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 ...
at
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
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 ...
, 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
See also
*''
Dreamer: Inspired by a True Story''
*
Giant's Causeway (horse)
Giant's Causeway (14 February 1997 – 16 April 2018) was an American-bred, Irish-trained Thoroughbred racehorse who won five Group One races in Great Britain and Ireland as a three-year-old in 2000: the St James's Palace Stakes, Eclipse Stake ...
References
{{Reflist
1991 racehorse births
Racehorses bred in Kentucky
Racehorses trained in the United States
Thoroughbred family 11