Champion Ryafan Dies After Foaling Storm Cat Filly

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Khalid Abdullah's Ryafan died April 12 from major uterine artery hemorrhaging at the owner's Juddmonte Farms near Lexington. Her death came after several minutes after she foaled a Storm Cat filly. The filly was placed on a nurse mare.

"She was as healthy as any mare we had at the farm," said manager Garrett O'Rourke.

Bred and raced by Juddmonte, Ryafan won an Eclipse Award for best turf female of 1997 by winning all three of her North American starts. She captured the Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup Stakes (gr. IT) against 3-year-old fillies and the Yellow Ribbon (gr. IT) and Matriarch (gr. IT) Stakes against older females.

Ryafan (Lear Fan -- Carya, by Northern Dancer) also was a group I winner in France, a two-time group II winner in England, and group I stakes-placed in Ireland. She won seven of 10 starts and earned $1,342,142.

Ryafan produced two earlier foals: a 2-year-old Zafonic colt named Volcanic and a yearling Sadler's Wells colt.

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