Sharp Cat
Encyclopedia
Sharp Cat was an outstanding American Thoroughbred
filly
racehorse
who won fourteen of her twenty-one starts of which seven of her wins were Grade 1
events. She was a daughter of the two-time leading sire in North America
, Storm Cat
, and out of Kentucky Broodmare of the Year
, In Neon.
Sharp Cat was bred by John A. Franks
and sold for $900,000 at the 1996 Barretts March select juvenile sale to Saudi Arabia's
Prince Ahmed bin Salman
who raced her under his The Thoroughbred Corp.
Sharp Cat was conditioned for racing from a base in California
by future U.S. Racing Hall of Fame
inductee D. Wayne Lukas
who handled her in 1996 and 1997. Wally Dollase
took over as her trainer in 1998.
In 1996, Sharp Cat won the Grades 1 Matron Stakes and Hollywood Starlet Stakes
. She had three more Grade 1 wins at age three, capturing the 1997 Las Virgenes Stakes
, Santa Anita Oaks
, and Acorn Stakes
. Among her other 1997 victories she won the mile and one sixteenth Santa Ysabel Stakes
at Santa Anita Park
while setting a new stakes record of 1:41.34 that still stands through 2010. On December 7, 1997, Sharp Cat won the Bayakoa Handicap
in the first walkover
in the history of Hollywood Park Racetrack. In a race that determined the winner of that year's American Champion Three-Year-Old Filly, she ran second to Ajina
in the 1997 Breeders' Cup Distaff.
Racing as a four-year-old for trainer Wally Dollase, Sharp Cat won two more Grade 1 races, the Ruffian Handicap
and, in a race in which she earned an exceptional 119 Beyer Speed Figure
, the Beldame Stakes
. Undefeated that year, Sharp Cat was sent to Churchill Downs
for the November 1998 Breeders' Cup Distaff as the pre-race favorite but did not compete after suffering a nearly fatal case of cramping that sent her into shock.
Retired to broodmare duty, Prince Ahmed bin Salman died in 2002 and the following year his estate sold Sharp Cat to Darley Stud
while she was in foal to Gone West
. Sharp Cat was bred to top runners Point Given
, Fusaichi Pegasus
, Gone West, Seeking the Gold
, and Cherokee Run
without producing a significant runner. On April 21, 2008 at the Hagyard Equine Medical Institute in Lexington, Kentucky
, she was humanely euthanized
as a result of birthing complications after delivering a foal by A.P. Indy
.
Thoroughbred
The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word thoroughbred is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed...
filly
Filly
A filly is a young female horse too young to be called a mare. There are several specific definitions in use.*In most cases filly is a female horse under the age of four years old....
racehorse
Horse racing
Horse racing is an equestrian sport that has a long history. Archaeological records indicate that horse racing occurred in ancient Babylon, Syria, and Egypt. Both chariot and mounted horse racing were events in the ancient Greek Olympics by 648 BC...
who won fourteen of her twenty-one starts of which seven of her wins were Grade 1
Graded stakes race
A graded stakes race is a term applied since 1973 by the American Graded Stakes Committee of the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association to thoroughbred horse races in the United States and Canada to describe races that derive their name from the stake, or entry fee, owners must pay...
events. She was a daughter of the two-time leading sire in North America
Leading sire in North America
The list below shows the leading sire of Thoroughbred racehorses in North America for each year since 1830. This is determined by the amount of prizemoney won by the sire's progeny during the year...
, Storm Cat
Storm Cat
Storm Cat was an American Thoroughbred stallion whose breeding fee during the peak of his stud career was $500,000, the highest in the world. As such, he was one of the few horses with a 24-hour armed guard....
, and out of Kentucky Broodmare of the Year
Kentucky Broodmare of the Year
The list that follows is of the all the mares that have won the honor of being named Kentucky Broodmare of the Year. Mares are selected each year by the Kentucky Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association. Mares are graded by the success of offspring just like stallions in regards to the Leading...
, In Neon.
Sharp Cat was bred by John A. Franks
John A. Franks
John Franks was an American businessman and a Thoroughbred racehorse owner and breeder. A native of Haughton, Louisiana, he earned a degree in geology from Louisiana State University. In 1962, he founded the highly successful Franks Petroleum Inc. and later invested in real estate with Franks...
and sold for $900,000 at the 1996 Barretts March select juvenile sale to Saudi Arabia's
Saudi Arabia
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia , commonly known in British English as Saudi Arabia and in Arabic as as-Sa‘ūdiyyah , is the largest state in Western Asia by land area, constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and the second-largest in the Arab World...
