Stormy West was a stylish turf mare who carried a famous breeding pedigree and ran for one of racing's most legendary trainers. She was foaled in 2004, a daughter of the wonderful sire Gone West out of the Storm Cat mare Storm Beauty. She was bred in Kentucky by Robert and Beverly Lewis, the same owners who had campaigned 1997 Kentucky Derby winner Silver Charm and 1999 champion Charismatic. After her sale she raced for Guy and Diane Snowden, and her career was guided by Hall of Famer Bill Mott.
Stormy West found her best form on the grass, where her smooth stride and willingness to settle behind horses played to her strengths. She picked up wins at some of the country's top tracks, including Fair Grounds, Keeneland, and Saratoga. The signature stakes win of her career came in the inaugural running of the Blushing K.D. Handicap at Fair Grounds in New Orleans, where she handled the turf course with class and outran a strong field of older fillies and mares.
She kept testing herself at the graded stakes level for Bill Mott. Stormy West was a regular runner in races like the Endeavour Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs, where she ran competitively against some of the top turf females in the country. She also picked up graded placings during her career, building a respectable resume for her Snowden ownership group. She was the kind of horse who showed up time and again at the racetrack, ready to give her honest best every time out.
After her racing days, Stormy West went on to a broodmare career, where her Gone West sire line and Storm Cat female family made her a valuable producer. She is remembered as a classy turf runner from the famed Lewis breeding program, and as another example of the steady, well placed campaigns that have defined Bill Mott's Hall of Fame career. The Snowdens got plenty of memorable afternoons out of their stylish mare.
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