Alzao (28 February 1980 – 19 July 2007) was an American-bred

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 and

sire Sire is an archaic respectful form of address to reigning kings in Europe. In French and other languages it is less archaic and relatively more current. In Belgium, the king is addressed as "Sire..." in both Dutch and French. The words "sire" a ...

. He was trained in France during his racing career and won four races including the

Prix Matchem The Prix Matchem is a Listed flat horse race in France open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and geldings. It is run at Maisons-Laffitte over a distance of 1,800 metres (1⅛ miles), and it is scheduled to ...

and the Premio Ellington. After his retirement from racing he became a very successful breeding stallion who was noted for the quality of his female offspring.

Background

Alzao was a "strong, compact" bay horse with a white blaze and white

socks A sock is a piece of clothing worn on the feet and often covering the ankle or some part of the calf. Some types of shoes or boots are typically worn over socks. In ancient times, socks were made from leather or matted animal hair. In the late ...

on his front legs bred in Kentucky by Shira Racing. He was sent to race in Europe where he entered the ownership of

Jean-Luc Lagardère Jean-Luc Lagardère (10 February 1928, Aubiet – 14 March 2003, Paris) was a major French businessman, CEO of the Lagardère Group, one of the largest French conglomerates. Jean-Luc Lagardère was a '' Supelec'' engineer. He began his caree ...

and was sent into training with Francois Boutin in France. He was sired by

Lyphard Lyphard (10 May 1969 – 10 June 2005) was an American-bred, French-trained Thoroughbred racehorse and an important sire. Background American bred in Pennsylvania, Lyphard was a son of Northern Dancer out of the mare Goofed. He was auctioned ...

, an American-bred stallion who raced in France, winning the

Prix Jacques Le Marois The Prix Jacques Le Marois is a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to thoroughbred colts and fillies aged three years or older. It is run at Deauville over a distance of 1,600 metres (about 1 mile ...

and

Prix de la Forêt The Prix de la Forêt is a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run at Longchamp over a distance of 1,400 metres (about 7 furlongs), and it i ...

in 1972. Lyphard became a very successful breeding stallion in both Europe and North America, siring

Three Troikas Three Troikas (foaled 1976) was a French Thoroughbred champion racehorse who was owned, trained, and raced by three members of the famous Head family. The highlight of her career came in an impressive victory in the 1979 Prix de l'Arc de Triomp ...

Dancing Brave Dancing Brave (11 May 1983 – 2 August 1999) was an American-bred, British-trained thoroughbred racehorse. In a racing career which lasted from the autumn of 1985 until October 1986, he ran ten times and won eight races. Dancing Brave was the ou ...

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 ...

and

Manila Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is highly urbanized and, as of 2019, was the world's most densely populate ...

. Alzao's dam Lady Rebecca showed good racing ability, winning the

Prix Vanteaux The Prix Vanteaux is a Group 3 flat horse race in France open to three-year-old thoroughbred fillies. It is run over a distance of 1,850 metres (about 1 mile and 1¼ furlongs) at Lon ...

as a three-year-old in 1974. She was a half-sister to both

Tom Rolfe Tom Rolfe (April 14, 1962 – June 12, 1989) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. He was the leading colt of his generation in the United States, winning the Preakness Stakes and being voted American Champion Three-Year-Old Male Hor ...

and the

Arlington Handicap The Arlington Stakes is a Grade III American Thoroughbred horse race for horses aged four years old over a distance of one and one-sixteenth miles on the turf held annually in late May or early June at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. T ...

winner Chieftain.

Racing career

1982: two-year-old season

Alzao made his racecourse debut in a contest for previously unraced juveniles over 1800 metres on soft ground at

Evry Racecourse EVRY A/S was a Norwegian information technology company that supplies services relating to computing, including operation, outsourcing, and online banking. The company is headquartered in Oslo. It was established through a merger between EDB Bu ...

in October and won by two and a half

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 ...

. Later that month the colt followed up in a 1600-metre race at

Maisons-Laffitte Racecourse The Hippodrome de Maisons-Laffitte at 1 avenue de la Pelouse in the northwestern Parisian suburb of Maisons-Laffitte in France was a grass, turf horse racing facility and Hippodrome, track for Thoroughbred flat racing. Opened in 1878 by Joseph Olle ...

, leading from the start and winning by a length from Jabal Tarik. In the annual Racehorses of 1982 Timeform gave him a rating of 110, 23 pounds behind their top-rated two-year-old Diesis, and stated that he would "make a very useful middle-distance colt".

1983: three-year-old season

On his first appearance of 1983 Alzao finished third behind Lovely Dancer and Jeu de Paille in the Prix de Courcelles over 2000 metres at

Saint-Cloud Racecourse Hippodrome de Saint-Cloud is a grass race course for Thoroughbred flat horse racing opened in 1901 at 1 rue du Camp Canadien in Saint-Cloud near Paris, France. During World War 1, the race course site housed the No. 4 Canadian Stationary Hospital ...