Prince Ahmed bin Salman
Ahmed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud
Prince Ahmed bin Salman was a member of the royal family of Saudi Arabia and a media executive who also was a major figure in international Thoroughbred horse racing....
who raced her under his The Thoroughbred Corp.
The Thoroughbred Corp.
The Thoroughbred Corporation is a Thoroughbred horse racing and breeding operation established in 1994 by principal partner Prince Ahmed bin Salman of the Saudi Arabian royal family...
Sharp Cat was conditioned for racing from a base in California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
by future U.S. Racing Hall of Fame
National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame
The National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame was founded in 1950 in Saratoga Springs, New York, to honor the achievements of American thoroughbred race horses, jockeys, and trainers...
inductee D. Wayne Lukas
D. Wayne Lukas
Darrell Wayne Lukas is a former educator who became one of the most successful horse trainers in American Thoroughbred horse racing history and a U.S...
who handled her in 1996 and 1997. Wally Dollase
Wallace Dollase
Wallace A. "Wally" Dollase is an American trainer and owner of Thoroughbred racehorses.Among his numerous Graded stakes race wins, Dollase won the 1996 Breeders' Cup Distaff with Jewel Princess who was voted that year's Eclipse Award as the American Champion Older Female Horse.Wally Dollase and...
took over as her trainer in 1998.
In 1996, Sharp Cat won the Grades 1 Matron Stakes and Hollywood Starlet Stakes
Hollywood Starlet Stakes
The Hollywood Starlet Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race for two-year-old fillies run each December at Hollywood Park Racetrack in Inglewood, California. Currently offering a purse of $400,000, the Grade I event, it was raced on dirt until 2006 when the new synthetic Cushion Track was...
. She had three more Grade 1 wins at age three, capturing the 1997 Las Virgenes Stakes
Las Virgenes Stakes
The Las Virgenes Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually in early February at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California. A Grade I event run at a distance of one mile on dirt, it is open to three-year-old fillies and currently offers a purse of $250,000.-Records:Speed record:*...
, Santa Anita Oaks
Santa Anita Oaks
Santa Anita Oaks is an American Grade I Thoroughbred horse race held annually in mid March at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California. Open to three-year-old fillies willing to race 8.5 furlongs on the dirt, it currently offers a purse of $300,000.Inaugurated in 1935 as a race for two-year-olds,...
, and Acorn Stakes
Acorn Stakes
The Acorn Stakes is an American Grade I race at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York for three-year-old Thoroughbred fillies. It is raced on dirt over a distance of one mile with a current purse of $250,000. It is the first leg of the US Triple Tiara and is followed by the Coaching Club American Oaks...
. Among her other 1997 victories she won the mile and one sixteenth Santa Ysabel Stakes
Santa Ysabel Stakes
The Santa Ysabel Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually during the second week of January at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California. A Grade III event, the race is open to fillies, age three, willing to race one and one-sixteenths miles on the Pro-Ride synthetic...
at Santa Anita Park
Santa Anita Park
Santa Anita Park is a thoroughbred racetrack in Arcadia, California, United States. It offers some of the prominent racing events in the United States during the winter and in spring. With its backdrop of the purple San Gabriel Mountains, it is considered by many as the world's most beautiful race...
while setting a new stakes record of 1:41.34 that still stands through 2010. On December 7, 1997, Sharp Cat won the Bayakoa Handicap
Bayakoa Handicap
The Bayakoa Handicap is an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually in the first week of December at Hollywood Park Racetrack in Inglewood, California. The race is open to filles and mares, aged three and up, willing to race one and one-sixteenth miles on Cushion Track synthetic dirt...
in the first walkover
Walkover
In British English, a walkover or W.O. is the awarding of a victory to a contestant because there are no other contestants, or because the other contestants have been disqualified or have forfeited. The term can apply in sport, but can also apply to elections...
in the history of Hollywood Park Racetrack. In a race that determined the winner of that year's American Champion Three-Year-Old Filly, she ran second to Ajina
Ajina
Ajina is an American Champion Thoroughbred racehorse.-Bckground:Bred by renowned horseman Allen E. Paulson, Ajina was purchased by Janice and Robert McNair's Stonerside Stable of Paris, Kentucky....
in the 1997 Breeders' Cup Distaff.
