THE SIDELINES : Cougar II, Calif. Favorite of ‘70s, Dies
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<i> From Times staff and wire service reports </i>
Cougar II, America’s champion grass horse of 1972 and sire of 1982 Kentucky Derby winner Gato del Sol, died Sunday of a ruptured stomach at Stone Farm in Lexington, Ky. He was 23.
The stretch-running “Big Cat” was a California favorite in the early 1970s, when he won 14 stakes races, including the 1973 Santa Anita Handicap. Upon his retirement, Cougar was the eighth leading money-winner of all time with earnings of $1,162,725.
Cougar was owned by Mary Bradley, trained by Charlie Whittingham and ridden to most of his major wins by Bill Shoemaker.
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