Thoroughbred Silver Hawk, the sire of 76 stakes winners who was pensioned in the fall of 2003, was euthanized June 5 due to the infirmities of old age. He was 29.

By Roberto out of the Amerigo mare Gris Vitesse, Silver Hawk stood his entire career at Brereton Jones’ Airdrie Stud near Midway, Ky. He was buried beside the stallion barn at the farm.

Known primarily as a sire of grass runners, Silver Hawk sired 21 crops that consisted of 862 foals, from which his 76 stakes winners represents 8.8% of his offspring. Silver Hawk’s average winning distance of 9.62 furlongs is also impressive.

His champions were Grass Wonder, who raced in Japan and because of that country’s large purses, was his sire’s leading earner, at $5,987,405; Epsom Derby (gr. I) winner Benny the Dip; Mutafaweq (in England and Germany); and Narooma (in Germany). Lady in Silver was the highweighted filly in Europe in 1989, the year she won the French Oaks (Fr-I)