Sunday Silence

Sunday Silence (March 25, 1986 – August 19, 2002) was an American-bred Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. In 1989, he won the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness Stakes but failed to complete the Triple Crown when he was defeated in the Belmont Stakes. Nevertheless, he won the Breeders' Cup Classic and was voted American Champion Three-Year-Old Colt and American Horse of the Year that same year. Sunday Silence's racing career was marked by his rivalry with Easy Goer, whom he had a three to one edge over in their head-to-head races. Easy Goer, the 1988 American Champion Two-Year-Old Colt finished second to Sunday Silence in the Kentucky Derby the Preakness, and the Breeders' Cup Classic. However, Easy Goer prevailed by eight lengths in the Belmont, denying Sunday Silence the Triple Crown. Both horses were later voted into the American Hall of Fame.
After his retirement from racing, Sunday Silence attracted little support by breeders in the United States and was exported to Japan. He was the leading sire in Japan on thirteen occasions, surpassing the previous record of ten titles by Northern Taste. Although the relatively insular nature of Japanese racing at the time meant that Sunday Silence's success was initially restricted to his home territory, his descendants have in recent years won major races in Australia, France, the United Kingdom, Hong Kong, the United States and Dubai. Blood-Horse pedigree expert Anne Peters speculated, "Had Sunday Silence retired in Kentucky, it's almost certain he would have tanked commercially and been exported in disgrace, but he found his perfect gene pool and thrived instead." He would later be the leading broodmare sire in North America in 2016.
In the Blood-Horse magazine List of the Top 100 U.S. Racehorses of the 20th Century, Sunday Silence was ranked #31.
Sunday Silence was foaled on March 25, 1986, at Stone Farm in Paris, Kentucky. He was sired by Halo out of Wishing Well by Understanding. Though he was registered as a dark bay/brown, he was in fact a true black.
He was bred by Oak Cliff Thoroughbreds, Ltd. and escaped death twice: first as a weanling when he nearly died from a freak virus; and later at age two, traveling in a van when the driver experienced a heart attack and the van flipped over. He was passed over twice at the sales ring as a yearling before he was sold in California for $50,000 as a two-year-old in training. Arthur B. Hancock III bought him as a "buy-back" (he had bred him), hoping to ship him to Kentucky. However, the van accident kept Sunday Silence in California. Hall of Fame trainer Charlie Whittingham bought a half share of the colt and then sold half of that to Ernest Gaillard. (Ownership designate: H-G-W Partners.)
H-G-W Partners (Hancock-Gaillard-Whittingham) represents the names of the three partners who owned the horse.The three partners were:
Although Sunday Silence showed ability, he didn't make it to the races until late in his two-year-old season, finishing second in a maiden race, then winning a maiden special weight race and finishing second in an allowance race from three starts.
Sunday Silence began his three-year-old year by winning an allowance race at Santa Anita by four lengths which opened the door of Kentucky Derby potential. His next race was a victory in the Grade 2 San Felipe Stakes, and then he won the G1 Santa Anita Derby by eleven lengths to qualify for a start in the Kentucky Derby.
In what became an iconic rivalry, Sunday Silence and Easy Goer would only meet four times, the first of which was the 1989 Kentucky Derby on May 6. In the buildup to the 1989 Triple Crown, the rivalry developed between the West Coast-based Sunday Silence and the East Coast-based Easy Goer, winner of the 1988 Eclipse Award for Champion Two Year Old Colt. Easy Goer was coming in off of a victory in the Wood Memorial and a record breaking performance in the Gotham Stakes. Unknown to the public however, Easy Goer had a small crack in his left front. The favorite was Easy Goer, with Sunday Silence as the 3:1 second choice.
Kentucky Derby day was a cold one at 44°, the coldest in 72 years, with rain creating a slow muddy track. After stalking the pace and making his move around the turn, Sunday Silence and jockey Pat Valenzuela defeated Easy Goer by 2+1⁄2 lengths, in the slowest time (2:05) for a Kentucky Derby since 1958. Sunday Silence ducked in and out sharply throughout the stretch run, with his jockey switching from left and right handed urging trying to keep him running straight. Even with ducking in and out, the champion Easy Goer was unable to make up ground. Daily Racing Form writer Dan Illman stated after Sunday Silence's victory that "the best horse won that afternoon." Daily Racing Form chairman Steve Crist stated his opinion that "Easy Goer had a legitimate explanation for his defeat, as he didn't handle the muddy Churchill track."
While both horses were preparing for the 1+3⁄16-mile Preakness two weeks after the Derby, each had minor ailments. Sunday Silence came up lame after a gallop seven days before the race. Trainer Whittingham contacted well-known Kentucky veterinarian Alex Harthill, who diagnosed a bruise under the sole, a common injury that "wasn't a serious problem but it had happened at a serious time." Harthill had Sunday Silence step on a clean sheet of white paper which was subsequently faxed to Ric Redden of Lexington, Kentucky, and from which Redden prepared a set of aluminum bar shoes. Redden and his assistant then flew via rented jet to Baltimore with the bar shoes and X-ray machine to confirm that no fracture was involved. After the shoes were fitted, Sunday Silence resumed training four days before the race. After his connections saw the colt's "remarkably" rapid recovery from the injury, the bar shoes were removed the day before the race. With all the uncertainty over Sunday Silence's soundness, he would go on to be second choice once again to Easy Goer at 2:1.