. In the Prix Matchem over 1800 metres at Evry in May he recorded his first major success as he held on to win by a neck from Ginger Brink. Later that month he came home fourth behind White Spade, Margouzed and Ginger Brink in the Prix La Force at

Longchamp Racecourse The Longchamp Racecourse (french: Hippodrome de Longchamp) is a 57 hectare horse-racing facility located on the Route des Tribunes at the Bois de Boulogne in Paris, France. It is used for flat racing and is noted for its variety of interlaced tr ...

. After a summer break Alzao returned in September and was matched against older horses

La Coupe de Maisons-Laffitte La Coupe de Maisons-Laffitte is a Group 3 flat horse race in France open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run at Maisons-Laffitte over a distance of 2,000 metres (about 1¼ miles), and it is sc ...

in which he finished second, beaten half a length by the seven-year-old

gelding A gelding is a castrated male horse or other equine, such as a pony, donkey or a mule. Castration, as well as the elimination of hormonally driven behavior associated with a stallion, allows a male equine to be calmer and better-behaved, makin ...

Bylly The Kid. In October he was sent to England to contest the

Group 1 Group 1 may refer to: * Alkali metal, a chemical element classification for Alkali metal * Group 1 (racing), a historic (until 1981) classification for Touring car racing, applied to standard touring cars. Comparable to modern FIA Group N * Group On ...

Champion Stakes The Champion Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run at Ascot over a distance of 1 mile and 2 furlong ...

Newmarket Racecourse Newmarket Racecourse is a British Thoroughbred horse racing venue in Newmarket, Suffolk, Newmarket, Suffolk, comprising two individual racecourses: the Rowley Mile and the July Course. Newmarket is often referred to as the headquarters of ...

and finished eighth of the nineteen runners behind Cormorant Wood beaten just over seven lengths by the winner.

1984: four-year-old season

Alzao began his third campaign in the Prix de Ris-Orangis over 1600 metres at Evry in April and finished seventh behind Naishakar, beaten seven lengths by the winner. Later that month he sent to campaign in Italy and came home fourth behind Onslow in the Premio Aprile over 2000 metres at

San Siro Racecourse The Hippodrome of San Siro ( it, Ippodromo di San Siro) is a horse racing venue in Milan, Italy, which takes its name from the neighborhood of the same name in which it is located. History Designed in 1913 to replace the then-used Trotter in V ...

in Milan. In May he was stepped up in distance for the

Group 3 Group 3 may refer to: *Group 3 element, chemical element classification *Group 3 (racing), FIA classification for auto racing * Group 3, the third tier of races in worldwide Thoroughbred horse racing * Group 3 image format, Group 3 & Group 4 are ...

Premio Ellington over 2400 metres at

Capannelle Racecourse Capannelle Racecourse ( it, Ippodromo delle Capannelle) is a horse racing venue in Rome, Italy. The course was constructed in 1881, and it was rebuilt in 1926 to a design by Paolo Vietti-Violi. It was recently the venue of two Group 1 flat rac ...

in Rome and prevailed by a nose from Abdonski. At the end of the year he was rated 106 by Timeform.

Stud record

At the end of his racing career Alzao became a breeding stallion at the Rathbarry Stud in Ireland. He later moved to the

Coolmore Stud Coolmore Stud, in Fethard, County Tipperary, Ireland, is headquarters of the world's largest breeding operation of thoroughbred racehorses. Through its racing arm, Ballydoyle, Coolmore also has raced many classic winners and champions. The operat ...

and was also shuttled to stand in Australia. He made an immediate impact by siring the Group 1 winners Pass the Peace and Alcando in his first season at stud. At one point in the late 1980s he was the most popular stallion in England with breeders. He was pensioned from stud duty in January 2006 and spent his retirement at the Castlehyde Stud. Died on 19 July 2007. Alzao's daughters did better on the track than his sons and he became an important sire of broodmares. He has had an enduring influence on Japanese pedigrees through his daughter Wind In Her Hair, the dam of Deep Impact and Black Tide (sire of Kitasan Black). Another of his daughters Acidanthera produced Olympic Glory.

Major winners

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colt Colt(s) or COLT may refer to: *Colt (horse), an intact (uncastrated) male horse under four years of age People * Colt (given name) *Colt (surname) Places *Colt, Arkansas, United States *Colt, Louisiana, an unincorporated community, United States ...

, f =

filly A filly is a female horse that is too young to be called a mare. There are two specific definitions in use: *In most cases, a ''filly'' is a female horse under four years old. *In some nations, such as the United Kingdom and the United States, t ...

, g =

Pedigree

References

{{Reflist 1980 racehorse births 2007 racehorse deaths Racehorses bred in Kentucky Racehorses trained in France Thoroughbred family 9-h