Alenquer (foaled 21 February 2018) is a French-bred, British-trained

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 ...

. After showing promise as a juvenile in 2020 he emerged as a top-class middle-distance performer in the following year, winning the Sandown Classic Trial and King Edward VII Stakes as well as finishing second in the International Stakes and

Grand Prix de Paris The Grand Prix de Paris is a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run at Longchamp over a distance of 2,400 metres (about 1½ miles), and it ...

. As a four-year-old he added victories in the

Winter Derby The Winter Derby is a Group 3 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged four years or older. It is run over a distance of 1 mile and 2 furlongs () at Lingfield Park in February or Ma ...

and Tattersalls Gold Cup.

Background

Alenquer is a bay colt with a white blaze and white socks on his hind legs bred in France by the German breeding company Gestut Romerhof. As a foal in December 2018 he was consigned to the Arqana Breeding Stock sale at Deauville and was bought for €18,000 by representatives of the bloodstock agency BBA Ireland. In October 2019 the colt was entered in the Tattersalls

Yearling Yearling may refer to: *Yearling (horse), a horse between one and two years old *''The Yearling ''The Yearling'' is a novel by American writer Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, published in March 1938. It was the main selection of the Book of the Mo ...

Sale at Newmarket where he was purchased for 80,000 guineas by Armando Duarte on behalf of M M Stables. He was sent into training with William Haggas at Somerville Lodge stables in Newmarket. He was from the eighth crop of foals sired by Adlerflug who won the

Deutsches Derby The Deutsches Derby is a Group 1 flat horse race in Germany open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run at Hamburg-Horn over a distance of 2,400 metres (about 1½ miles), and it is scheduled to tak ...

in 2007. His other major winners have included

Torquator Tasso Torquator Tasso (foaled 21 April 2017) is a German Thoroughbred racehorse. He was named German Horse of the Year for 2020 when he won the Grosser Preis von Berlin and was placed in the Deutsches Derby, Grosser Preis von Baden and Grosser Preis vo ...

, In Swoop (second in the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe), Iquitos ( Grosser Preis von Baden) and Ito ( Grosser Preis von Bayern). Alenquer's dam Wild Blossom showed modest racing ability in Germany, winning one minor race from twelve starts. She was descended from the British broodmare Kingscavil, who was a half-sister to the Epsom Oaks winner

Neasham Belle Neasham Belle (1948 – November 1971) was a British Thoroughbred racehorse and broodmare best known for winning the classic Oaks Stakes in 1951. After winning one minor race as a two-year-old, she was well-beaten in her first two races in ...

Racing career

2020: two-year-old season

Alenquer was ridden in both of his races as a juvenile by

Tom Marquand Tom Marquand (born 30 March 1998) is a British jockey who competes in flat racing. Background Marquand spent his childhood near Cheltenham and, although not from a racing background, grew up around horses. After pony racing and riding out f ...

. He began his track career in a

maiden race In horse racing a maiden race is an event for horses that have not won a race. Horses that have not won a race are referred to as maidens. Maiden horse races are held over a variety of distances and under conditions with eligibility based on the se ...

over seven furlongs on soft ground at Newbury Racecourse on 18 August. Starting at odds of 13/1 in an eleven-runner field he recovered from a poor start to take the lead approaching the final furlong and won "comfortably" by two and three quarter

lengths Length is a measure of distance. In the International System of Quantities, length is a quantity with dimension distance. In most systems of measurement a base unit for length is chosen, from which all other units are derived. In the Intern ...

from the favourite Tasfeeq. The colt was then moved up in distance to contest the Listed

Ascendant Stakes The Ascendant Stakes is a Conditions races, Listed Flat racing, flat Horse racing, horse race in Great Britain open to two-year-old horses. It is run at Haydock Park Racecourse, Haydock Park over a distance of 1 mile and 3 ...

over one mile at Haydock Park when he started joint-favourite but was beaten into second place by the

Richard Hannon Jr. Richard Michael Hannon Jr. (born 21 November 1975) is a British racehorse trainer. He is the son of, and former assistant to, four time British flat racing Champion Trainer Richard Hannon Sr. He operates from the 160 capacity Herridge Racing Stab ...

