Agnes Tachyon, the Japan Racing Association's leading sire in 2008, died of sudden cardiac failure on Monday, June 22.
The news of Agnes Tachyon's death came as a shock to the Japanese racing world, which had witnessed the 11-year-old horse successfully follow the footsteps of his father - Sunday Silence - as Japan's leading sire. Up until last year, Sunday Silence led the sire rankings for 13 straight years before passing away in 2002.
Agnes Tachyon's crops dominated the racing scene in 2008, producing winners such as Captain Thule (Satsuki Sho - Japanese 2000 Guineas), Deep Sky (Tokyo Yushun - Japanese Derby), Little Amapola (Grade 1 Queen Elizabeth II Commemorative Cup) and Daiwa Scarlet (Grade 1 Arima Kinen (Grand Prix)).
In 2008, Agnes Tachyon led the sire rankings with a total of over 3.4 billion yen in earnings - almost 1 billion yen more than second-place Fuji Kiseki (also by Sunday Silence). His foals won 252 races (140 winners) last year.
Agnes Tachyon, by Sunday Silence out of Agnes Flora, debuted in 2000 and went on to win all four of his races, earning over 222 million yen. After winning the Satsuki Sho, Agnes Tachyon was forced into retirement with tendinitis.
Since then, he was stationed at Shadai Stallion Station in Hokkaido, serving as a stallion for eight years.
"I am at a loss for words with the sudden news," said Teruya Yoshida, president of Shadai Stallion Station. "After entering stud, he produced star horses like Daiwa Scarlet, Deep Sky, Captain Thule, among others. He was entering a period of maturity as a stud, and it is extremely sad because I was certain that he would produce even stronger horses from this point. All I can do now is pray for him and hope that he rests in peace."
> 2008 Leading Sires - Money Earned (JRA)
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