Maplejinsky dies at 18

Maplejinsky, the dam of champion Sky Beauty and a Grade 1 winner in her own right, died Dec. 5 of a ruptured aorta, Three Chimneys Farm in Midway, Ky., announced Wednesday. Maplejinsky was 18 and was carrying a foal by Giant's Causeway.

Bred by the late Georgia Hofmann, Maplejinsky was from one of modern racing's most renowned female families. She was a granddaughter of the great broodmare Stick to Beauty, and she was the first foal produced by 1982 champion sprinter Gold Beauty, who also is the dam of champion Dayjur. A daughter of Nijinsky II, Maplejinsky was an outstanding runner, despite racing only one season for her owner, Susan Kaskel. Her five lifetime victories included tallies in the 1988 Alabama Stakes and Monmouth Oaks, both Grade 1. Trained by Hall of Famer P.G. Johnson, she retired with earnings of $293,196 and a record of 9-5-1-0.

Maplejinsky immediately proved successful as a broodmare when her first foal, the Blushing Groom filly Sky Beauty, developed into North America's champion older mare in 1994. Maplejinsky also is the second dam of multiple graded winner Country Hideaway.

Maplejinsky's last foal was a 2003 Rahy filly. The mare was owned by Jayeff B Stables at the time of her death.