-trained Fancy Man.

2021: three-year-old season

On his first run as a three-year-old Alenquer was partnered by Marquand when he contested the Group 3 bet365 Classic Trial over ten furlongs at

Sandown Park Sandown Park is a horse racing course and leisure venue in Esher, Surrey, England, located in the outer suburbs of London. It hosts 5 Grade One National Hunt races and one Group 1 flat race, the Eclipse Stakes. It regularly has horse racing ...

on 23 April and went off a 25/1 outsider in a ten-runner field which included Lone Eagle (winner of the

Zetland Stakes The Zetland Stakes is a Group 3 flat horse race in Great Britain open to two-year-old horses. It is run on the Rowley Mile at Newmarket over a distance of 1 mile and 2 furlongs (2,012 metres), and ...

), Adayar,

Yibir The Yibir, also referred to as the Yibbir, the Yebir, the Yahhar or the Yibro, derived from an Aramaic ‘iḇray' word which means Jews, are a caste of Somali people. They have traditionally been endogamous. Their hereditary occupations have been ...

and Etonian (

Solario Stakes The Solario Stakes is a Group 3 flat horse race in Great Britain open to two-year-old horses. It is run at Sandown Park over a distance of 7 furlongs (1,408 metres), and it is scheduled to take plac ...

). He was among the leaders from the start, gained the advantage two furlongs from the finish and although he "wandered around" in the closing stages he held on to win by half a length and a neck from Adayar and Yibir. After the race Marquand said "Every time he was joined he fought back again. He's certainly not the finished article and he's a really nice horse to go forward with. Realistically speaking he's still quite raw so he's done very well to win that today". Alenquer had not been entered in the

Epsom Derby The Derby Stakes, also known as the Epsom Derby or the Derby, and as the Cazoo Derby for sponsorship reasons, is a Group 1 flat horse race in England open to three-year-old colts and fillies. It is run at Epsom Downs Racecourse in Surrey o ...

and a minor injury in May ruled out the possibility of a supplementary entry. Plans for the colt to run in the

were cancelled owing to

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was COVID-19 pandemic in Hubei, identified in Wuhan, China, in December ...

restrictions. He returned to the track for the King Edward VII Stakes over one and a half miles on heavy ground at

Royal Ascot Ascot Racecourse ("ascot" pronounced , often pronounced ) is a dual-purpose British racecourse, located in Ascot, Berkshire, England, which is used for thoroughbred horse racing. It hosts 13 of Britain's 36 annual Flat Group 1 horse races and ...

on 18 June and started the 13/8 favourite against five opponents. After being restrained towards the rear of the field my Marquand he moved up to take the lead approaching the final furlong and "kept on well" to win by one and a half lengths from Tasman Bay. Haggas commented "I think Tom only gave him a couple of flicks because it was heavy ground, but I don’t think he needed to, it looked like he was always going to win. I’m not sure about the St Leger, I think he’s a bit quicker than that but all options are open. He’s not a today horse, he’s very much for the longer term as well so we’ve lots of exciting options.” On 14 July Alenquer was sent to France and stepped up to Group 1 class for the

over 2400 metres at Longchamp Racecourse where he started the 2.9/1 second choice in the betting. Ridden by

James Doyle James Doyle may refer to: The arts * James Francis Doyle (1840–1913), British architect * James S. Doyle (born 1935), American journalist * James William Edmund Doyle (1822–1892), English illustrator and antiquary * Jimmy Doyle (musician) (194 ...

he raced towards the rear before finishing strongly and came home third behind Hurricane Lane and Wordsworth. Marquand was back in the saddle when Alenquer was matched against older horses for the first time in the International Stakes over ten and a half furlongs at

York Racecourse York Racecourse is a horse racing venue in York, North Yorkshire, England. It is the third biggest racecourse in Britain in terms of total prize money offered, and second behind Ascot Racecourse, Ascot in prize money offered per meeting. It att ...

