Silmaril, 2007, North Sea, 1969
The 75,000 Skipat Stakes was run over 6 furlongs for 3YO and up, fillies and mares at Pimlico on June 9,2007. The winner was Silmaril, a 6YO brown mare by Diamond, a Mr. Prospector stallion from the winning mare, Kattebuck, 1988, a grey mare by Spend a Buck from SW Kattegat's Pride, 1979, also grey, by North Sea from Pilgrim's Pride, by First Landing. Silmaril, already a GR-111 SW at 4YO, has 10 stakes wins from 14 wins in all, from 31 starts. Her earnings now stand at over $815,000. Kattegat's Pride was probably the best offspring of SW North Sea. She was a GR-111 SW with multiple graded placings, 19 wins from 54 starts and over $510,000.
North Sea was one of three excellent milers sired by Nearctic in 1969. The other two, Explodent and Icecapade, we will look at next time. North Sea and Icecapade were bred on the "Nearctic out of a Native Dancer mare" pattern that produced Northern Dancer. North Sea, February 4, 1969, a headstrong dapple grey colt, was out of Look Ma, by Native Dancer from Home Made, by Occupy from Plucky Maid, by Ariel from Gooseflesh, from Mad Hatter out of Mother Goose. It is interesting to note that Mother Goose was the dam of Arbitrator, who was the dam of Almahmoud, granddam of Northern Dancer. North Sea was fast, running the quickest mile in America in 1973, 1:33 flat, setting a new stakes record in the $50,000 Westchester. He won the $25,000 Paumonok in 1:09 and 1/5, and the $35,000 Jennings in 1:42 and 3/5. He was beaten a length in third place in the $50,000 Nassau County while running with a broken coffin bone. In all, he won, placed or showed in 11 stakes. From 45 starts, he had 10 wins, 9 seconds and 11 thirds, with over $235,000. North Sea was not as successful a sire as were the other two members of our "three amigos" group. We will look at Explodent and Icecapade next time.
