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Storm Flag Flying (foaled April 11, 2000 at
Claiborne Farm Claiborne Farm is a thoroughbred horse breeding operation near Paris, Kentucky. It was established in 1910 by Arthur B. Hancock, owner of Ellerslie Stud in Albemarle County, Virginia, and has been operated by members of his family ever since. ...
in
Paris, Kentucky Paris is a home rule-class city in Bourbon County, Kentucky. It lies northeast of Lexington on the Stoner Fork of the Licking River. Paris is the seat of its county and forms part of the Lexington–Fayette Metropolitan Statistical Area. As ...
– January 22, 2016) was an American
Champion A champion (from the late Latin ''campio'') is the victor in a challenge, contest or competition. There can be a territorial pyramid of championships, e.g. local, regional / provincial, state, national, continental and world championships, ...
Thoroughbred The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word ''thoroughbred'' is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed. Thoroughbreds are ...
racehorse Horse racing is an equestrian performance sport, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its basic ...
who won the
Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies The Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies is a -mile thoroughbred horse race on dirt (although the distance has varied, depending on the configuration of the host track) for two-year-old fillies run annually since 1984 at a different racetrack in the Uni ...
in 2002.


Background

Storm Flag Flying was a bay mare who was bred in Kentucky by the Phipps Stable, which was operated at the time by
Ogden Phipps Ogden Phipps (November 26, 1908 – April 21, 2002) was an American stockbroker, court tennis champion and Hall of Fame member, thoroughbred horse racing executive and owner/breeder, and an art collector and philanthropist. In 2001, he was induct ...
. She was by leading sire
Storm Cat Storm Cat (February 27, 1983 – April 24, 2013) was an American Thoroughbred stallion whose breeding fee during the peak of his stud career was $500,000, the highest in North America at the time. He was the leading sire in North America in 1999 ...
, whose stud fee at the time was $200,000, later increased to $500,000. Storm Flag Flying's dam was
My Flag My Flag (March 25, 1993 – April 12, 2014) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse. She was one of the leading American fillies of her generation, winning the Coaching Club American Oaks and finishing third against colts in the Belmont Stakes ...
, who was by champion
Easy Goer Easy Goer (March 21, 1986 – May 12, 1994) was an American Champion Hall of Fame Thoroughbred racehorse known for earning American Champion Two-Year-Old Colt honors in 1988 and defeating 1989 American Horse of the Year Sunday Silence in t ...
and out of another champion, the undefeated
Personal Ensign Personal Ensign (April 27, 1984 – April 8, 2010) was a champion Thoroughbred racehorse who retired undefeated with 13 wins. At the time, this was the longest win streak for a horse at the elite level of American racing in 80 years. Her come ...
. Personal Ensign, My Flag and Storm Flag Flying all won
Breeders' Cup The Breeders' Cup World Championships is an annual series of Graded stakes race, Grade I Thoroughbred racing, Thoroughbred horse races, operated by Breeders' Cup Limited, a company formed in 1982. From its inception in 1984 through 2006, it was ...
races, a rare triple even in the sire line and unique for a female family. Her dam was called "as temperamental a filly as ever put gray in a trainer's hair". Storm Flag Flying was somewhat easier to manage, though she sometimes raced erratically and did not respond well to the whip. Ogden Phipps died in April 2002 before the filly started racing, so she was raced by his son
Ogden Mills Phipps Ogden Mills "Dinny" Phipps (September 18, 1940 – April 6, 2016) was an American financier, Thoroughbred racehorse industry executive, and horse breeder. Widely known by the nickname "Dinny," he was chairman of the family's Bessemer Trust unt ...
with the family's famed black and cherry silks. She was trained by Claude "Shug" McGaughey, who had also trained Easy Goer, My Flag and Personal Ensign for the Phipps family.


Racing career


2002: two-year-old season

Storm Flag Flying made her racing debut on August 18, 2002 in a maiden special weight race at Saratoga. She won despite racing greenly, meaning she switched leads several times in the stretch and did not maintain a straight path. In her second start on September 15, she stepped up to Grade I company in the Matron Stakes and "demolished" the field by lengths despite shying at the whip. In her third start in the
Frizette Stakes The Frizette Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race for two-year-old fillies raced annually at Belmont Park in October. It is currently a Grade I stakes race at a distance of one mile. The Frizette is the female counterpart of the Champagn ...
on October 5, she raced more professionally and won by two lengths. McGaughey said, "I didn't want (
John Velazquez John R. Velazquez (born November 24, 1971) is a Puerto Rican jockey in Thoroughbred horse racing. He began his career in Puerto Rico and moved to New York in 1990. In 2004 and 2005 he was the United States Champion Jockey by earnings and both ye ...
) to ride her hard today, so this race was probably easier for her than the last, when she made mistakes and he had to get into her." Storm Flag Flying entered the
Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies The Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies is a -mile thoroughbred horse race on dirt (although the distance has varied, depending on the configuration of the host track) for two-year-old fillies run annually since 1984 at a different racetrack in the Uni ...
on October 26 as the heavy favorite. She moved to the lead at the top of the homestretch but was then passed by another filly, Composure. Storm Flag Flying fought back and won by half a length. Her undefeated record earned her the Eclipse Award for Outstanding 2-Year-Old Filly with 226 out of 227 votes.


