Summer Squall retired

Summer Squall, winner of the 1990 Preakness Stakes and sire of the 1999 Horse of the Year, Charismatic, as well as champion Storm Song, has retired from stud duty because of fertility problems. Lane's End farm, where Summer Squall had stood, announced the retirement on Wednesday.

Summer Squall, a 17-year-old Storm Bird horse, is a son of the great Lane's End matron Weekend Surprise (Secretariat), making him a half-brother to top general sire A. P. Indy.

Purchased by Dogwood Stable for $300,000 at the 1988 Keeneland July yearling sale, Summer Squall went on to win the Hopeful Stakes at 2 and the Preakness the next year. He won seven other stakes, including five Grade 2 races. He retired with a record of 20-13-4-0 and $1,844,282 in earnings.

Summer Squall had stood at Lane's End since 1992 and is the sire of 10 crops to date with total progeny earnings of $27,794,807.

His best runner so far is Charismatic. He avenged his sire's loss to Unbridled in the 1990 Kentucky Derby, then followed up with a win in the Preakness en route to the 3-year-old male championship and Horse of the Year honors. Summer Squall's other North American champion, Storm Song, won the 1996 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies and was awarded that season's 2-year-old filly title.

Summer Squall also is the sire of millionaire Grade 1 winner Summer Colony and numerous other graded stakes winners.

Summer Squall was bred to only 10 mares in 2003, according to statistics from The Jockey Club. In 2002, Jockey Club statistics show, he was bred to 31 mares who produced 14 live foals.