by Ed DeRosa

Rahy, the sire of 84 stakes winners, including champions Dreaming of Anna, Fantastic Light, and Serena’s Song, will not cover mares during the 2010 season because of declining fertility.

The 24-year-old Blushing Groom (Fr) horse failed to get any mares in foal this year at the Clay family’s Three Chimneys Farm while standing for an advertised fee of $50,000. Rahy stood all 20 of his seasons at Three Chimneys for the late Sheikh Maktoum bin Rashid al Maktoum’s Gainsborough operation.

“We are pensioning him due to declining fertility because of old age,” Three Chimneys President Case Clay said. “His health is great, and he’ll be living the same life next year—he just won’t be going to the breeding shed.”

Rahy retired to Three Chimneys in 1990 for an advertised fee of $15,000 after winning six of 13 career starts, including the ’89 Bel Air Handicap (G2). His first crop included multiple graded stakes winner Mariah’s Storm, who would go on to help establish her sire’s reputation as an excellent broodmare sire by producing multiple Group 1 winner and leading sire Giant’s Causeway.

Rahy’s second crop included champion Serena’s Song and multiple Grade 1 winner Exotic Wood, and his early success at stud led to his fee more than tripling to $50,000 by the 1996 season, which was the same year Fantastic Light was born. Fantastic Light went on to win Group 1 races in four different countries and was named 2001 European Horse of the Year. He now stands in Japan.

Dreaming of Anna completed an undefeated two-year-old campaign with a win in the 2006 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1) and was named champion two-year-old filly. Lewis Michael, Dreaming of Anna’s full brother out of the Broad Brush mare Justenuffheart, now stands at Three Chimneys.

“From a Three Chimneys standpoint, he’s one of the best stallions we’ve ever had and one of the most important stallions we’ve ever had,” Clay said of Rahy, whose stud fee rose to $100,000 in 2002. “Every year, it seemed like he’d have a big horse pop up. We’re excited to have Lewis Michael, and hopefully he’ll carry on his sire’s legacy.”

Rahy’s final crop was born this year. He also is represented by 51 yearlings in his penultimate crop and 44 two-year-olds in his 17th crop of racing age, which through Tuesday included 554 winners from 795 starters that have amassed $85,744,740 in purse earnings.

Out of the Canadian Horse of the Year and United States champion older female Glorious Song, by Halo, Rahy is a half brother to champion Singspiel (Ire) and Group 2 winner Rakeen and a full brother to winner Morn of Song, dam of English highweight and Group 1 winner Mezzo Soprano. Glorious Song is a full sister to champion and sire Devil’s Bag and leading sire Saint Ballado from the family of Grade 1 winner and sire Sligo Bay (Ire).

Ed DeRosa is news editor of THOROUGHBRED TIMES