2003: three-year-old season

For her three-year-old campaign, Storm Flag Flying was originally being trained for the
Kentucky Oaks The Kentucky Oaks is a Grade I stakes race for three-year-old Thoroughbred fillies staged annually in Louisville, Kentucky, United States. The race currently covers at Churchill Downs; the horses carry . The Kentucky Oaks is held on the Friday ...
but McGaughey decided not to rush her. "Right now we're just waiting on her," he said in March. She finally made her seasonal debut in the
Comely Stakes The Comely Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually at Aqueduct Racetrack in Queens, New York. Open to three year old fillies, it is raced on dirt over a distance of one mile. The Grade III event offers a purse of $200,000. T ...
on April 18 at
Aqueduct Racetrack Aqueduct Racetrack is a Thoroughbred horse racing facility and casino in the South Ozone Park and Jamaica neighborhoods of Queens, New York City, United States. Aqueduct is the only racetrack located within New York City limits. Its racing ...
, finishing second. McGaughey decided to skip the Kentucky Oaks and pointed instead towards the
Acorn Stakes The Acorn Stakes is an American Grade I race at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York for three-year-old Thoroughbred fillies. It is raced on dirt over a distance of one mile with a current purse of $500,000. It is the first leg of the US Triple Ti ...
at Belmont Park in June. Despite training well for the race, Storm Flag Flying threw in the worst performance of her career, finishing next to last. A few weeks later McGaughey announced, "We discovered a small - and I mean very small - fracture of her right hind cannon bone. She was never lame, but I knew something wasn't right. I couldn't figure it out, so we sent her to Rood and Riddle."


2004: four-year-old season

Storm Flag Flying rebounded in 2004, winning three races including a victory over Hall of Fame champion
Azeri Azerbaijanis (; az, Azərbaycanlılar, ), Azeris ( az, Azərilər, ), or Azerbaijani Turks ( az, Azərbaycan Türkləri, ) are a Turkic people living mainly in northwestern Iran and the Republic of Azerbaijan. They are the second-most numer ...
in the Grade I Personal Ensign Handicap (a race named for her grandmother) and the Shuvee Handicap. Bad luck in the 2004
Breeders' Cup Distaff The Breeders' Cup Distaff is a Weight for Age Thoroughbred horse race for fillies and mares, 3 years old and up. Known as the Breeders' Cup Ladies' Classic between 2008 and 2012, it is held annually at a different racetrack in the United States or ...
saw Storm Flag Flying running last and trapped on the rail midway through the race. When she finally broke through the horses in front of her, she made a strong run down the stretch but finished second after she ran out of ground before she could catch the winner, Ashado.


Breeding record

She was retired to
broodmare A mare is an adult female horse or other equine. In most cases, a mare is a female horse over the age of three, and a filly is a female horse three and younger. In Thoroughbred horse racing, a mare is defined as a female horse more than f ...
service at Claiborne Farm at the end of her racing career. , she is the dam of 3 winners out of 6 starters. Her foals include: * a 2006 A.P. Indy colt named Colors Flying – 1 win from 7 starts * a 2010 Smart Strike filly named Beat the Drums – winless in 2 starts * a 2011 Unbridled's Song filly named Sea Trial – 1 win from 8 starts * a 2012 Street Cry filly named Playtime – winless in 8 starts * a 2013 Candy Ride colt named Revved Up – 2 wins from 8 starts * a 2014 Street Cry colt named Strident – winless after 1 start


Pedigree

Storm Flag Flying was the result of over fifty years of breeding by the Phipps family, who raced many of the horses that appear in her pedigree, including Bold Ruler, Buckpasser, Numbered Account, Relaxing, Easy Goer, Private Account, Personal Ensign and My Flag. She descends from one of the most distinguished female families of modern times, that of Grecian Banner – a Phipps homebred and the 1988
Kentucky Broodmare of the Year The Kentucky Broodmare of the Year is selected each year by the Kentucky Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association. The title is considered the highest honor an American thoroughbred broodmare can receive, as the majority of American breeding ...
. Grecian Banner produced Grade I winner and important sire Personal Flag in 1983 and his full-sister Personal Ensign in 1984. Personal Ensign would retire unbeaten after 13 starts including the 1988
Breeders' Cup Distaff The Breeders' Cup Distaff is a Weight for Age Thoroughbred horse race for fillies and mares, 3 years old and up. Known as the Breeders' Cup Ladies' Classic between 2008 and 2012, it is held annually at a different racetrack in the United States or ...
, and then produced not only My Flag but Grade I winner Miner's Mark and Grade I-placed Our Emblem, sire of
Kentucky Derby The Kentucky Derby is a horse race held annually in Louisville, Kentucky, United States, almost always on the first Saturday in May, capping the two-week-long Kentucky Derby Festival. The competition is a Grade I stakes race for three-yea ...
winner
War Emblem War Emblem (February 20, 1999 – March 11, 2020) was a champion American Thoroughbred racehorse who won the 2002 Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes. Background War Emblem was bred by Charles Nuckols Jr. & Sons in Kentucky. His sire was Ou ...
. Personal Ensign was the 1996 Kentucky Broodmare of the Year.


References

{{Reflist 2000 racehorse births 2016 racehorse deaths Racehorses bred in Kentucky Racehorses trained in the United States Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies winners Eclipse Award winners Phipps family Thoroughbred family 6-a