Catchascatchcan (foaled 4 February 1995) was an undefeated British

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

broodmare A mare is an adult female horse or other equine. In most cases, a mare is a female horse over the age of three, and a filly is a female horse three and younger. In Thoroughbred horse racing, a mare is defined as a female horse more than four ...

. Owned and bred

Lord Howard de Walden Baron Howard de Walden is a title in the Peerage of England. It was created by writ of summons in 1597 by Queen Elizabeth I for Admiral Lord Thomas Howard, a younger son of Thomas Howard, 4th Duke of Norfolk, by his second wife, the Honourab ...

and trained by

Henry Cecil Sir Henry Richard Amherst Cecil (11 January 1943 – 11 June 2013) was a British flat racing horse trainer. Cecil was very successful, becoming Champion Trainer ten times and training 25 domestic Classic winners. These comprised four winners o ...

she was unraced as a juvenile before winning 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 ...

on her first appearance. She went on to win the

Lancashire Oaks The Lancashire Oaks is a Group 2 flat horse race in Great Britain open to fillies and mares aged three years or older. It is run at Haydock Park over a distance of 1 mile, 3 furlongs and 175 yards (2, ...

and the

Aphrodite Stakes The Aphrodite Stakes is a Listed flat horse race in Great Britain open to mares and fillies aged three years or older. It is run at Newmarket over a distance of 1 mile and 4 furlongs (2,414 metres), and it ...

and recorded her biggest success in the

Yorkshire Oaks The Yorkshire Oaks is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to fillies and mares aged three years or older. It is run at York over a distance of 1 mile 3 fu ...

before her career was ended by injury. Since retiring from the racecourse she has had some success as a dam of winners.

Background

Catchascatchcan is a "tall, leggy, angular" bay mare with a white

star A star is an astronomical object comprising a luminous spheroid of plasma (physics), plasma held together by its gravity. The List of nearest stars and brown dwarfs, nearest star to Earth is the Sun. Many other stars are visible to the naked ...

bred at the Plantation Stud by her owner

who also bred and raced both of her parents. She was sired by Pursuit of Love who produced his best form over sprint distances as a three-year-old in 1992, winning the

Prix Maurice de Gheest The Prix Maurice de Gheest is a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run at Deauville over a distance of 1,300 metres (about 6½ furlongs), and it is sched ...

and finishing second to Mr Brooks in the

July Cup The July Cup is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged three years or older. It is run on the July Course at Newmarket over a distance of 6 furlongs (1,207 metres ...

. The best of his other offspring included the Cupid's Glory (winner of the

Horris Hill Stakes The Horris Hill Stakes is a Group 3 flat horse race in Great Britain open to two-year-old thoroughbred colts and geldings. It is run at Newbury over a distance of 7 furlongs (1,408 metres), and i ...

), Palace Affair (

Sprint Stakes The Sprint Stakes is a Group 3 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged three years or older. It is run at Sandown Park over a distance of 5 furlongs and 10 yards (1,015 metres), and it is ...

Summer Stakes The Summer Stakes is a Group races, Group 3 Flat racing, flat Horse racing, horse race in Great Britain open to Filly, fillies and mares aged three years or older. It is run at York Racecourse, York over a ...

), Love Everlasting (

Princess Royal Stakes The Princess Royal Stakes is a Group 3 flat horse race in Great Britain open to fillies and mares aged three years or older. It is run over a distance of 1 mile and 4 furlongs (2,414 metres) on the Rowley M ...

) and Tartouche ( Lillie Langtry Stakes). Pursuit of Love died in 2008 at Throckmorton Court Stud after fracturing a

fetlock Fetlock is the common name in horses, large animals, and sometimes dogs for the metacarpophalangeal and metatarsophalangeal joints (MCPJ and MTPJ). Although it somewhat resembles the human ankle in appearance, the joint is homologous to the ba ...

. Her dam Catawba recorded her only success in the 1988 running of the

Middleton Stakes The Middleton Stakes is a Group 2 flat horse race in Great Britain open to fillies and mares aged four years or older. It is run over a distance of 1 mile, 2 furlongs and 56 yar ...

and was a daughter of the

Ribblesdale Stakes The Ribblesdale Stakes is a Group 2 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old fillies. It is run at Ascot over a distance of 1 mile 3 furlongs and 211 yards (2,406 metres), and it is ...

winner Catalpa. Other horses descended from Catalpa's grandmother Malcomia have included

Bellypha Bellypha (28 February 1976 – 12 August 2002) was an Irish-bred, French-trained Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. Despite never winning a Group One race, Bellypha was one of the highest-rated racehorses of his generation in Europe at both two ...

, Triscay (

AJC Oaks The Australian Oaks is an Australian Turf Club Group 1 Thoroughbred horse race for three year old fillies at set weights run over a distance of 2,400 metres at Randwick Racecourse, Sydney in the autumn during the ATC Championships series. The Aust ...

