Canadian Hall of Famer Sealy Hill dies at 17

Sealy Hill, a Canadian Hall of Famer who went on to a stellar career as a broodmare, died Tuesday at Bonne Chance Farm near Versailles, Ky. The daughter of Point Given was 17 and had been pensioned from breeding since 2018.

Sealy Hill, who was trained by Mark Casse while racing as a homebred for Eugene Melnyk, put together a career record of 18-7-4-3 and earned $1,747,081. A stakes winner as a juvenile and winner of the Grade 3 Bourbonette Oaks at Turfway early in her 3-year-old campaign, she won Canada’s Triple Tiara in the summer of 2007 in unconventional fashion. The filly crossed the line first in all three legs of the series – the Woodbine Oaks, Bison City Stakes, and Wonder Where Stakes. However, she was disqualified for interference in the middle leg, the Bison City, and was placed third. After an appeal, almost three months later, her disqualification was overturned by the Ontario Racing Commission. For that 2007 campaign, she was honored as Canada’s Horse of the Year, champion 3-year-old filly, and champion turf female.

The Wonder Where proved to be Sealy Hill’s last win, but she did subsequently place in three Grade 1 events. In her career finale, she was second in the 2008 Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf, beaten a half-length by champion Forever Together. She was inducted into Canada’s Hall of Fame in 2013.

Sealy Hill changed hands twice following her retirement from racing, first sold to Regis Farms in 2013 as Melnyk dispersed his stock, and then acquired by Bonne Chance when that operation acquired Regis Farms.

Sealy Hill produced four graded stakes winners as a broodmare, led by Cambier Parc, a Medaglia d’Oro filly bred by Bonne Chance and purchased for $1.25 million by Larry Best at the 2017 Keeneland September yearling sale. The filly is a four-time graded stakes winner, highlighted by the Grade 1 Del Mar Oaks and Grade 1 Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup in 2019.

Sealy Hill also is the dam of Grade 2 winner and Canadian champion Hillaby, and Grade 3 winners Belle Hill and Gale Force.