Racing as a four-year-old for trainer Wally Dollase, Sharp Cat won two more Grade 1 races, the Ruffian Handicap
Ruffian Handicap
The Ruffian Handicap is an American thoroughbred horse race for fillies and mares ages three-years-old and up run annually on the first Sunday in August at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York; until 2009 it had been run at the beginning of September at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York...
and, in a race in which she earned an exceptional 119 Beyer Speed Figure
Beyer Speed Figure
The Beyer Speed Figure is a system for rating the performance of Thoroughbred racehorses in North America designed in the early 1970s by Andrew Beyer, the syndicated horse racing columnist for The Washington Post...
, the Beldame Stakes
Beldame Stakes
The Beldame Stakes is an American Grade I Thoroughbred horse race for fillies and mares three-years-old and up. Inaugurated in 1939, it was run as a handicap prior to 1960...
. Undefeated that year, Sharp Cat was sent to Churchill Downs
Churchill Downs
Churchill Downs, located in Central Avenue in south Louisville, Kentucky, United States, is a Thoroughbred racetrack most famous for hosting the Kentucky Derby annually. It officially opened in 1875, and held the first Kentucky Derby and the first Kentucky Oaks in the same year. Churchill Downs...
for the November 1998 Breeders' Cup Distaff as the pre-race favorite but did not compete after suffering a nearly fatal case of cramping that sent her into shock.
Retired to broodmare duty, Prince Ahmed bin Salman died in 2002 and the following year his estate sold Sharp Cat to Darley Stud
Darley Racing
Darley Racing is a one of the world's preeminent thoroughbred horse racing operations. It is controlled by HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, ruler of Dubai and vice-president of the United Arab Emirates....
while she was in foal to Gone West
Gone West (horse)
Gone West is an American Thoroughbred racehorse. Bred by Dr. William O. Reed, Gone West was a son of the very influential sire, Mr. Prospector, his dam, Secrettame, was a daughter of the legendary 1973 U.S...
. Sharp Cat was bred to top runners Point Given
Point Given
Point Given is an American Hall of Fame champion racehorse foaled on March 27, 1998 in Kentucky. As a three-year-old, he won the 2001 Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes, along with the Eclipse Award for Horse of the Year...
, Fusaichi Pegasus
Fusaichi Pegasus
Fusaichi Pegasus was purchased as a yearling for $4 million by Fusao Sekiguchi. His name is a combination of his owner's name, "Fusao," and the Japanese word for one, "ichi," to mean #1 or the best. The second half is the winged horse of Greek mythology. Fusaichi Pegasus won the Kentucky Derby...
, Gone West, Seeking the Gold
Seeking The Gold
Seeking The Gold is an American thoroughbred Stallion racehorse. He was sired by the leading stud, Mr. Prospector, who in turn was a son of Raise a Native, out of the mare, Con Game....
, and Cherokee Run
Cherokee Run
Cherokee Run is an American thoroughbred stallion racehorse. He was sired by 1982 Canadian Hall of Fame inductee Runaway Groom, who in turn was a son of leading sire Blushing Groom...
without producing a significant runner. On April 21, 2008 at the Hagyard Equine Medical Institute in Lexington, Kentucky
Lexington, Kentucky
Lexington is the second-largest city in Kentucky and the 63rd largest in the US. Known as the "Thoroughbred City" and the "Horse Capital of the World", it is located in the heart of Kentucky's Bluegrass region...
, she was humanely euthanized
Animal euthanasia
Animal euthanasia is the act of putting to death painlessly or allowing to die, as by withholding extreme medical measures, an animal suffering from an incurable, especially a painful, disease or condition. Euthanasia methods are designed to cause minimal pain and distress...
as a result of birthing complications after delivering a foal by A.P. Indy
A.P. Indy
A.P. Indy is a champion stallion Thoroughbred racehorse bred in Kentucky, USA, by William Farish III and William Kilroy. He is known for his ancestry, his own record, and his successful progeny. He was sired by Triple Crown winner Seattle Slew through mare Weekend Surprise, who herself was sired...
.