Arctic Prince (1948–1969) was an Irish-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 ...
racehorse and
sire who was trained in England during a brief racing career which lasted from 1950 to 1951 and consisted of only five races. Arctic Prince won two races including the 1951
Derby
Derby ( ) is a city and unitary authority area in Derbyshire, England. It lies on the banks of the River Derwent in the south of Derbyshire, which is in the East Midlands Region. It was traditionally the county town of Derbyshire. Derby g ...
and was retired after breaking down at
Ascot in July of the same year.
Background
Arctic Prince was a
brown
Brown is a color. It can be considered a composite color, but it is mainly a darker shade of orange. In the CMYK color model used in printing or painting, brown is usually made by combining the colors orange and black. In the RGB color model us ...
horse bred in Ireland by his owner
Joseph McGrath. He was one of the first crop of foals sired by Prince Chevalier who won the
Prix du Jockey Club
The Prix du Jockey Club, sometimes referred to as the French Derby, is a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run at Chantilly over ...
in 1946 before going on to a successful stud career. Apart from Arctic Prince, his most notable offspring was
Charlotteville who won the Prix du Jockey Club and the
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 i ...
and sired the 1966 Derby winner
Charlottown. Arctic Prince's dam, Arctic Sun, was a successful racemare who won the
Anglesey Stakes
The Anglesey Stakes is a Group 3 flat horse race in Ireland open to two-year-old thoroughbreds. It is run at the Curragh over a distance of 6 furlongs and 63 yards (1,265 metres), and it is schedu ...
in 1943.
Arctic Prince was sent into training with Willie Stephenson at
Royston, Hertfordshire
Royston is a town and civil parish in the District of North Hertfordshire and county of Hertfordshire in England.
It is situated on the Greenwich Meridian, which brushes the town's eastern boundary, and at the northernmost apex of the count ...
.
Racing career
1950: two-year-old season
Arctic Prince first appeared on the racecourse in a
maiden race at
Redcar in which he recorded a six
length victory. He was then moved up in class for the
Gimcrack Stakes
The Gimcrack Stakes is a Group 2 flat horse race in Great Britain open to two-year-old colts and geldings.
It is run at York over a distance of 6 furlongs (1,207 metres), and it is scheduled to ...
at
York
York is a cathedral city with Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. It is the historic county town of Yorkshire. The city has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a ...
in which he finished unplaced behind Cortil.
1951: three-year-old season
As a three-year-old, Arctic Prince was sent directly to the
2000 Guineas
The 2000 Guineas Stakes is a Group 1 flat race in Great Britain open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run on the Rowley Mile at Newmarket over a distance of 1 mile (1,609 metres) and scheduled to take place each year ...
at
Newmarket Racecourse
Newmarket Racecourse is a British Thoroughbred horse racing venue in Newmarket, Suffolk, comprising two individual racecourses: the Rowley Mile and the July Course. Newmarket is often referred to as the headquarters of British horserac ...
without a trial race. He ran on strongly in the closing stages of the one mile
Classic
A classic is an outstanding example of a particular style; something of lasting worth or with a timeless quality; of the first or highest quality, class, or rank – something that exemplifies its class. The word can be an adjective (a ''c ...
to finish seventh of the twenty-seven runners behind
Ki Ming.
A month later, Arctic Prince started at odds of
28/1 in a field of thirty-three for the Derby, which, with a total prize of £22,625 was the most valuable race ever run in England. He was ridden by
Chuck Spares, a jockey who was best known for his successes in
National Hunt racing
In horse racing in the United Kingdom, France and Republic of Ireland, National Hunt racing requires horses to jump fences and ditches. National Hunt racing in the UK is informally known as "jumps" and is divided into two major distinct branches: ...
and was having his first ride in the Derby. The crowd was estimated at up to 1,000,000 and included the
Queen
Queen or QUEEN may refer to:
Monarchy
* Queen regnant, a female monarch of a Kingdom
** List of queens regnant
* Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king
* Queen dowager, the widow of a king
* Queen mother, a queen dowager who is the mother ...
, and
Princess Elizabeth, the
King
King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen, which title is also given to the consort of a king.
*In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contemporary indigenous peoples, the tit ...
being too ill to attend. Ki Ming who started favourite, disputed the lead with Mystery IX until the horses turned into the straight. Arctic Prince, who was always prominent, overtook Mystery IX to take the lead early in the straight and pulled clear of the field to win easily by six lengths from Sybil's Nephew. Spares explained that "I took the lead and then it was all over." Stephenson commented that Arctic Prince "was definitely unlucky to lose the 2000 Guineas and I thought that he would win today as I know that he stays."
In July Arctic Prince was sent to Ascot for the inaugural running of the
. The colt finished unplaced behind Supreme Court, sustaining an injury which ended his racing career.
Assessment
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 ...
awarded Arctic Prince a rating of 135, the highest for a three-year-old in 1951.
A rating of 130 is considered the mark of an above average European
Group One winner.
In their book ''A Century of Champions'', John Randall and Tony Morris rated Arctic Prince an “average” Derby winner and the one hundred and ninth best British racehorse of the 20th Century .
Stud career
Arctic Prince stood as a stallion in Britain for four years before being sold for a reported $900,000 and exported to America in 1956.
The best of his European progeny was the
Eclipse Stakes winner Arctic Explorer. He was also the damsire of the 1964 Derby winner
Santa Claus.
Pedigree
References
External links
Newsreel of the 1951 Derby from British Pathé{{Epsom Derby Winners
1948 racehorse births
1969 racehorse deaths
Racehorses bred in Ireland
Epsom Derby winners
Thoroughbred family 10-c
Racehorses trained in the United Kingdom