In spite of an injury to his right front suffered prior to the race, Sunday
Silence again overcame tribulation and was able to make the Preakness S.-G1, the
second jewel of the Triple Crown. Once again, Easy Goer was the prohibitive
favorite and once again, in a pulsating, dramatic, stretch-long battle where the
two colts matched each other stride-for-stride, Sunday Silence prevailed - but
only by an electrifying nose. It is a performance that uncounted numbers still
call the best race they've ever seen.
Easy Goer got his revenge in the Belmont S.-G1 on his home track, beating
Sunday Silence and denying him the Triple Crown. However, the score remained:
Sunday Silence, two, Easy Goer, one. And, the two archrivals were not through
yet.
The two colts separated for five months, with Easy Goer taking four straight
G1 events in the East and Sunday Silence going back West and making only two
starts. He was upset in the Swaps S.-G2, then took two months off before
capturing the Super Derby-G1.
When Sunday Silence met Easy Goer again for the Breeders' Cup Classic-G1, the
stage was set for a showdown. Each camp had reasons to believe their colt was
the better and far more was at stake than the $3,000,000 purse - the winner
would likely earn the coveted Horse of the Year and Champion 3-year-old Colt
titles. Once again, Easy Goer was the prohibitive favorite with the public, and
once again, Sunday Silence struck a dagger into his heart, calling upon his
superior athleticism to get the jump on his rival and power to the finish,
reaching the wire a neck in front of Easy Goer. After four rounds, the score was
undeniable: Sunday Silence, three, Easy Goer, one.
Victory was Sunday Silence's yet again when he was named Horse of the Year
and Champion 3-year-old. In addition, he had established a record for the most
money earned in a single season with his 1989 earnings of $4,578,454.
It was hoped the two rivals might clash again the following year as both were
scheduled to race as 4-year-olds, and tracks offered huge purses in an attempt
to lure the two to the same races, but it was not meant to be. Sunday Silence
had undergone surgery late in 1989 to remove a bone chip and didn't make it back
to the races until July 3, 1990, the day before what would be Easy Goer's last
career start. Sunday Silence would win the Californian S.-G1 and finish second
by a head in the Hollywood Gold Cup-G1 before a tear in a ligament in his left
front was discovered in early August. Rather than risk further injury, the
decision was made to retire the nearly-black colt.
Sunday Silence was shipped to Stone Farm and intentions were for him to enter
stud there for a fee of $50,000 in 1991. However, syndication of the champion
didn't go smoothly as only tepid interest was shown by American breeders. In
September, 1990, it was announced that Zenya Yoshida had purchased the colt for
approximately $10 million and he would instead begin his stud career at
Yoshida's Shadai Farm in Japan.
The rest is legendary. Sunday Silence's first foals were born in 1992 and first
raced as juveniles in 1994. His first starter was also his first winner and his
first stakes winner emerged about a month later. He was easily Japan's leading
juvenile sire his first year at stud, but it was just the beginning. In 1995,
Sunday Silence's first foals were 3-year-olds, and he ruled over the leading sire
list that year and every year since. He has literally dominated the Japanese leading
sire race, towering over his rivals year after year. To give an idea of the dominance
of Sunday Silence, one only needs peer at the numbers. In 2000, for instance,
Sunday Silence's progeny earned $53,672,791, or an average of over $1 million
a week, with the stallion in the runner-up spot not even cracking the $20 million
mark. The influence of Sunday Silence undoubtedly will be felt for years to come.
Although his progeny will continue to grace racetracks and breeding sheds for
many years, in a tragic and devastating turn the world lost Sunday Silence on
August 19, 2002. The great champion and Hall of Fame member had contracted a leg
infection three months earlier. Three surgeries and around-the-clock care failed
to stop the onset of laminitis. Showing the heart of a champion which had emerged
so many times before, 16-year-old Sunday Silence gallantly fought the battle for
his life long after lesser beings would have succumbed.
"They say he fought to the end, which is really no surprise," said
Jay
Hovdey in the Daily Racing Form. "He deserved a better fate, filled
with
green pastures and pampered retirement. But that was not in his nature, and
that is why his name will last."
