2002 Hopeful Stakes winner
Sky Mesa was a brilliant young chestnut who flashed enormous promise as a two year old before injuries kept him from reaching his full potential. He was foaled in 2000, a son of the well respected sire Pulpit out of the Storm Cat mare Caress. He raced for John C. Oxley, the same owner who had won the 2001 Kentucky Derby with Monarchos, and he was trained by Hall of Famer John T. Ward Jr., who had handled that Derby winner as well. The pedigree, the stable, and the early talent all pointed toward big things.
Sky Mesa was undefeated as a two year old in 2002, sweeping his way through some of the most important juvenile races in the country. He won the Breeders' Futurity at Keeneland, then captured the prestigious Hopeful Stakes at Saratoga in commanding fashion. The performance was so impressive that he became the first Grade 1 winner ever sired by Pulpit, helping launch the stallion's reputation. By the end of the year, Sky Mesa was being talked about as one of the leading contenders for the upcoming Kentucky Derby.
The road got tougher at three. Sky Mesa did not win a race in 2003, but he ran some big efforts against the very best of his crop. He finished a courageous second in the Haskell Invitational Handicap at Monmouth Park and third in the Dwyer Stakes at Belmont. The wins he had stacked up as a juvenile, however, did not quite turn into the classic year his connections had hoped for. He was retired soon after, with his Grade 1 trophy and a clean two year old record to his name.
Sky Mesa was sent to Three Chimneys Farm in Kentucky to begin his stud career, and he turned out to be a very useful stallion. He sired several stakes winners, including the millionaire General Quarters. He has also become an influential broodmare sire, with his daughters producing multiple top runners. Sky Mesa is remembered as a flashy two year old champion in everything but title, and as a horse who carried his Pulpit sire line forward into the next generation of American racing.
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