Sire Storm Bird Dam Weekend Surprise Foaled 12 March 1987 Owner Dogwood Stable Parents Storm Bird Earnings 1.844 million USD | Grandsire Northern Dancer Damsire Secretariat Country United States Trainer Neil J. Howard Sex Stallion | |
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Children Charismatic, Summerly, Storm Song | ||
1990 pennsylvania derby summer squall
Summer Squall (March 12, 1987 – September 22, 2009) was an American thoroughbred racehorse and sire, best known for his win in the 1990 Preakness Stakes, and his rivalry with Unbridled, whom he defeated in four of their six meetings. He later became a successful breeding stallion siring the Kentucky Derby winner Charismatic.
Contents
- 1990 pennsylvania derby summer squall
- 1990 jim beam stakes spiral stakes summer squall
- Background
- Racing career
- Retirement
- References
1990 jim beam stakes spiral stakes summer squall
Background
Summer Squall was sired by Storm Bird, a son of 1964 Northern Dancer, "one of the most influential sires in Thoroughbred history." His dam was Weekend Surprise, was also the dam of 1992 United States Horse of the Year A.P. Indy. Her dam, Lassie Dear, was also the direct female-line ancestor of Duke of Marmalade, Lemon Drop Kid and Ruler of the World.
Bred and born on the land that became Lane's End Farm in Versailles, Kentucky, by W.S. Farish III & W.S. Kilroy, Summer Squall was trained by Neil J. Howard and ridden by National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame jockey Pat Day.
Racing career
Racing at age two, Summer Squall went undefeated in all five of his starts. As a three-year-old in 1990, he became known for his rivalry with Unbridled. They met six times at ages three and four, with Summer Squall winning three of those races, including the Blue Grass Stakes, and finished ahead of Unbridled in one other, the 1991 Pimlico Special.
At Kentucky Derby post time, Summer Squall was sent off as the bettors' second choice behind Mister Frisky, a colt from Puerto Rico who had won a record sixteen straight races coming into the Derby including victories in California in the San Rafael and San Vicente Stakes and the important Grade I Santa Anita Derby. Running six lengths back, Summer Squall made a move as the field turned into the stretch for home but Unbridled came with him, then pulled away to win. Pleasant Tap finished third with Mister Frisky eighth.
Summer Squall won the Preakness Stakes by 2 1⁄2 lengths. In beating Unbridled, his 18 seconds for the final 3/16 of a mile was the fastest in Preakness history. Summer Squall had bled quite a bit during his racing in Florida and required Lasix to deal with the problem. However, Lasix was still banned in New York in 1990, so he did not race in the Belmont Stakes, in which rival Unbridled finished fourth.
Summer Squall competed at age four in 1991. He won the Fayette Handicap at Keeneland Race Course; then in Chicago at Arlington Park, he ran second to Black Tie Affair in the Washington Park Handicap. He also finished second to Farma Way in the then-Grade I Pimlico Special.
Retirement
Summer Squall was a ridgling, meaning that he had an undescended testicle. However, this did not preclude him being used as a successful stud. He stood at Lane's End Farm until he was pensioned in 2004 due to fertility problems. He was euthanized in September 2009 from infirmities of old age.
The sire of thirty-five stakes winners, Summer Squall produced offspring that included:
Summer Squall is the damsire of Summer Bird, winner of the 2009 Belmont Stakes, and also the damsire of Stevie Wonderboy.