Breeding & Racing Magazine

Final Storm Cat Colt "Bought Back" For US$375k

In the US, the only horse "in the great sire Storm Cat's final crop scheduled to sell at public auction as a juvenile didn't find a new home" at this week's Keeneland Sale of 2YOs-In-Training at Lexington in Kentucky, reported bloodhorse.com. "Instead, the colt was bought back by his owner Kaleem Shah for US$375,000". The colt was 1 of only 3 live Storm Cat foals born in 2009 & Florida horseman Eddie Woods (who consigned the juvenile as agent) declared: "I was disappointed, more for it to end on that note than anything else. I think (the buyers) penalised the horse too much because of the guy who owned him & there was way too much thinking going on. (Shah) really wanted to sell the horse. He bought him back at what I thought was a very reasonable amount. I thought we could get it done, but we didn't. But in the end, it's no big deal. If the horse wins a stakes or something like that, he's a valuable horse." Shah stood with trainer Bob Baffert during the bidding & Baffert commented: "He's a nice horse. I don't know why (Shah) put him in the sale. He's fine & sound; I like him. I don't mind having him. He'll go to California now." The colt is out of 1997 Gr1 Apple Blossom Handicap winner Halo America (by Waquoit) & is a full-brother to Irish stakes-winner Marino Marini (who finished 2nd in both the 2003 US Gr1 Malibu Stakes & 2002 Irish Gr1 Phoenix Stakes). Shah purchased the colt for US$320,000 at the 2010 Keeneland September Yearling Sale; he clocked 10.0sec for 1 furlong during the pre-sale breeze-up session. Gr1-winner Storm Cat (now 28 & pensioned late in the 2008 breeding season because of fertility problems) was North American's leading sire by progeny earnings in 1999 & 2000.