My Storm Cat colt

Laura Ferguson · Post by **Laura Ferguson** » 17 years ago

I was at the Keeneland September sales from Saturday through Monday, and we ended up buying into a yearling who sold on the first day of the sales, to Team Valor, whom I own two fillies through (both are retired, in foal, and to be sold at Keeneland November). This time, we rolled the dice and went with a colt. Less residual value if he fails to do well; tremendous upside if he succeeds.

He's got an incredibly SIM pedigree, by Storm Cat out of Manistique. He's tons better looking than her Forestry filly (now three) that we saw at the Keeneland September sales two years ago. Manistique's 2yo is a full brother, named Storm Man, who wasn't offered at auction.

I'm a little disappointed in the name, but love everything else about him. The name is going to be Old Ninety Eight. There's a story to it - Manistique is apparently somewhere in the upper peninsula of Michigan, so Barry wanted to go with a Michigan theme, and Old Ninety Eight was Tom Harmon's nickname, and he apparently was a big deal football player there. Tom's son, Mark Harmon, was also a football player, now actor (NCIS).

Best of all, he's going to be trained by Dale Romans and based at Churchill, starting sometime this spring, which is a 10 minute drive from my house, so I'll get to visit him lots!

Keeping my fingers crossed,

Laura

Jolene Danner · Post by **Jolene Danner** » 17 years ago

oohh Congrats!! Good luck with him even with the terrible name. LOL That's so cool that you own a storm cat! Yikes that's awesome! LOL

Peihe Sun · Post by **Peihe Sun** » 17 years ago

Oooo. That was a steal! Team Valor has bought some very nice pedigrees at the auction so far, and you can never do too wrong with them! Good luck!

Daryl Dennis · Post by **Daryl Dennis** » 17 years ago

Go public schools! Mark Harmon was the quarterback for UCLA a long while back, and i only slightly more famous in Westwood as the affable Mr. Shoop from the movie Summer School.

Good luck with the colt. Did you just buy the nose this time, or did you spring for the head?

-Daryl

Post by **The Steward** » 17 years ago

Laura already knows how pumped I am. I stalked Manistique lots. I stalked her now 3yo lots, with Laura's help. I'm now going to use Laura to stalk the yearling lots.

YAY MANISTIQUE!!

Jolene Danner · Post by **Jolene Danner** » 17 years ago

You sound kinda like a stalker :ph34r: , but i might be misreading what you posted. B)

Laura Ferguson · Post by **Laura Ferguson** » 17 years ago

Still just own the nose, buying the head would have been way too pricey. Here's a link to an article on him (plus picture!)

<a href='http://teamvalor.com/news/091406/' target='_blank'>http://teamvalor.com/news/091406/</a>

And Jolene, the Steward _is_ a professional racehorse stalker. If there's a horse you want to see, and he or she is at the track, Em can and will find the horse. We've gotten extraordinarily good at it at both Churchill and Keeneland. For example, Barbaro's trainer kept trying to trick the media and hide him, when he was training for the Derby at Keeneland (putting the pony in Barbaro's stall, and Barbaro in the stable pony's stall, grazing Barbaro seven barns away, etc.), but we kept finding him.

Janey Adams · Post by **Janey Adams** » 17 years ago

Laura, you own part of THAT?!?! Thats awesome! I would be be soo excited to own even an inch of a storm cat!!! What a looker he is! Congrats!

Dave Shields · Post by **Dave Shields** » 17 years ago

Nice horse Laura, hope he does well! Keep us informed on how he does.

Emily Mitchell · Post by **Emily Mitchell** » 17 years ago

Yeah, he's hot

I saw some pictures of him on the Final Turn Gallery too... see:
<a href='http://www.finalturngallery.com/album187/20_G' target='_blank'>http://www.finalturngallery.com/album187/20_G</a>
<a href='http://www.finalturngallery.com/album187/20_3' target='_blank'>http://www.finalturngallery.com/album187/20_3</a>
<a href='http://www.finalturngallery.com/Keenela ... tique_colt' target='_blank'>http://www.finalturngallery.com/Keenela ... ue_colt</a>

I love his pretty striped hooves.

Jolene Danner · Post by **Jolene Danner** » 17 years ago

Oohhhooohh 3 white feet is lucky!! (4 is trouble.

) LOL

Emily Mitchell · Post by **Emily Mitchell** » 17 years ago

I was browsing through stuff about the Keeneland sales and saw this on Bloodhorse:

Hip No. 20, a Storm Cat -- Manistique colt, consigned by Taylor Made Sales Agency, agent.
"He's just an awesome-looking Storm Cat - big, stretchy, and black," said Frank Taylor, of Taylor Made. "And he's got a lot of leg. You've got the scope, and you've got the size, plus you've got the body. He got the best of Storm Cat and Unbridled (grade I winner Manistique's sire). He's got everything you would want."

I was like, hey that's Laura's horse! So I had to come post here.