Broodmare of the Year and dam of two Breeders' Cup-winning sisters dies aged 27

Sweet Life, the dam of champion Sweet Catomine and dual Grade 1 winner Life Is Sweet, has died at the age of 27.

The Grade 1-placed stakes winner by Kris S out of Symbolically earned Broodmare of the Year honours in 2009, reflecting her status as a highly influential broodmare and producer of two Breeders' Cup winners.

Sweet Catomine, by Storm Cat, was crowned champion two-year-old filly in 2004 after capturing the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies, Del Mar Debutante Stakes and Grade 2 Oak Leaf Stakes. At three, she won the Santa Anita Oaks and Grade 3 Santa Ysabel Stakes.

Three years after foaling Sweet Catomine, Sweet Life foaled a full-sister who was named Life Is Sweet. A homebred for Pam and Martin Wygod, as was Sweet Catomine, Life Is Sweet would win four Graded stakes on her way to earning more than $1.8 million.

Her victories included the Breeders' Cup Ladies' Classic and Santa Margarita Invitational Handicap.

Sweet Life also produced Calimonco, a stakes-winning full-brother to the illustrious fillies.

Sweet Life had resided at Lane's End Farm since 2008 and was retired from the broodmare band in 2018. She will be buried in the farm's cemetery.

Sweet Catomine and Life Is Sweet are retired from the broodmare band and are now pensioners at Lane's End.

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