Multiple stakes winner Crimson Classic, who contested the 1997 Kentucky Derby (gr. I), died of a heart attack July 25.
The 18-year-old son of Sky Classic out of the graded-stakes winning Dewan mare Marianna's Girl stood at Don and Shirley Sucher’s Echo Valley Horse Farm near Georgetown, K.Y. Crimson Classic was owned by the couple’s daughter, Carmie Sucher.
Bred in Kentucky by Albert G. Clay and his son, John W. Clay, and raced by the younger Clay, Crimson Classic experienced his best season in 1999 when he won three stakes including the $100,700 Bosselman/Gus Fonner Handicap at Fonner Park.
In the 1997 Kentucky Derby (gr. I), won by Silver Charm, he finished 11th.
Trained by Forrest Kaelin, Crimson Classic was retired with a record of 10-12-7 from 55 starts. He earned $559,286.
Crimson Classic, who initially stood at Illinois Stud Farm in Illinois and then at Breeders Station in Kentucky, has sired 28 winners from 77 foals of racing age including multiple stakes winner King Cohl.