Council Member, a member of the second-last crop of foals by Triple Crown winner Seattle Slew, has been retired from racing for stallion duty. He was campaigned the last part of his career by Mickey and Karen Taylor, who raced Seattle Slew with Dr. Jim Hill and his wife, Sally.
“It’s a sad day, to think that we will never see another son or daughter of Seattle Slew race again,” Mickey Taylor said. “But it’s also a day of hope, as Seattle Slew was the most complete Thoroughbred our industry has ever seen. Now, we have his son Council Member, a good-looking horse who raced against top-class company during his five years on both turf and dirt.”
Council Member, who won or placed in 11 of 24 races and earned $347,306, was bought as a weanling for $800,000 by John Ferguson at the 2002 Keeneland November breeding stock sale. He began his racing career in England for the Maktoum family’s Godolphin, and as a juvenile, he placed in the TNT July (Eng-II) and Coventry (Eng-II), and Pentax Sirenia (Eng-III) Stakes. At 3, he captured the Cheveley Park Stud King Charles II Stakes and the Weatherbys Bank Guisborough Stakes.
Council Member returned to the U.S. in late 2006 and placed in the Sport Page (gr. III) and James B. Moseley Sprint Handicap in 2007. He was acquired last fall by the Taylors after the Sport Page and raced seven times for them. His last race was the July 4 Tom Fool Handicap (gr. II), in which he finished unplaced.
Bred in Kentucky by Dean Greenwood, Council Member was produced from the Seeking the Gold mare Zoe Montana, who is a half-sister to English champion Half a Year.
Seattle Slew is represented by only one other runner this year, stakes-placed Chestertown Slew, who also is from the same crop as Council Member.
Breeding plans for Council Member are being made.