Meanwhile, unknown to the public at his rival's stable, throughout Preakness week (as late as Friday, the day before the race), Easy Goer's front feet were being soaked in tubs of Epsom salts due to small scratches or cracks on both heels. An ultrasound was also performed on his ankles and knees. Some wondered if these ailments could compromise the chances of both horses. Easy Goer had "problematic, puffy" ankles that he dealt with throughout his career.
The 1989 Preakness Stakes on May 20 is one that continues to live in racing lore as one of the best races ever run, and one of the most iconic stretch duels. It was added into Horse Racing's Top 100 Moments, placing at #70. Easy Goer broke slow, and Sunday Silence was bumped at the start, then the pair settled into their sports. After three-quarters of a mile, Day guided Easy Goer to the front where Sunday Silence dug in and went with him. The legendary stretch duel was fought the entire length of the stretch, with neither Sunday Silence or Easy Goer giving an inch. Sunday Silence prevailed in the photo finish, with a finishing time of 1:53 4/5, the third fastest Preakness at the time.
Some Easy Goer loyalists in the media maintained their horse's superiority, attributing the loss to the fact that Easy Goer had leapt in the air at the start and his jockey, Pat Day, reined Easy Goer's head to the right when he had a short lead in the home stretch. Day, who lodged a failed objection against Valenzuela, has called his ride "a mistake."
In 1989, New York was the only state in America that banned all race-day drugs and medications, including the now-commonly used medication Lasix. In the three weeks between the Preakness and Belmont, Whittingham was angered that the controversial veterinarian Alex Harthill, who treated Sunday Silence earlier for the Kentucky Derby and Preakness, was not licensed in New York and prohibited from practicing. The day before the 1+1⁄2-mile Belmont Stakes, Sunday Silence, with exercise rider Pam Mabes up, was spooked and kicked trainer Whittingham in the temple, a glancing blow that came close to killing the trainer.
Belmont Park received several inches of rain in the days leading up to the race, but by race day on June 10 the track was rated fast with Sunday Silence this time the 4:5 post time favorite, and the entry of Easy Goer and Awe Inspiring at 8:5. While initially planning on going to the lead, Sunday Silence settled into second behind the longshot French colt Le Voyageur. Easy Goer was never too far behind either. When Sunday Silence made his move on the turn, Easy Goer made a faster one and swept to the front. Easy Goer defeated Sunday Silence by eight lengths in the time of 2:26, producing the second-fastest Belmont Stakes in history, behind only Secretariat, and denied Sunday Silence the Triple Crown, and thus a $5M bonus. However, by virtue of his two Classic wins and his runner-up performance, Sunday Silence was awarded the third $1,000,000 Visa Triple Crown Bonus for best three-year-old in the series.
After the Belmont Stakes, the pair went their separate ways with Sunday Silence returning to California where he finished second to eventual Breeders' Cup Turf winner Prized in the Grade II 1+1⁄4-mile Swaps Stakes at Hollywood Park on July 23. From there he went to Louisiana Downs where he won the Grade I Super Derby on September 24, giving him six weeks' rest going into the Breeder's Cup Classic. Over in New York, Easy Goer won 4 successive Grade I stakes after the Belmont... the Whitney Handicap, Travers Stakes, Woodward Stakes, and the Jockey Club Gold Cup, giving him 27 days' rest going into the Classic.
This set up one final face-off between the rivals at the season-ending $3 million 1+1⁄4-mile Breeders' Cup Classic at Gulfstream Park, on November 4. The contest was expected to decide the winner of the Eclipse Award for Horse of the Year. Sunday Silence's jockey Pat Valenzuela had earlier been suspended for cocaine use and was replaced by Hall of Fame rider Chris McCarron. Sunday Silence was the post time 2:1 second choice behind Easy Goer at 1:2.
The race started as usual for Sunday Silence who settled five lengths behind the leader, but Easy Goer broke slow and was 11 lengths from the front for much of the race. On the backstretch, Sunday Silence inched closer to the lead with Easy Goer noticeably and suddenly getting into stride with three quarters of a mile to go, with track announcer Tom Durkin commenting during the race "he is five lengths behind Sunday Silence and now he's beginning to roll!" and near the half mile pole he continued, "Sunday Silence bracing for the oncoming power of Easy Goer, whose right at his neck!" On the turn however, Sunday Silence continued to gain on the leader, leaving Easy Goer behind. Sunday Silence took control with about an eighth of a mile to go, with Easy Goer three lengths behind. Jockey Chris McCarron continued with a hand ride, and was able to withstand a strong late charge by Easy Goer to win the Classic by a neck. The victory solidified a 3:1 advantage in Sunday Silence's favor.