. He proved no match for the four-year-old Mishriff but took second place ahead of

Love Love encompasses a range of strong and positive emotional and mental states, from the most sublime virtue or good habit, the deepest Interpersonal relationship, interpersonal affection, to the simplest pleasure. An example of this range of ...

, with

Mac Swiney Mac Swiney (foaled 23 February 2018) is an Irish Thoroughbred racehorse. He was one of the leading juvenile colts in Europe in 2020 when he won three of his six races including the Futurity Stakes in Ireland and the Vertem Futurity Trophy in B ...

and Alcohol Free finishing fifth and sixth. Alenquer ended his campaign in the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe over 2400 metres at Longchamp on 3 October. He was in close contention for most of the way before tiring in the straight and coming home ninth behind

, beaten just under seven lengths by the winner.

2022: four-year-old season

Alenquer began his third campaign in the

over ten furlongs on the synthetic

Polytrack The track surface of a horse racing track refers to the material of which the track is made. There are three types of track surfaces used in modern horse racing. These are: *Turf, the most common track surface in Europe *Dirt, the most common track ...

surface at Lingfield Park on 23 February when he was ridden by

Cieren Fallon Cieren Richard Fallon (born 17 June 1999) is a British jockey who competes in flat racing. Background Fallon's parents, jockeys Kieren Fallon and Julie (Bowker) Fallon, separated when he was a young child and he grew up in Wigan with his mother, ...

and started 11/4 second favourite behind the six-year-old gelding Lord North. He tracked the front-running Al Zaraqaan before taking the lead two furlongs out and kept on strongly to beat Lord North by two and a half lengths in a track record time of 2:00.51. Armando Duarte commented "He'll improve massively for this race as he was only 80 per cent fit and hopefully this will set him up nicely for the Group 1 targets such as Dubai Sheema Classic or maybe the Prix Ganay. Cieren gave him a perfect ride from a perfect position throughout and I think Alenquer is a Group 1 horse in the making." As Duarte suggested, the colt returned in the Dubai Sheema Classic at Meydan Racecourse in March. He was among the leaders for most of the way and although he came home sixth behind Shahryar he was only one and a half lengths behind the winner. On 22 May Alenquer was sent to Ireland to contest the Group 1 Tattersalls Gold Cup over ten and a half furlongs at the

Curragh The Curragh ( ; ga, An Currach ) is a flat open plain of almost of common land in County Kildare. This area is well known for Irish horse breeding and training. The Irish National Stud is located on the edge of Kildare town, beside the ...

and started the 7/2 third choice in the betting behind Lord North and

State Of Rest State Of Rest (foaled 11 April 2018) is a retired Irish-bred and trained Thoroughbred racehorse. He was one of leading three-year-olds of 2021 winning Australia's premier G1 W. S. Cox Plate and Grade I Saratoga Derby Invitational Stakes in th ...

in an eight-runner field which also included Mac Swiney, Helvic Dream and Broome. After settling behind the front-running outsider High Definition, Alenquer moved up to join the leader entering the final furlong. High Definition kept on well but Alenquer gained the advantage in the final strides and won by a neck, with State Of Rest finishing strongly to take third. Tom Marquand, who was riding at the track for the first time said "It was great to get this lad in a scrap at the two pole, because there was only one way he was going to come out. Sometimes at home it's a bit of a pain that he loves a fight because he thinks it's all a game, but when he gets on the track he takes it seriously."

Pedigree

References

{{Reflist 2018 racehorse births Racehorses bred in France Racehorses trained in the United Kingdom Thoroughbred family 21-a