Coolmore Stud’s Kentucky operation has been dealt a body-blow with the sudden death of its rising star Scat Daddy.

The 11 year-old stallion dropped dead while walking out of his paddock at Ashford Stud on Monday.

“Scat Daddy was in the best of health – it was totally unexpected,” manager Dermot Ryan said.  “Everyone is very upset as he was a smashing horse with a great career ahead of him.”

The son of champion Johannesburg retired to stud in 2008 and his fee had skyrocketed from $10,000 to $100,000.

Scat Daddy got off to a great start at stud and was the leading freshman sire of 2011 with more than $1.50 million in progeny earnings.  That figure also saw him rank third behind Kitten’s Joy and Smart Strike among 2YO sires.

To date, he is responsible for 69 stakes winners and is having a ground-breaking year with 36 stakes winners including G2 Royal Ascot winner Acapulco and North American stars El Kabeir, Pretty N Cool, Dacita, Nickname, Azar and Almasty.

He also has Group 1 winners like The Dream, Flyer and Kitcat in South America from three years shuttling to Haras Paso Nevado in Chile.

Scat Daddy is a Top 10 North American sire this year with more than $9.5 million in earnings and he is the leading sire of stakes winners, stakes wins, and is tied with Tapit for number of Group winners (16) in 2015.

He ranks second on the juvenile sire list behind fellow Ashford Stud sire Uncle Mo but is the leader by stakes winners with 9 from his current crop.  He also leads the category by stakes horses with 12.

Scat Daddy was trained by Todd Pletcher for Group 1 wins in the Champagne Stakes at two and Florida Derby at three.  He bowed out with an unplaced run in the 2007 Kentucky Derby.

SCAT DADDY