Desert Party, a graded/group stakes winner in the U.S. and U.A.E. and veteran sire who ran in the 2009 Kentucky Derby, died Jan. 1 at age 17, the Saudi Arabian stallion operation Sama Farm announced. A cause of death was not reported publicly by the farm.
The son of Street Cry relocated to Saudi Arabia in 2021 after beginning his stud career in the U.S. in 2011, with time spent in Kentucky, New York, and Pennsylvania.
Bred in Kentucky by David Smith and Steven Sinatra out of the winning Tabasco Cat mare Sage Cat, Desert Party sold to Paul Pompa Jr. for $425,000 at the 2007 Keeneland September Yearling Sale. A year later, the Godolphin operation secured the colt for $2.1 million at the Fasig-Tipton Florida Select 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale.
Desert Party started fast as a 2-year-old, winning on debut at Arlington Park by 3 3/4 lengths for trainer Eoin Harty, then he shipped to Saratoga to easily win the Grade 2 Sanford Stakes.
The colt was sent to the U.A.E. for the beginning of his 3-year-old campaign, under the shedrow of trainer Saeed Bin Suroor. He won his first two starts at Nad Al Sheba Racecourse, including the G3 U.A.E. Two Thousand Guineas. He entered the G2 U.A.E. Derby on the 2009 Dubai World Cup undercard as the favorite and Godolphin's top Kentucky Derby prospect, but he was bested by a half-length by stablemate Regal Ransom.
Both Desert Party and Regal Ransom returned stateside to compete in the 2009 Kentucky Derby, with Desert Party getting bumped at the start and settling into a wide trip before fading to 14th. Regal Ransom finished eighth after pressing the pace.
The Derby was Desert Party's final start of the year, and he returned in Dubai for his 4-year-old campaign, where he started off with a win in the G3 Elnadim Mahab Al Shimaal before finishing out of the money in the G2 Godolphin Mile. He returned to the U.S. for his final start, the listed Donald LeVine Memorial Handicap at Parx Racing, where he overcame early trouble to win by 3 1/2 lengths.
Desert Party retired with six wins in 10 starts for earnings of $928,467.
He entered stud at Darley America in Kentucky for the 2011 breeding season, and he moved to Sequel New York ahead of the 2013 season. The stallion was sold by Darley to a partnership that included his co-breeder Sinatra ahead of the 2018 season, and relocated within New York to Irish Hill and Dutchess Views Stallions. He was then moved to Godstone Farm in Pennsylvania in 2020 before being sold to stand in Saudi Arabia the following year.
Desert Party has sired 10 crops of racing age, with 136 winners and combined progeny earnings of more than $11 million.
His best runners to date include Peruvian Group 3 winner Salama, who was also stakes-placed in the U.S., and graded-placed runners Heart's Song, Desert Dynamo, Can't Happen Here, and Prince Atlantis.
الحمد لله من قبل و من بعد نفوق الفحل ديزرت بارتي صباح اليوم (01/01/2023) بعد معاناة شديدة مع المغص .
Desert Party
(Street Cry – Sage Cat)
2006 – 2023
We're very sad and heart broken to announce that our “champion” Desert Party died this morning
@EngNawaf2012 pic.twitter.com/SqWp3FcPKJ
— SAMA FARM (@sama_farm) January 1, 2023
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