NEWS
Grade 1 winner Toga Toga Toga dead
Posted: Tuesday, December 18, 2001
Grade 1 winner Toga Toga Toga, who was once involved in a bizarre incident at Del Mar and is the dam of the highly regarded juvenile Dubai Tiger, died in late November following a pasture accident at Greenfield Farm near Lexington. The nine-year-old daughter of Saratoga Six out of the Northern Baby mare Northern Neck was in foal to young Central Kentucky sire Pulpit at the time of her death. Toga Toga Toga suffered a fractured front leg and had to be euthanized, said Greenfield owner and manager Bruce Gibbs.
Toga Toga Toga produced three foals and two sold well at public auction.
Dubai Tiger, a Storm Cat colt named by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum in honor of for golf great Tiger Woods, was purchased as a weanling by Tim Hyde for $900,000 at the 1999 Keeneland November breeding stock sale. The colt was purchased by John Ferguson, who represents Sheikh Mohammed, for $1.8-million at the 2000 Keeneland September yearling sale. He finished third in his only career start, a six-furlong maiden special weight event on October 24 at Belmont Park.
Toga Toga Toga's second foal, a colt by Seeking the Gold named Ignitable, was purchased for $510,000 by Robert and Beverly Lewis at the 2001 Keeneland July selected yearling sale. Toga Toga Toga produced a Danzig filly this year who has been named Ally McBell.
Bred in Kentucky, Toga Toga Toga raced exclusively in California and won seven of 18 career starts with four seconds and four thirds for $374,490 in earnings. She won four stakes events during her career, including the 1997 Santa Monica Handicap (G1) at Santa Anita Park, A Gleam Handicap (G2) at Hollywood Park, and Bay Meadows Dash Handicap at Bay Meadows Race Course.
Toga Toga Toga never won a stakes race at Del Mar but was involved in a peculiar occurrence at the San Diego racetrack in just her fourth career start in 1995. In the latter stages of the one-mile allowance race on the main track, a man later described as possibly suicidal ran onto the track and tossed a gym bag, nearly brushing up against Toga Toga Toga.
Sent off as the .70-to-1 favorite in the field of eight, Toga Toga Toga finished fourth in the race under Gary Stevens, who said that the bizarre incident marked the first time he had been "truly afraid" during a race.—Tom Law
