Inside Information, 26

[Kasept]

Hall of Famer Inside Information dies at 26
By Joe Nevills

Hall of Famer Inside Information died Saturday at Claiborne Farm in Paris, Ky., from natural causes due to old age. She was 26.

The daughter of Private Account was born at Claiborne Farm as a product of the vaunted breeding program of Ogden Mills Phipps. She was later placed in the barn of trainer Shug McGaughey to run as a homebred for Phipps.

Inside Information won 14 of 17 starts over three seasons of racing for earnings of $1,641,806. She won on debut at age 2 at Belmont Park by 7 1/2 lengths, then won six of seven starts as a 3-year-old, including the Grade 1 Ashland Stakes and Acorn Stakes, as well as the Grade 2 Bonnie Miss Stakes.

Her most notable season came at age 4, when she was named champion older mare of 1995, and won the Breeders’ Cup Distaff at Belmont by 13 1/2 lengths in her final start. Her Eclipse Award-winning campaign also featured wins in the Grade 1 Spinster Stakes, Ruffian Handicap, and Shuvee Handicap, the Grade 2 Molly Pitcher Handicap, and Grade 3 Monmouth Park Budweiser Breeders’ Cup Handicap.

Inside Information retired to Claiborne Farm, where she had nine foals, with three winners from five runners, led by Smuggler, the champion 3-year-old filly of 2005. Her first foal, the unraced Mr. Prospector mare Illicit, went on to produce Grade 2 winner Gone Astray and German Group 3-placed Contentious.

The mare was enshrined in the National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame in 2008, and she was pensioned from broodmare duty in 2013.

Inside Information will be buried at Claiborne’s Marchmont cemetery.