LEXINGTON, KY (Monday, August 19) -- Ray Paulick, author of the biography "Sunday Silence," expressed his sadness regarding the news report of the death of the legendary 1989 Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner who passed away in Japan early Monday at the age of sixteen. "Sunday Silence" was published earlier this year by Eclipse Press as part of the "Thoroughbred Legends" series of books.

Paulick, a frequent visitor to Japan who had seen Sunday Silence at Shadai Stallion Station on numerous occasions, reflected on the horse, saying, "Sunday Silence was an international superstar. American racing fans remember his exciting duels with Easy Goer in the 1989 Triple Crown races and Breeders' Cup when he always seemed to be the underdog. Japanese fans never saw him race but recognize him as the most prolific sire in their history.

"Since his first foals raced in 1994, Sunday Silence has completely dominated the Japanese sire lists and rewritten the record books. In less than 10 years, his offspring have earned the equivalent of over $300 million in purses. By comparison, over a 20-year period, one of our greatest sires, Seattle Slew, has about $75 million in earnings from his sons and daughters.

"He is so popular in Japan that many fans of Sunday Silence wear hats, shirts, jackets, neckties, and collect other souvenirs carrying his distinctive blaze alone without any written words -- that white on black blaze is as recognizable to racing fans there as the Nike swoosh is to fans of other sports.

"Like most of the great horses, Sunday Silence had a strong personality. He was tough, hard to handle, always wanting to be the boss. At Shadai, whenever they brought him out of his stall, he was a handful: bucking, kicking, full of attitude. That's the way he was on the racetrack, too. It doesn't surprise me that he fought such a valiant fight at the end of his life."

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