Pulpit's influential dam Preach dies aged 31 at Claiborne Farm

Claiborne Farm announced via Twitter on Wednesday that Preach, a Grade 1-winning homebred and breed-shaping broodmare, died at the age of 31 due to the infirmities of old age.

"With a heavy (heart) we share that one of the queens of Claiborne Farm, Preach has passed away at the age of 31," the statement read.

"A G1W herself, Preach produced the breed-shaping Pulpit & has left a lasting legacy as both a racehorse and broodmare - she will be deeply missed by all of us at Claiborne."

A daughter of Mr. Prospector, Preach was born in 1989 out of the Honest Pleasure mare Narrate. Trained by Shug McGaughey, she broke her maiden on debut at Saratoga at two and stepped up to Grade 1 company one start later, running third in the Spinaway Stakes.

Preach became a Grade 1 winner in her own right next out in the one-mile Frizette Stakes at Belmont Park, scoring by two and a quarter lengths. She also ran third in the Prioress Stakes at three and third in the Grade 1 Test Stakes during a 15-start career. She retired in 1993 with a 4-1-4 record and earnings of $304,656.

It was Preach's first mating as a broodmare in 1993 that would come to be the stuff of thoroughbred legend. Bred to A.P. Indy - a son of Seattle Slew who was in his first year at stud at Lane's End - Preach produced Pulpit.

Trained by Frank Brothers for Claiborne Farm, the bay colt raced only six times, winning the Grade 2 Fountain of Youth Stakes and Blue Grass Stakes.

An injury in the 1997 Kentucky Derby forced the colt's connections to retire him to stud, where he proved more than effective. In 15 years, Pulpit sired 74 stakes winners and one champion before his death in 2012.

Pulpit's most famous son is three-time leading sire Tapit, who stands at Gainesway. The 19-year-old stallion and Grade 1 winner has sired 133 stakes winners and seven champions from 13 crops of racing age and is ranked fifth on the North American leading sire list.

At one time, Pulpit had 25 sons standing at stud internationally. He is also represented at stud by grandsons California Chrome and multiple Grade 1 winner and freshman sire Frosted.

Pulpit was the most successful of Preach's 14 foals, but the mare produced two more stakes performers in Grade 3-placed Urban Poet - a $2.9 million Keeneland September Yearling Sale graduate - and stakes-placed Tell It.

Her daughter Orate went on to produce stakes winners Whitecliffsofdover and Endless Chatter, and daughter Ranter produced Pat Day Mile Stakes winner and Grade 1-placed Wild Shot.

Mated to Claiborne Stallion War Front in 2012, Preach failed to produce a foal and was officially retired in 2013 from her career as a broodmare.

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