At this point, Sunday Silence had earned what was then a single-season record $4.59 million and won seven times in nine starts for the 1989 campaign, earning him Eclipse Award for Outstanding 3-Year-Old Male Horse and Horse of the Year honors. For the latter award, Sunday Silence received 223 of 242 votes, making him the most decisive winner since John Henry eight years earlier. Even with the championship honors, debate continues decades after their careers on who was the better horse.
At the age of four, Sunday Silence won the Californian and placed second in the Hollywood Gold Cup behind Criminal Type by a head, while giving away 5 pounds. He suffered an injured ligament that eventually led to his retirement. Out of 14 career races, he won nine and placed second in the other five.
In 1996, Sunday Silence was inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame. He was ranked #31 in the Bloodhorse Top 100 Horses of the 20th Century, while Easy Goer ranked #34. Blood-Horse stated that its rankings "will generate debate for years to come." The electoral friction was ultimately reflected in the introduction to the Blood-Horse's "Top 100 Racehorses" book, which said, "For all the work and dreaming that went into it... one approaches the list... with a nagging sense of its folly as a rational exercise and of the maddening arbitrariness of its outcome. However, one views this list of horses, whether in peace and contentment—or shock and dismay—all such judgments, of course, are entirely subjective, a mixture of whim, wisdom, and whatever prejudices howl through the back of the mind."
Since the Breeders’ Cup Classic was instituted in 1984, Alysheba and Sunday Silence were the only two horses to win three legs of a four-race sequence that was defined in 2015 as the Grand Slam of Thoroughbred racing: The Triple Crown races, plus the Breeders' Cup Classic, and Sunday Silence was the first horse to win three legs of the modern Grand Slam in the same year. As the Breeders' Cup began after the 1978 Triple Crown win of Affirmed, the potential for a sweep of all four races only became possible in 1984, and did not occur until 2015 when American Pharoah won the Triple Crown and eventually the Grand Slam.
Sunday Silence was sold to Japanese breeder Zenya Yoshida, to stand at his Shadai Stallion Station in Shiraoi, Hokkaido. Yoshida had acquired a 25% interest in Sunday Silence early in his 4-year-old season and bought out the other partners for $7.5 million in 1991.
Sunday Silence flourished in Japan and became their leading sire from 1995 through 2008, taking over from Northern Taste (ten-time leading sire in Japan). He was particularly successful with daughters from the Northern Dancer sire line. However, breeders were generally not successful expanding his influence outside of Japan. His progeny have won many races in Japan, including 20 out of 22 JRA Grade 1 flat races (the only exceptions are the NHK Mile Cup and the Japan Cup Dirt). His progeny also have won International Grade 1 race including the Hong Kong Vase, Hong Kong Mile and Dubai Sheema Classic.
Descendants of Sunday Silence have broken many earnings records, in part because he was active at the start of the "big crop" era (siring about 2000 foals) and also because the average purses in Japan are significantly higher than the rest of the world. Conservative estimates on the earnings of Sunday Silence descendants place the total near JPY 80 billion (approximately $730 million according to Equibase).
He was also the leading broodmare sire in North America in 2016 with Japanese racehorse Lani's entry in the Kentucky Derby that year with a Grade II win in Dubai, followed by off the board finishes in the Derby and Preakness, and a third-place finish in the Belmont. Once qualified to appear on the broodmare sire list, Sunday Silence then got enhancements from his Japanese runners, where there is a substantial disproportion between North American purses and the significantly higher purses in Japan.
c = colt, f = filly
Many of Sunday Silence's sons have gone on to become successful breeding stallions, with at least seventeen of them siring Group or Grade I winners. These include:
In addition to his sons, his daughter Sun is Up was the dam of 2014 Breeders' Cup Mile winner Karakontie. Sunday Silence is also the damsire of Screen Hero (foaled by Running Heroine), Duramente (foaled by Admire Groove), and Almond Eye (foaled by Fusaichi Pandora), among others.
When Blood-Horse magazine started to include Japanese earnings in their stallion rankings in 2016, Sunday Silence was the leading broodmare sire of the year. In 2022, Gendarme (a grandson of Sunday Silence through his daughter Believe) won the G1 Sprinters Stakes, the same race his dam won in 2002.
Sunday Silence died on August 19, 2002. He had been treated for laminitis for the previous 14 weeks and had developed an infection in one leg as well. He had been given a stronger dose of a different painkilling medication the previous day to provide him relief, and apparently as a result, he had become comfortable enough to lie down for the first time in a week. The following morning, he appeared unable to rise, and while veterinarians were discussing what to do, he died, apparently of heart failure.
In the horse racing game Derby Owners Club, Sunday Silence is one of the sires available to breed in the game. He is also pictured on one of the official game cards.