Queensland Oaks The Queensland Oaks is a Brisbane Racing Club Group 1 Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-old fillies, at set weights, run over a distance of 2400 metres at Eagle Farm Racecourse, Brisbane during the Queensland Winter Racing Carnival. Total p ...

) and

Oncidium ''Oncidium'', abbreviated as Onc. in the horticultural trade, is a genus that contains about 330 species of orchids from the subtribe Oncidiinae of the orchid family (Orchidaceae). As presently conceived (May 2014), it is distributed across much ...

(

Coronation Cup The Coronation Cup is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged four years or older. It is run at Epsom Downs over a distance of 1 mile, 4 furlongs and 6 yards (2, ...

). Like many of Lord Howard de Walden's racehorses, Catchascatchcan was trained by

at his Warren Place stable at

Newmarket, Suffolk Newmarket is a market town and civil parish in the West Suffolk district of Suffolk, England. Located (14 miles) west of Bury St Edmunds and (14 miles) northeast of Cambridge. It is considered the birthplace and global centre of thoroughbred hor ...

Racing career

1998: three-year-old season

Catchascatchcan began her racing career on 10 June 1998 when she contested a

over heavy ground at

Kempton Park Racecourse Kempton Park Racecourse is a horse racing track together with a licensed entertainment and conference venue in Sunbury-on-Thames, Surrey, England, 16 miles south-west of Charing Cross, London and on a border of Greater London. The site has of ...

. Ridden by

Kieren Fallon Kieren Francis Fallon (born 22 February 1965 in Crusheen, County Clare, Ireland) is a retired Irish professional flat racing jockey and was British Champion Jockey six times. Career Stable jockey to Henry Cecil In ...

she started 7/4 favourite against ten opponents and won by seven

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 ...

after taking the lead a

furlong A furlong is a measure of distance in imperial units and United States customary units equal to one eighth of a mile, equivalent to 660 feet, 220 yards, 40 rods, 10 chains or approximately 201 metres. It is now mostly confined to use in hors ...

from the finish. The filly was then moved up sharply in class for the

Group Three AP Films or APF, later becoming Century 21 Productions, was a British independent film production company of the 1950s until the early 1970s. The company became internationally known for its imaginative children's action-adventure marionette tel ...

Lancashire Oaks at

Haydock Park Haydock Park Racecourse is a racecourse in Merseyside, North West England. Within the boundaries of the historic county of Lancashire, the racecourse is set in an area of parkland bounded by the towns of Haydock to the west, Ashton-in-Makerfield ...

on 4 July. She was the 8/1 fifth choice in the six-runner field and was ridden by Willie Ryan as Fallon rode the Cecil stable's more favoured Silver Rhapsody. The

Luca Cumani Luca M. Cumani (born 7 April 1949, in Milan, Italy) is an Italian thoroughbred horse trainer and breeder. He trained at Bedford House Stables in Newmarket from 1976 to 2019. He has trained a multitude of high-profile horses, including seven Clas ...

-trained Altaweelah was made favourite ahead of Rambling Rose (third in the Ribblesdale Stakes), Silver Rhapsody and Leggera (runner-up in the

Preis der Diana The Preis der Diana is a Group 1 flat horse race in Germany open to three-year-old thoroughbred fillies. It is run at Düsseldorf over a distance of 2,200 metres (about 1 mile and 3 furlongs), and it is scheduled to take pl ...

) and the

Park Hill Stakes The Park Hill Stakes is a Group 2 flat horse race in Great Britain open to fillies and mares aged three years or older. It is run at Doncaster over a distance of 1 mile, 6 furlongs and 115 yards (2,9 ...

winner Book At Bedtime. Ryan restrained the filly towards the rear as Book At Bedtime set the pace, but began to make progress in the straight. She overtook the leader Rambling Rose approaching the final furlong and won by a length, with Silver Rhapsody taking third ahead of Leggera. Cecil said that he was "very pleased by the way she won". Catchascatchcan contested the Listed Aphrodite Stakes at

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 ...

two weeks later and started favourite despite carrying a five-pound weight penalty for her Haydock win. After being held up by Ryan in the early stages she took the lead inside the final furlong and won by three quarters of a length from Tuning and Kadaka who dead-heated for second. The other three runners finished virtually tailed-off. Fallon resumed his partnership with Catchascatchcan when the filly was moved up to Group One level for the Yorkshire Oaks 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 ...

on 19 August. Henry Cecil had considered withdrawing the filly because of the firm ground but allowed her to run. Before the race Lord Howard de Walden commented on Cecil's somewhat uncommunicative approach, saying "Oh, Henry doesn't tell you anything, but he's not the worst. I never heard a thing about her last year. Then he began to talk a bit and the filly seems to keep improving. She will have to improve again today". She was made the 2/1 favourite ahead of The Oaks winner

Shahtoush Shahtoush (foaled 29 April 1995) was an Irish Thoroughbred racehorse and broodmare best known for winning The Oaks in 1998. In a racing career which lasted from August 1997 to September 1998 the filly ran eleven times and won three races. Sh ...

