The Legacy of Sunday Silence Endures

The days of enjoying sons and daughters of Sunday Silence on the racetrack have come and gone. His legacy as the most dominant stallion influence on any major racing market of the modern era, though, withstands.

Sunday Silence was a fantastic racehorse in his own right. Trained by Charlie Whittingham, he never finished worse than second in 14 career starts. The winner of the Kentucky Derby, Preakness, and Breeders' Cup Classic, all over his outstanding rival Easy Goer, took home the award as our Horse of the Year 28 years ago, in 1989, and was inducted into racing's Hall of Fame in 1996.

A thin bodied horse, the son of Halo was not held in high regard by American breeders, and was subsequently sold to Japanese interests. To say that he altered the thoroughbred breed in his new country would be a massive understatement.

The sire of 12 crops, before his untimely death due to laminits, Sunday Silence sired 1,514 foals. From that sample size, a remarkable 1,067, or over 70%, turned out to be winners. Talented offspring of Sunday Silence earned more than 80 billion yen, or well over 700 million in U.S. dollars.

No sire impacted the scene more in a major racing nation, than did Sunday Silence in Japan. Despite passing away at the age of 16, Sunday Silence was the nation's leading sire an unprecedented 13 times. 

Of his numerous champions, Deep Impact was Sunday Silence's best racehorse. He won 12 of his 13 starts in Japan, including both the Triple Crown and the Japan Cup.

Sent to stud at the same Shadai Stallion Station, which stood Sunday Silence, Deep Impact has stepped right in where his sire left off, becoming the new dominant stallion in Japan. The standing of Deep Impact as the clear leader in Japanese breeding is fitting, but he is far from the only son or daughter of Sunday Silence to make a major impact.

Looking at the list of top sires in Japan, as freshly ranked by the Thoroughbred Racing Commentary, six of their top nine current stallions are all sons of Sunday Silence:

1) Deep Impact (Sunday Silence)

2) King Kamehameha (Kingmambo)

3) Screen Hero (Grass Wonder)

4) Black Tide (Sunday Silence)

5) Heart's Cry (Sunday Silence)

6) Stay Gold (Sunday Silence)

7) Admire Don (Timber Country)

8) Manhattan Cafe (Sunday Silence)

9) Neo Universe (Sunday Silence)

Furthermore, one of the three top sires not by Sunday Silence, Screen Hero, was produced by the Sunday Silence mare, Running Heroine.

Sunday Silence never raced after 1990, and was lost from this world way too early in 2002, but his effect as a stallion remains. In fact, his supremacy in Japanese breeding is as strong as ever. Sons and daughters, and grandsons and granddaughters of the American champion carry on his legacy to supreme proportions. It is a legacy which has, and will, continue to endure.