Hennessy Dead of Apparent Heart Attack

Hennessy Dead of Apparent Heart Attack
by Blood-Horse Staff
Date Posted: August 10, 2007
Last Updated: August 10, 2007


Coolmore Stud’s talented sire Hennessy has reportedly died of an apparent heart attack Thursday afternoon at Haras La Mission in Argentina. The 14-year-old son of Storm Cat out of Island Kitty, by Hawaii, had been shuttled to Argentina for the Southern Hemisphere breeding season.

The sire of 57 stakes winners, Hennessy has eight stakes winners to date for 2007 and was most recently represented by Silver Tree, winner of the Fourstardave Stakes (gr. IIT) Aug. 5 at Saratoga.

Hennessy's top offspring was Johannesburg, the unbeaten 2-year-old of 2001, who was named champion juvenile male in North America, Ireland, France, and England. Johannesburg, who stands at Ashford Stud, is currently the second-leading second-crop sire of 2007 and was the second-leading first-crop sire last year.

Based on the exploits of Johannesburg, Hennessy was the leading juvenile sire in North America with his second crop in 2001. Hennessy was also the second-leading juvenile sire of 2005.

Hennessy entered stud in 1997 at Ashford with a fee of $30,000 and had seven stakes winners from his first North American crop. Popular world-wide, he shuttled to Australia three times, and stood one season, the 2001 Northern Hemisphere season at East Stud in Japan.

Another top son of Hennessy, Henny Hughes, was a multiple grade I winner and just finished his first season at stud at Darley near Lexington. Other sons of Hennessy standing at stud in North America include the graded stakes winners Blazonry, Cactus Ridge, Roll Hennessy Roll, and Wiseman's Ferry.

Hennessy, who stood the 2007 season for $60,000, is also represented by the grade I winning fillies Madcap Escapade and Harmony Lodge, and Australian champion Grand Armee, who has seven group I wins to his credit.

He is also the sire of Turkish 2-year-old male champion Perfect Storm.

Bred by Overbrook Farm, Hennessy is out of the graded stakes-placed Hawaii mare Island Kitty and is a half-brother to $812,426-earner Shy Tom and Pearl City, winner of the Ballerina Stakes (gr. I).

A $500,000 Keeneland July yearling sale purchase, Hennessy raced for Bob and Beverly Lewis and was trained by Hall of Famer D. Wayne Lukas. As a 2-year-old in 1995, Hennessy won four of nine starts and placed twice in major races. He earned $580,400.

He won three stakes in a row after breaking his maiden, taking the Hollywood Juvenile Championship Stakes (gr. II), Sapling Stakes (gr. II) and the Hopeful Stakes (gr. I) at Saratoga. All three wins came while he was the odds-on favorite. After a sixth-place finish in the Moet Champagne Stakes (gr. I) he lost the photo in a memorable stretch battle with Unbridled's Song in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile (gr. I) at Belmont Park. He ran twice more after the Breeders' Cup, scoring a runner-up spot in the Hollywood Preview Breeders' Cup Stakes (gr. III) in his penultimate race.

Courtesy of www.bloodhorse.com

Hennessy at Coolmore


AWWW no.............can't believe it. He was such a great stallion, my favorite along with his son Johannesburg.

This will make Check Him Out and Masters Call babies more valuable.

Lets hope so! We have a filly in foal to Check Him Out right now for an early Feb baby!!!!

He was a great horse!!!!