Mariah's storm (foaled April 1, 1991, in

Kentucky Kentucky (, ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north, West Virginia to the ...

) is an American

thoroughbred The Thoroughbred is a list of horse breeds, horse breed developed for Thoroughbred racing, horse racing. Although the word ''thoroughbred'' is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thorough ...

racehorse Horse racing is an equestrian performance activity, 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 bas ...

, bred by Donald T. Johnson's Crescent Farm in

Lexington, Kentucky Lexington is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city coterminous with and the county seat of Fayette County, Kentucky, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census the city's population was 322,570, making it the List of ...

. She suffered a serious injury while racing but later made a full recovery and continued her career. In 2005,

film director A film director or filmmaker is a person who controls a film's artistic and dramatic aspects and visualizes the screenplay (or script) while guiding the film crew and actors in the fulfillment of that Goal, vision. The director has a key role ...

John Gatins made a

motion picture A film, also known as a movie or motion picture, is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, emotions, or atmosphere through the use of moving images that are generally, since ...

titled '' Dreamer: Inspired by a True Story'' in which the horse "Soñador" is based on Mariah's Storm.

Background

Mariah's Storm is a very well- bred filly with high racing potential. She was a daughter of

Rahy Rahy (February 18, 1985 – September 22, 2011) was a Thoroughbred horse racing, racehorse who competed in United Kingdom, England and the United States. Background Bred by Hill 'n' Dale Farms in Lexington, Kentucky, Lexington, Rahy was a son of ...

, who also sired 2001 European Horse of the Year Fantastic Light, Noverre, Champion 3-Year-Old in England, U.S. Racing Hall of Fame member

Serena's Song Serena's Song (foaled April 4, 1992) is an American Thoroughbred race horse. She won 17 graded stakes races, including 11 Graded stakes race, Grade I (some against males and older mares), in three seasons for $3,286,388 in earnings. Background ...

and Dreaming of Anna, the 2006

American Champion Two-Year-Old Filly The American Champion Two-Year-Old Filly is an American Thoroughbred horse racing honor awarded annually to a female horse in Thoroughbred flat racing Horse racing is an equestrianism, equestrian performance activity, typically involving ...

and Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies winner. Mariah's Storm's grandsire was the important Blushing Groom, and her damsire was

Epsom Derby The Derby Stakes, more commonly known as the Derby and sometimes referred to as the Epsom Derby, is a Group races, Group 1 flat Horse racing, horse race in England open to three-year-old Colt (horse), colts and Filly, fillies. It is run at Ep ...

winner Roberto. Mariah's Storm was trained by the father and son team of Don Von Hemel and Donnie K. The father won the 1994 Ak-Sar-Ben Oaks and the 1995 Falls City Handicap with her and the son the 1993 Arlington-Washington Lassie Stakes, 1994 Arlington Heights Oaks, and in 1995 the

Arlington Matron Handicap The Matron Stakes is an American Grade III flat horse race for Thoroughbred fillies and mares, aged three years and upward. Raced over a distance of 9 furlongs on the dirt at Arlington Park, Arlington Heights, Illinois every spring. It currentl ...

and the Turfway Park Budweiser Breeders' Cup Stakes. In 1993, Mariah's Storm was working on building points to qualify for a chance to run in that fall's

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 ...

when she fractured her front left cannon bone while running in the

Alcibiades Stakes The Alcibiades Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually in early October at Keeneland Race Course in Lexington, Kentucky. A Grade I race, it is open to two-year-old fillies willing to race one and one-sixteenth miles on the di ...

Keeneland Race Course Keeneland Association, Inc. is an equine business based in Lexington, Kentucky. It includes two distinct divisions: the Keeneland Race Course, a Thoroughbred racing facility, and Keeneland Sales, a horse auction complex. It is also known for it ...

. When a horse injures her cannon bone, it usually ends her racing career. However, Mariah's Storm's owners and trainers refused to give up hope and with the work of several skilled

veterinarians A veterinarian (vet) or veterinary surgeon is a medical professional who practices veterinary medicine. They manage a wide range of health conditions and injuries in non-human animals. Along with this, veterinarians also play a role in animal r ...

, the fractured cannon bone healed and strengthened.

Full recovery

In September 1993, before the injury occurred, Mariah's Storm won the Arlington-Washington Lassie Stakes at Chicago's

Arlington Park Arlington Park (formerly known as Arlington International Racecourse) is a former horse race track in the Chicago suburb of Arlington Heights, Illinois. Once called the ''Arlington Park Jockey Club'', it was located adjacent to the Illinois Rou ...

. This was a Grade III stakes for two-year-old- fillies. After her injury healed and she fully recovered, she made a return to racing in 1994 and won the Arlington Oaks. In 1995, she won the Arlington Matron Stakes. Since her record of winning all three stakes races at Arlington Park was a rare accomplishment, Arlington officials named the Mariah's Storm Stakes in her honor. Racing at age four, in September 1995 Mariah's Storm won the Turfway Breeders' Cup Stakes at Turfway Park, defeating future U.S. Racing Hall of Fame filly

, also a daughter of Rahy. She then won the Falls City Handicap at

Churchill Downs Churchill Downs is a horse racing complex in south Louisville, Kentucky, United States that hosts the annual Kentucky Derby. It opened in 1875 and was named for Samuel Churchill, whose family was prominent in Kentucky for many years. The first ...

and competed in the Breeders' Cup Distaff, where she finished ninth in a ten-horse field.

Produce record

Mariah's Storm made her mark on the racing industry as a broodmare, producing the great

Giant's Causeway The Giant's Causeway () is an area of approximately 40,000 interlocking basalt columns, the result of an ancient volcano, volcanic fissure eruption, part of the North Atlantic Igneous Province active in the region during the Paleogene period. ...

(by

Storm Cat Storm Cat (February 27, 1983 – April 24, 2013) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse and 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 A ...

), the European Horse of the Year for 2000. She also produced Freud, a full brother to Giant's Causeway who stands at Sequel Stallions New York. Freud was the leading sire in New York in 2008. She has also produced significant mares: her first filly, a full sister to Giant's Causeway named You'resothrilling, produced four-time Group 1 winner Gleneagles and

Irish 1,000 Guineas The Irish 1,000 Guineas is a Group 1 flat horse race in Ireland open to three-year-old thoroughbred fillies. It is run at the Curragh over a distance of 1 mile (1,609 metres), and it is sched ...

winner Marvellous. Mariah's Storm also produced a Sadler's Wells filly named Love Me Only that is the dam of Storm the Stars (by Sea the Stars), winner of the Group 2 Great Voltigeur Stakes and placed in multiple Group 1 races. Mariah's Storm produced six colts in a row from 1997 to 2002, followed by seven fillies from 2005 to 2015.

In the media

The 2005 film ''

Dreamer The Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors Act, known as the DREAM Act, is a United States legislative proposal that would grant temporary #For conditional resident status, conditional residency, with the right to work, for Illegal ...

'' was loosely based on the story of Mariah's Storm. However, in the movie, Soñador (the horse based on Mariah's Storm) won the Breeders' Cup Classic (as the fifth filly ever to participate in that race), whereas in real life, Mariah's Storm ran in the Breeders' Cup Distaff and finished ninth of ten.,

Pedigree

References