiden Race: 2nd
Maiden Race: Won (by 10 lengths)
$24,000 Allowance Race: 2nd
At Three:
$32,000 Allowance Race: Won (by 4 1/2 lengths)
San Felipe Handicap (G2): Won (by 1 3/4 lengths)
Santa Anita Derby (G1): Won (by 11 lengths)
Kentucky Derby (G1): Won (by 2 1/2 lengths)
Preakness Stakes (G1): Won (by nose)
Belmont Stakes (G1): 2nd
Swaps Stakes (G2): 2nd
Super Derby (G1): Won (by 6 lengths)
Breeders Cup Classic (G1): Won (by neck)
At Four:
Californian Stakes (G1): Won (by 1 length)
Hollywood Gold Cup (G1): 2nd
1986-2002
On August 19, 2002, Sunday Silence died at his home in Hokkaido, Japan, where he stood stud at Shadai Stallion Station. He passed away due to heart failure, after a lengthy, but courageous battle with a leg infection, as well as laminitis. This web page is my tribute to this great champion, who on and off the track, proved his worth time and time again. I hope this page can serve to properly honor this horse, who was one of the reasons I became involved in the sport of thoroughbred racing.
Undoubtedly one of the top American thoroughbreds of the last twenty years, Sunday Silence was, and remains, a favorite of mine. The late 1980's marked the period in which I began my interest/love for the sport of throughbred racing. Though I had been witness to great horses before 1989 (Personal Ensign, Risen Star, and Alysheba among others), Sunday Silence was the first horse who truly captured my young attention. My first witness to his abilities came in April, 1989, when he crushed the field in the Santa Anita Derby by 11 lengths. His fluid form, and nearly black coat stood out to me, despite that I had seen Easy Goer demolish the Gotham Stakes field by the same margin, on the same day.
When May rolled around, only weeks later, it was only the second time I had seen him run. But this was the Kentucky Derby, and Sunday Silence was much the best that day. The black colt zig-zagged through the lane as he came off the far turn, seemingly distracted by the roar of 100,000-plus people at Churchill Downs. Despite this, he ran on, finishing 2 1/2 lengths in front of the much-hyped Easy Goer. This would set the stage for the most fantastic races I have had the pleasure to witness.
The Preakness came two weeks later, and yet people were not convinced by Sunday Silence's Derby win. The bettors kept Easy Goer as favorite once again, leaving the Kentucky Derby winner as second choice. This race unfolded in the early going much as it had two weeks before. The Lukas-trained Houston ran on the lead, as he had in the Derby, with Sunday Silence tracking him not far behind. As the field neared the far turn, though, there suddenly came the massive strides of Easy Goer with Pat Day, obviously wanting to get the jump on the Derby winner. Easy Goer ran by Sunday Silence, and roared onward to the lead in a sensational burst. Pat Valenzuela, aboard Sunday Silence, quickly asked his colt to move. Move he did. The Derby winner quickly gained ground, and by the time the field hit the top of the stretch, Sunday Silence had moved to even terms with Easy Goer. For the next quarter of a mile, the two were inseparable.
Sunday Silence thrust his nose out as the they came upon the wire, and captured the Preakness. Sunday Silence suddenly stood on the verge of winning racing's coveted Triple Crown, but to do so, he would have to win the Belmont Stakes, upon Easy Goer's own "home" track.
The task of beating Easy Goer at Belmont proved insurmountable even for Sunday Silence. Sunday Silence tracked Le Voyageur into the sweeping far turn at Belmont, sticking a nose in front, and raising the hopes of many for a Triple Crown. But the long-striding Easy Goer came with a rush, sweeping by both runners. This time, Sunday Silence was no match, as the son of Alydar roared to an eight length win.
Following the Triple Crown campaign, Sunday Silence and Easy Goer went seperate ways. Easy Goer stayed in New York, while SS went west. Their respective campaigns could not have been more different. Sunday Silence was raced only twice, in lower caliber races, between the Belmont Stakes and Breeders Cup. Easy Goer ran one of the more impressive fall campaigns I can ever remember seeing, winning the Whitney, Travers, Woodward, and Jockey Club Gold Cup. The question of which horse was best had surfaced yet again. The two would meet for the final time in the Breeders Cup Classic, to settle the question.
The Classic would live up to its hype, indeed. Slew City Slew went out and set the pace, with top older horse Blushing John second, and Sunday Silence just in behind those two. Pat Day kept Easy Goer well off the pace, hoping to come with his usual late run. As the field neared the far turn, Slew City Slew began to give way quickly, and Angel Cordero Jr. send Blushing John to the front. Chris McCarron (riding in place of the suspended Pat Valenzuela) sent Sunday Silence after him. Before the horses hit the final quarter mile, Sunday Silence was matching strides with him, and ran on by as they straightened out for the stretch drive. Easy Goer was still lagging behind, but Pat Day put him to a strong drive. With a furlong to go, Sunday Silence had assumed a clear lead, with Blushing John hoping for second. But Easy Goer was flying on the outside, and as they neared the wire, was closing strongly with every stride.
Sunday Silence held on by what track announcer Tom Durkin deemed "a desperate neck". He had won the Clasic in a then stakes-record for the mile-and-a-quarter Classic, 2:00.20. Having won three of four races against Easy Goer, Sunday Silence was named the 1989 Horse of the Year, as well as the Champion 3-year-old Title for the same year.The two horses would not renew their rivalry at four. Sunday Silence raced only twice in 1990, before being purchased by Japanese interests.
After his retirement, Sunday Silence stood at Shadai Stallion Station in Hayakita, Japan. From 1995 onward, he was Japan's leading sire, and proved to be a prolific and popular one. In 2001, alone, he covered 221 mares. In June, 2002, Sunday Silence began to suffer from a bacterial infection in a leg. Through three surgeries the stallion showed his champion's heart. Yet the infection proved to be too much, as laminitis would ultimately set in due to shifting his weight off the injured leg. On August 19, 2002 Sunday Silence passed away, at the age of 16.
Lineage:
Born March 25, 1986
Sire: Halo
Dam: Wishing Well
Race Record:
Lifetime- 14 Starts, 9 Wins, 5 Second, Earnings $4,968,554
Age 2: 3 Starts, 1 Win, 2 Seconds, Earnings $21,700
Age 3: 9 Starts, 7 Wins, 2 Seconds, Earnings $4,578,454
Age 4: 2 Starts, 1 Win, 1 Second, Earnings $368,400
At Two:
Maiden Race: 2nd
Maiden Race: Won (by 10 lengths)
$24,000 Allowance Race: 2nd
At Three:
$32,000 Allowance Race: Won (by 4 1/2 lengths)
San Felipe Handicap (G2): Won (by 1 3/4 lengths)
Santa Anita Derby (G1): Won (by 11 lengths)
Kentucky Derby (G1): Won (by 2 1/2 lengths)
Preakness Stakes (G1): Won (by nose)
Belmont Stakes (G1): 2nd
Swaps Stakes (G2): 2nd
Super Derby (G1): Won (by 6 lengths)
Breeders Cup Classic (G1): Won (by neck)
At Four:
Californian Stakes (G1): Won (by 1 length)
Hollywood Gold Cup (G1): 2nd
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