Sky Beauty - by Amanda Saunders
She was a small bay filly from a strong family, the daughter
of the Group 1 winning sire Blushing Groom out of the two-time Grade 1
winning mare Maplejinsky, daughter of champion Gold Beauty. She had hardly
a single marking to distinguish her out of a pack but everyone always
knew where she was in the end. Those blue and yellow diamond silks and
white shadow roll was almost always in front in the end, pulling away
to victory. She won fifteen races in her career, eight of which were Grade
I, out of twenty-one starts with two seconds and two thirds. She amassed
a total of $1,336,000 in earnings while establishing herself as one of
the greatest racemares in the 20th century. Her name is Sky Beauty.
In 1992, Sky Beauty started off strong, winning her first two starts handily
and then taking the Grade II Adirondack Stakes by three and a half lengths.
After that she competed in and won the Grade I Spinaway Stakes for two-year-old
fillies, but was disqualified and placed third behind Standard Equipment
and Family Enterprize. She came back in the Grade I Matron and won easily,
though lost the Champion Two-Year-Old
Filly title to Eliza, winner of that year's Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies.
Sky Beauty came back in 1993 stronger then ever, winning
five graded races which included the Grade I Acorn Stakes by five and
a half lengths, the Grade I Mother Goose by five lengths, the Grade I
Coaching Club American Oaks, the Grade I Alabama Stakes, and the Grade
II Rare Perfume. The first three made up New York's Triple Tiara, the
Triple Crown for three-year-old fillies. She contested the Breeders' Cup
Distaff in her last start as a three-year-old, only to finish sixth behind
Hollywood Wildcat and losing the Champion Three-Year-Old Filly title to
the same filly.
In 1994, Sky Beauty seemed to blossom even more, winning the Grade I Shuvee
Handicap by nine and a half lengths, the Grade I Hempstead Handicap, the
Grade I Go For Wand Handicap by ten and a half lengths, the Grade I Ruffian
Handicap carrying 130 punds, and the Grade III Vagrancy Handicap. Although
she finished ninth behind One Dreamer in the Breeders' Cup Distaff that
year, she easily clinched the Eclipse Award for Champion Older Mare, finally
getting the attention she deserved.
Sky Beauty only raced three times in her five-year-old career, winning the Grade III Vagrancy Handicap for the second straight time before finishing second in the Shuvee and third in the Hempstead.
Bred by Howard and Susan Kaskel's Sugar Maple Farm, Sky Beauty was bought at the 1991 Saratoga select yearling sale for $355,000 by the late Georgia Hofmann. She was trained by H. Allen Jerkens during her illustrious career and retired to Wycombe House Stud at the end of her career, but was then sold for $2.85 million at the 1999 Keeneland November sale to Coolmore Stud.
During her life as a broodmare, Sky Beauty has sadly not produced a single stakes winner yet with only five named foals: Bestyoucanbe (Danzig), Storming Beauty (Storm Cat), Sky Legend (Deputy Minister), Pvt Lynch (Storm Cat), and Desert Tigress (Storm Cat). She has one yearling colt by Storm Cat and foaled a Storm Cat colt on May 28th, 2004.
The racing world was shocked with the news of Maplejinsky's
passing on December 5, 2003, but were devastated when Sky Beauty was humanely
euthanized on July 2, 2004 from founder at the young age of 14. It has
been reported that her colt is healthy and on a nurse mare, and Sky Beauty
has been buried at Creekview Farm in Paris, KY.
February 9, 1990 - July 2, 2004
