Mary Sullivan is the TOBA July Member of the Month.

Mary Sullivan is a throwback in her approach to her horses. She bred and raced multiple grade 1 winner Get Stormy, whom she has supported since he was retired to Crestwood Farm in Lexington, Ky. At auction, she also snaps up his progeny, like Get Smokin. For Sullivan and trainer Tom Bush, the gelding captured the May 22 Seek Again Stakes at Belmont Park.

Sullivan purchased Get Smokin—a cleverly named son of Get Stormy and Hookah Lady—at the 2018 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky October Yearling Sale for $11,000. In a 14-race career, the four-year-old has tallied $376,040 in earnings. Seven months before the Seeking Again, he first showed an affinity for Big Sandy’s turf course, taking the October 18 Hill Prince Stakes (G2T). Get Smokin ended the season with a fourth-place finish in the Nov. 28 Hollywood Derby (G1T), then kicked off 2021 by winning the Feb. 6 Tampa Bay Stakes (G3T).

Sullivan is thrilled that her runners have excelled on turf. “Oh, it’s just so beautiful to see the horses where they belong, on the grass,” she enthused. Get Stormy annexed the 2011 Maker’s Mark Mile Stakes (G1T) and Woodford Reserve Turf Classic Stakes (G1T), roaring back in 2012 to add the Gulfstream Park Turf Handicap (G1T) to his crown. “Well, he’s a biter,” she said, “but he’s a beautiful animal.”

At stud, the son of Stormy Atlantic—nicknamed “Clyde” for his dark coloring and white points, which resemble a Clydesdale—has sired the likes of Got Stormy, who beat colts in the 2019 Fourstardave Handicap (G1T). “He does well with everyone,” Sullivan said of his mates. “It’s amazing; he really does. He crosses with everything.” She makes sure to pay her prize homebred a visit whenever she is in town. “I always go feed him some horse cookies or a mint,” she said.

A New Jersey native, Sullivan now resides in Vero Beach, Florida. But no matter where she has lived, she has always loved horses. “I used to ride a lot,” she recalled, “and when I couldn’t ride anymore, I turned to the racing business.” Visits to tracks like Belmont Park fueled her burgeoning passion, and Sullivan enlisted future Hall of Fame trainer P.G. Johnson to take charge of her fledgling stable.

One of Sullivan’s first standout runners was Kiri’s Clown. A homebred for Sullivan and partner Gardner Landon’s Cobble View Stable, the son of Foolish Pleasure triumphed in the 1995 Sword Dancer Invitational Handicap (G1T) at Saratoga. Of that win, Sullivan recalled, “Oh, it was so great. I loved it. It was great.”

Conditioned by Johnson, the hickory Florida-bred earned a shade over a million dollars in 62 races. “He was some horse,” Sullivan stated. Sire of 20 winners from a mere 73 foals, Kiri’s Clown did get Foolish Gal, dam of Get Stormy. “Kiri” was retired to Old Friends Thoroughbred Retirement Facility in Georgetown, Kentucky, in 2006, where he lived until his 2014 death.

Sullivan described campaigning Get Stormy’s progeny as “wonderful.” With the help of Taproot Bloodstock’s Phil Hager, she bought Clyde’s Image. Twice grade 1-placed before being injured, Clyde’s Image now lives at Sullivan’s son’s farm in North Carolina. Sullivan boards her mares at Suzi Shoemaker’s Lantern Hill Farm in Midway, Kentucky.

Further success stories include homebred Getmotherarose. At the 2009 Keeneland November Sale, Sullivan purchased the Cherokee Run mare Run Rosie, in foal to Consolidator, for $25,000. In 2015, she sent Run Rosie to none other than Get Stormy; the resulting filly became Getmotherarose. Born May 8, 2016, Getmotherarose was a late foal, and she took time to develop.

Indeed, she didn’t break her maiden until June of her sophomore year. She slowly but steadily improved into her four-year-old year, crowned by her 1 ½-length victory in the 2020 Honey Fox Stakes (G3T) at Gulfstream Park. At the 2021 Keeneland January sale, Getmotherarose went under the hammer for $100,000 to Catherine Parke.

Despite selling Getmotherarose and retiring Clyde’s Image, Sullivan is still going strong with sons and daughters of Get Stormy. Unlike his biter of a sire, Get Smokin is more even-tempered. “All he bites is grass,” Sullivan quipped. “He loves the grass; he gets his vegetables.” His running style reminds her of his sire, though. “He likes to go right to the front and lead all the way,” she noted. What’s next for her graded-winning gelding? Sullivan mused, “Well, I’d love to see him win a grade 1. I’m hoping.”