California sire Slewpy is dead

LEXINGTON, Ky. - Slewpy, the California sire whose progeny included 1992 Breeders' Cup Sprint winner Thirty Slews, died on Wednesday at the Santa Lucia equine clinic in Santa Ynez, Calif.

The 21-year-old Seattle Slew horse, a top 20 California stallion, had stood at Monty Roberts's Flag Is Up Farms since 1996 and was advertised with a $2,500 fee for 2002.

Slewpy fractured his jaw in his paddock earlier this week and underwent surgery for that injury. Although the surgery went well and he appeared to recover normally from anesthesia, the stallion later lay down and died quietly, according to Pat Roberts at Flag Is Up.

Slewpy, a son of the unraced Prince John mare Rare Bouquet, raced for three seasons, campaigning in England and North America. Winner of the Grade 1 Young America Stakes and the Empire Stakes at age 2, he went on to take the Grade 1 Meadowlands Cup Handicap and Grade 2 Paterson Handicap as a 3-year-old. During his final racing season, in 1984, he won the Kingston Stakes. Slewpy retired from racing with a record of 21-8-2-1, including five stakes wins, and $710,248 in earnings.

At stud, Slewpy sired Thirty Slews and other graded stakes-winners Mr. Nickerson, Slerp, Miss Slewpy, Gray Slewpy, Callide Valley, and Mr. Impatience. His 2001 stakes-winners are led by graded winners Rare Charmer and Road to Slew.

From 14 crops to race so far, Slewpy has progeny earnings of more than $16 million.