Aces Four, foaled on 30 March 1999 in

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

, is an Irish

Thoroughbred The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word ''thoroughbred'' is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed. Thoroughbreds are c ...

racehorse Horse racing is an equestrian performance sport, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its basic pr ...

Background

Aces Four was sired by

Fourstars Allstar Fourstars Allstar (April 5, 1988 – March 2005) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse and sire, best known for his win in the Irish 2,000 Guineas. As a two-year-old in 1990 he showed promising form by winning the Pilgrim Stakes and the ...

out of the mare Special Trix. He was owned by the DPRP Aces Partnership, trained by

Ferdy Murphy Ferdy or Ferdie is a given name, often a diminutive of the masculine given name Ferdinand. It may refer to: People * Ferdie Aston (1871–1926), English-born South African rugby union player * Ferdie Bergh (1906–1973), South African rugby union ...

, and his primary

jockey A jockey is someone who rides horses in horse racing or steeplechase racing, primarily as a profession. The word also applies to camel riders in camel racing. The word "jockey" originated from England and was used to describe the individual ...

was Graham Lee.Aces Four Profile
racingpost.com.

Racing career

Aces Four started racing as a four-year-old in January 2004. In his early years, he was trained by Billy McKeown. In 2005,

took over duties and trained Aces Four to six wins in their first 10 races together.Mildmay winner Aces Four retired after injury
racingpost.com, 9 December 2009, accessed 1 April 2010. He won his first race, the Lugg Maiden Hurdle in February 2006 at

Ludlow Racecourse Ludlow Racecourse is a thoroughbred horse racing venue located in Bromfield near Ludlow, Shropshire, England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north ...

located near

Ludlow Ludlow () is a market town in Shropshire, England. The town is significant in the history of the Welsh Marches and in relation to Wales. It is located south of Shrewsbury and north of Hereford, on the A49 road which bypasses the town. The t ...

Shropshire Shropshire (; alternatively Salop; abbreviated in print only as Shrops; demonym Salopian ) is a landlocked historic county in the West Midlands region of England. It is bordered by Wales to the west and the English counties of Cheshire to th ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

by 7 lengths. He went on to win a number of other novice races, including the Cleanevent Novices' Chase, EBF Future Champions "National Hunt" Novices' Hurdle and the Now Live At WBX Novices' Chase. The final win in Aces Four’s career was arguably his most significant. At the 2007

Grand National The Grand National is a National Hunt horse race held annually at Aintree Racecourse in Liverpool, England. First run in 1839, it is a handicap ...

meeting, Aces Four won the

Mildmay Novices' Chase The Mildmay Novices' Chase is a Grade One National Hunt chase in Great Britain which is open to horses aged five years or older. It is run on the Mildmay course at Aintree over a distance of about 3 m ...

Aintree Racecourse Aintree Racecourse is a horse racing, racecourse in Aintree, Metropolitan Borough of Sefton, Merseyside, England, bordering the city of Liverpool. The racecourse is the venue for the Grand National steeplechase (horse racing), steeplechase, whi ...

. Entering the race as a 5-2 favourite, he beat Fassel by a remarkable 8 lengths despite a mistake made by Graham Lee’s mount at the onset of the race. After the win at Aintree, Aces Four was on his way to a win in the Punchestown Champion Novice Chase in

Punchestown Punchestown Racecourse is located in the parish of Eadestown, between the R410 and R411 regional roads near Naas, County Kildare, in Ireland. It is known as the home of Irish Jumps Racing and plays host to the annual Punchestown Irish Nationa ...

, but crashed at the last hurdle, ending hopes for his first Grade 1 race win. While Aces Four was slightly concussed, jockey Graham Lee suffered a broken elbow from the fall.Murphy’s fortunes turn as Aces Four is last-fence faller
timesonline.co.uk, 25 April 2007, accessed 1 April 2010. Afterward, Aces Four was never the same, missing a number of races and disappointing in those he did compete. Although a star novice horse, he failed to reach the lofty expectations placed on him after his win in at Aintree. Murphy once said of his prized horse: ''"He is a horse that I thought could go right to the top."''
telegraph.co.uk, 10 December 2008 accessed 1 April 2010.

Retirement

Aces Four was officially retired in December 2009 as a result of lingering injuries. Speaking on the retirement of his horse, Murphy said: ''"He was a grand horse and the day he won at Aintree he looked very good. I spoke to the owners earlier this month and we agreed it was better to send him to a quiet retirement than possibly break him down trying to bring him back."'' His career record finished with 6 wins, 4 places and 3 show. His wins were split with three each coming in hurdling and flat races. In total, he accumulated £89,190 in lifetime earnings.

References

{{reflist 1999 racehorse births Thoroughbred family 2-a Racehorses bred in Ireland Racehorses trained in the United Kingdom ja:ウェルアームド