Scat Daddy , a multiple grade I winner and sire of 69 stakes winners, died Dec. 14 at Ashford Stud near Versailles, Ky. The death was reported by Ashford manager Dermot Ryan via Twitter:
Passing of Scat Daddy: "Scat Daddy was in the best of health but totally unexpectedly he dropped dead when walking out of his paddock;
Everyone here at Ashford is very upset as he was a smashing horse with a great career ahead of him." Dermot Ryan, Ashford Stud
By champion Johannesburg, out of Love Style, by Mr. Prospector, Scat Daddy was bred by Axel Wend in Kentucky. A $250,000 sale yearling, he raced for James Scatuorchio and later by Scatuorchio and Michael Tabor and Derrick Smith.
At 2 Scat Daddy won the grade II Sanford Stakes at Saratoga Race Course and the Champagne Stakes (gr. I) at Belmont Park. At top form on the Triple Crown trail he ran third in the Holy Bull Stakes (gr. III) and won the Fountain of Youth Stakes (gr. II) and Florida Derby (gr. I). He was off the board in his final outing, the 2007 Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I). He was trained by Todd Pletcher.
He was retired in June of his 3-year-old year because of a slight tendon injury that he suffered in the Derby. He retired with five wins from nine starts and earnings of $1,334,300.
Scat Daddy got off to a great start at stud and was the leading freshman sire of 2011 with more than $1.5 million in progeny earnings that was good enough to rank third behind Kitten's Joy and Smart Strike on the general 2-year-old sire list.
As a sire Scat Daddy is responsible for 69 stakes winners and is sadly having his best year yet. He has 36 stakes winners this year including Acapulco, a group II winner at Royal Ascot, North American stars El Kabeir, Pretty N Cool, Dacita, Nickname, Azar, and Almasty. From the Southern Hemisphere he has grade/group I winners The Dream, Flyer, and Kitcat.
He ranks ninth on the general sire list with more than $9.5 million in progeny earnings for the year and is the leading sire of stakes winners, stakes wins, and is tied with Tapit for number of graded stakes winners (16) in 2015.
He ranks second on the juvenile sire list behind fellow Ashford Stud sire Uncle Mo , but is the leader by stakes winners with nine from this crop. He also leads the category by stakes horses with 12.
He entered stud in 2008 at Ashford for a fee of $30,000. It dipped to $10,000 during the pullback in the industry, but advanced to $17,500 for 2012 and was at $30,000 in 2013 and 2014.
His fee had been boosted to $100,000 for 2016.
Scat Daddy stood at Coolmore Australia in 2008 and at Haras Paso Nevado in 2009-11. He was the leading sire in Chile in 2013-14.
He leaves three sons at stud: Daddy Nose Best (BG Thoroughbred Farm, Calif.), Handsome Mike (Pleasant Acres, Fla.), and No Nay Never (Coolmore, Ireland).
Scat Daddy's Yearling Average
Year - Average
2010: $52,290
2011: $44,051
2012: $77,058
2013: $80,680
2014: $119,948
2015: $185,748
Photo: Asuncion Pineyrua/Ashford Stud