Top-level winner and internationally successful sire Forestry dies aged 27

Forestry, a Grade 1-winning son of Storm Cat and a successful sire in North America and South America, died on Wednesday at Haras São José da Serra in Parná, Brazil, due to health problems associated with old age, according to the Brazilian Association of Racehorse Breeders and Owners. He was 27.

Robert S Evans bred Forestry out of Grade 1 winner Shared Interest and sold him for $1.5 million during the 1997 Keeneland July Sale to Aaron and Marie Jones. 

Trainer Bob Baffert, who signed the sales ticket as agent, won seven of 11 starts with the colt at three. Forestry's top performances included wins in the Grade 1 King's Bishop Stakes and Grade 2 Dwyer Stakes. He also was third in the Grade 1 Haskell Invitational Handicap.

His last race would be a fourth-place finish in the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Sprint, after which he was retired to stud at Taylor Made Stallions for the 2000 breeding season at $50,000.

Forestry would be a top-five freshman sire of 2003 and ranked a close second to Victory Gallop during his second-crop year by progeny earnings and second to Stravinsky by number of stakes winners with 11. He stayed in the top three of his sire class as a third-crop sire and again ranked second with 12 stakes winners to Stravinsky's 13. 

His early top performers included Grade 1 winners Forest Danger, Diplomat Lady, Discreet Cat, and multiple Graded stakes winner Smokey Glacken. His stud fee climbed to a peak of $125,000 by 2007 and in 2011 he sired his only American Classic winner when Shackleford won the Preakness Stakes.

From 2010 through to 2014, Forestry was shuttled to South America, standing for two seasons in Argentina and one in Peru. In 2014, he shuttled to Brazil but did not return to the United States. Instead, a consortium of Brazilian breeders - Haras São José da Serra, Haras Las Madres and Gelso Luiz Cima - bought the stallion.

From 14 southern hemisphere crops, Forestry has sired 31 black-type winners, which include 23 Group winners and three champions. He sired two Brazil champions in 2021 with Itaperuna, who was champion sprinter and champion older mare; and Oceano Azul, who was named champion two-year-old colt. His Peruvian-bred son Khazir was named Peru's champion sprinter for 2022.

He sired 18 Classic winners in Brazil, including Group 1 winners Oceano Azul, Itaperuna, Gata Y Flor and Hembra, according to the breeders’ and owners’ association.

"The stallion figured as one of the longest living and most successful breeders in all of South America," the association stated in its announcement.

For both hemispheres combined, Forestry has sired 84 stakes winners to date (five per cent from named foals of racing age) and 38 Graded/Group winners. His progeny have earned more than $60.3m worldwide.

Forestry is a successful broodmare sire as well, with 18 daughters having produced runners that have collectively earned more than $1m in purses. 

Country Grammer: Dubai World Cup winner has Forestry as broodmare sireCredit: Edward Whitaker

His most successful runners as a broodmare sire include Country Grammer, a multiple Grade 1 winner and third-most-successful North American-based runner with $14,921,320 in earnings; 2015 champion two-year-old male, 2016 Kentucky Derby winner and sire Nyquist; six-time Grade 1 winner and 2020 champion turf female Rushing Fall; 2014 Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint winner and sire Bobby’s Kitten; and three-time Grade 1 winner Turbulent Descent.

Forestry's last crop was born in 2022.