Klassy Briefcase, a record-setting sprinter and broodmare, died Sept.18 at Old Friends, the Thoroughbred retirement center near Georgetown, Ky. The daughter of Medieval Man out of the Pruner mare Leather Gallery was 28.
A New Jersey-bred, Klassy Briefcase was campaigned by owners Dan Kelliher and Lara Levine and was long considered not only one of the fastest sprinters of the Mid-Atlantic circuit, but also one of the fastest mares of her generation.
In 1990 she set a 5-furlong record at Pimlico Race Course winning the Park Heights Handicap in :56 3/5. She went on to set a new world record at Monmouth Park going 5 furlongs in :54 4/5. Among her eight stakes victories were the Primonetta Stakes, the Princess Rooney Stakes, and the Fair Haven Haven Handicap.
In all Klassy Briefcase captured 18 of her 42 starts and earned $362,959. Her career is celebrated annually with the running of the Klassy Briefcase Stakes at Monmouth Park.
As a broodmare, she produced four winners, and Bayakoa Handicap (gr. II) winner Briecat carries on her female line. Pensioned from breeding in 2008, Klassy Briefcase was generously donated to Old Friends by her owners.
"Klassy with a K was classy with a C as well," said Old Friends founder and president Michael Blowen. "Her intelligent demeanor and kind disposition made her one of Old Friend's most popular retirees. She will be missed."
