Alleged (4 May 1974 – 23 June 2000) was an American-bred, Irish-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 ...

racehorse and sire. He is best known for winning the

Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe The Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe is a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run at Longchamp Racecourse in Paris, France, over a distance ...

in 1977 and 1978. One of the outstanding racehorses of the twentieth century, he was only beaten once in his career.

Background

Alleged was a bay horse bred by June McKnight. He was sold twice as a young horse, being sold for $34,000 as a

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 ...

and $175,000 as a two-year-old. On the second occasion he was bought by

Robert Sangster Robert Edmund Sangster (23 May 1936 – 7 April 2004)

and his associates and sent to be trained in Europe. He ran originally in the colours of Robert Fluor before being transferred to Sangster's colours towards the end of his 3-year-old career. According to Sangster, the original intention was to race Alleged in California, but it was felt that the colt's forelegs would not stand up to the stresses of American racing. Alleged was trained at

Ballydoyle Ballydoyle is a racehorse training facility located in County Tipperary in Ireland. It is a sister thoroughbred facility to Coolmore Stud, and both are owned by John Magnier, son in law to the racehorse trainer Vincent O'Brien. The current train ...

, in Ireland by

Vincent O'Brien Vincent O'Brien (9 April 1917 – 1 June 2009) was an Irish race horse trainer from Churchtown, County Cork, Ireland. In 2003 he was voted the greatest influence in horse racing history in a worldwide poll hosted by the ''Racing Post''. In ...

Racing career

Alleged did not appear on a racecourse until November 1976, when he won the 7-furlong Donnelly's Hollow Maiden Stakes by 8 lengths 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 ...

. As a three-year-old he won the Ballydoyle Stakes at Leopardstown Racecourse in April in workmanlike style but then created a 33/1 upset by winning the Royal Whip Stakes at the Curragh, beating his stable companion Valinsky who started favourite as well as the previous year's Irish St Leger winner, Meneval. Alleged then won the

Gallinule Stakes The Gallinule Stakes is a Group 3 flat horse race in Ireland open to three-year-old thoroughbreds. It is run at the Curragh over a distance of 1 mile and 2 furlongs (2,012 metres), and it is schedu ...

and was originally scheduled to run in the Irish Derby, but Vincent O'Brien decided to run Epsom Derby winner

The Minstrel The Minstrel (11 March 1974 – 3 September 1990) was a Canadian-bred, Irish-trained Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. Bred in Ontario, he was sold as a yearling and exported to Europe, where he was campaigned in Ireland and the United Kin ...

instead and rested Alleged until August when he outclassed a strong field in the

Great Voltigeur Stakes The Great Voltigeur Stakes is a Group 2 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old colts and geldings. It is run at York over a distance of 1 mile 3 furlongs and 1 ...

at York. Alleged started favourite for the

St. Leger Stakes The St Leger Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run at Doncaster over a ...

, but finished second to Dunfermline. Many observers felt that jockey Lester Piggott erred in taking on Dunfermline's two pacemakers throughout the race rather than conserving Alleged's stamina and using his superior finishing speed. In the 1977 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, Alleged led for most of the way and won readily by one and a half lengths from Balmerino, easily reversing placings with Dunfermline who finished fourth. At four, Alleged was unbeaten in three races. He won the Royal Whip Stakes again, but then missed the summer due to sore shins followed by a virus. He returned in the autumn to win the

Prix du Prince d'Orange The Prix du Prince d'Orange is a group-3 flat horse race in France open to three-year-old thoroughbreds. It is run at Longchamp over a distance of 2,000 metres (about 1¼ miles), and it is scheduled to ...

at Longchamp, breaking the course record for 10 furlongs. He then won his second Arc, winning by two lengths from the fillies

Trillion ''Trillion'' is a number with two distinct definitions: * 1,000,000,000,000, i.e. one million million, or (ten to the twelfth power), as defined on the short scale. This is now the meaning in both American and British English. * 1,000,000,000,0 ...

and

Dancing Maid Dancing Maid (29 April 1975 – 1982) was a French Thoroughbred racehorse and broodmare. After winning one of her two races as a two-year-old she emerged as one of the best fillies in Europe in 1978, winning the Prix Vanteaux, Poule d'Essai ...

Assessment

In the inaugural International Classification, a collaboration between the official handicappers of Britain, France and Ireland, Alleged was rated the best European horse of 1977 with a rating of 138. He was again rated the best European horse in 1978 with a rating of 140. Alleged was given a

Timeform Timeform is a sports data and content provider located in Halifax, West Yorkshire, England. Founded in 1948, it provides systematic information on form to punters and others involved in the horse racing industry. The company was purchased by t ...

rating of 137 in 1977 and 138 in 1978. In both seasons, he was the organisation's highest rated horse.

Stud record

Retired after the 1978 racing season, Alleged was syndicated for $16 million and stood at

stud Stud may refer to the following terms: Animals * Stud (animal), an animal retained for breeding ** Stud farm, a property where livestock are bred Arts and entertainment * Stud (band), a British progressive rock group * The Stud (bar), a gay ba ...

at Walmac International near Lexington, Kentucky. He sired a number of champions. Among them were Miss Alleged, Midway Lady, Shantou,

Legal Case A legal case is in a general sense a dispute between opposing parties which may be resolved by a court, or by some equivalent legal process. A legal case is typically based on either civil or criminal law. In most legal cases there are one or mo ...

, Law Society, Leading Counsel and Strategic Choice. Alleged is the grandsire of

2005 Grand National The 2005 Grand National (officially known as the John Smith's Grand National for sponsorship reasons) was the 158th official annual running of the Grand National steeplechase which took place at Aintree Racecourse near Liverpool, England, on 9 ...

winner,

Hedgehunter Hedgehunter (born 25 January 1996) is an Irish race horse, who won the 2005 Grand National steeplechase, ridden by Ruby Walsh and trained by Willie Mullins. He had fallen at the final fence the previous year when well placed. He then finished se ...

and damsire of 2010 winner,

Don't Push It Don't Push It is a Grand National-winning thoroughbred racehorse in England. Debut Don't Push It began his career on 5 December 2004 at Warwick in a National Hunt flat race, finishing third. 2005–06 season His first full season began a ...

. Alleged was pensioned in 1998 and died on 23 June 2000 from the infirmities of old age.'Saying Goodbye to Arc Winner Alleged'
Running Rough Shod, 1 October 2010, retrieved 30 May 2022 He is buried at Walmac International.

Pedigree

References