, with the other four runners being Crown of Light (third in the Epsom Oaks and Yorkshire Oaks in 1997), High and Low ( Cheshire Oaks), Cloud Castle (

Nell Gwyn Stakes The Nell Gwyn Stakes is a Group 3 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old fillies. It is run over a distance of 7 furlongs (1,408 metres) on the Rowley Mile at Ne ...

) and Lady In Waiting (

Empress Stakes The Empress Stakes is a Listed flat horse race in Great Britain open to two-year-old fillies. It is run on the July Course at Newmarket over a distance of 6 furlongs (1,207 metres), and it is sched ...

). The filly raced close behind the leaders as High and Low set the pace. She began to make progress early in the long York straight, took the lead two furlongs out and went clear of her opponents. Despite hanging to the left in the closing stages she won by two lengths from High and Low with Cloud Castle a further two lengths back in third. The racecourse stewards held an inquiry into possible interference between the winner and the runner-up but allowed the result to stand. Cecil said that the filly had hung towards the rail on account of the firm ground, whilst Fallon claimed that

Darryll Holland Darryll Paul Holland (born 14 June 1972 in Manchester, England) is a United Kingdom flat racing jockey who has ridden for trainers such as Luca Cumani, Geoff Wragg, and Mark Johnston. In 1991 he was the British Champion Apprentice and won the ...

on High and Low had exaggerated the level of interference. Less than after her win at York, it was announced that the filly had sustained a

hairline fracture A stress fracture is a fatigue-induced bone fracture caused by repeated stress over time. Instead of resulting from a single severe impact, stress fractures are the result of accumulated injury from repeated submaximal loading, such as running or ...

of the knee in the race and that her racing career was over. Leslie Harrison, the manager of Lord Howard de Walden's Plantation Stud said "The injury must have happened during the race. She still trots sound but the knee does not flex well. So, after careful consideration, it's been decided to retire her. It's very sad, but at least the injury didn't happen before the Yorkshire Oaks. We did think about keeping her in training next year but who's to say the injury won't recur?".

Breeding record

Catchascatchcan was retired from racing to become a broodmare at the Plantation Stud. The mare was offered for sale at

Keeneland Keeneland Association, Inc. is an equine business based in Lexington, Kentucky. It includes two distinct divisions: the Keeneland Race Course, a Thoroughbred racing facility, and Keeneland Sales, a horse auction complex. It is also known for it ...

in November 2000 and was bought for $4.7 million by representatives of the Irish businessman

Tony Ryan Thomas Anthony Ryan (2 February 1936 – 3 October 2007) was an Irish billionaire, philanthropist and businessman who co-founded the Ryanair airline. Through his establishment of Guinness Peat Aviation in 1975 he began a course of events which ...

, the founder of

Ryanair Ryanair is an Irish ultra low-cost carrier founded in 1984. It is headquartered in Swords, Dublin, Ireland and has its primary operational bases at Dublin and London Stansted airports. It forms the largest part of the Ryanair Holdings family ...

. *Antonius Pius, a bay colt, foaled in 2001, sired by Danzig. Won two races including the Railway Stakes and finished second in the

Breeders' Cup Mile The Breeders' Cup Mile is a Grade 1 Weight for Age stakes race for thoroughbred racehorses three years old and up, run on a grass course. It has been conducted annually as part of the Breeders' Cup World Championships since the event's incept ...

. *Princess Zara, bay filly, 2002, by

A.P. Indy A.P. Indy (March 31, 1989 – February 21, 2020) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse who won the Belmont Stakes and Breeders' Cup Classic on his way to American Horse of the Year honors in 1992. His time in the Belmont Stakes tied Easy Goer for ...

. Unraced. *Catch the Blue Hat, chestnut filly, 2003, by

Storm Cat Storm Cat (February 27, 1983 – April 24, 2013) was an American Thoroughbred stallion whose breeding fee during the peak of his stud career was $500,000, the highest in North America at the time. He was the leading sire in North America in 1999 ...

. Failed to win in two races. *L'Impresario, bay colt, 2006, by

Bernstein Bernstein is a common surname in the German language, meaning "amber" (literally "burn stone"). The name is used by both Germans and Jews, although it is most common among people of Ashkenazi Jewish heritage. The German pronunciation is , but in E ...

. Won his only race. *Catchup If You Can, bay filly, 2007, by Bernstein. Unraced. *Equus Prime, bay colt, 2010, by

Dynaformer Dynaformer (April 1, 1985 – April 29, 2012) was a Thoroughbred race horse and breeding stallion most notable as the sire of 2006 Kentucky Derby winner Barbaro (horse), Barbaro. Background Dynaformer was an unusually large horse, standing hig ...

. Sold for $550,000 as a yearling but failed to win in four races. *Songoficeandfire, bay filly, 2011, by Dynaformer. Won two races. *Hold Me Now, filly, 2012, by Bernstein

Pedigree

References