Churchill (foaled 31 January 2014) is an Irish
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. He was rated the best two-year-old colt in Europe in 2016, winning five of his six races including the
Chesham Stakes
The Chesham Stakes is a Listed flat horse race in Great Britain open to two-year-old horses. It is run at Ascot over a distance of 7 furlongs (1,408 metres), and it is scheduled to take plac ...
,
Tyros Stakes,
Futurity Stakes,
National Stakes
The Vincent O'Brien National Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Ireland open to two-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run at the Curragh over a distance of 7 furlongs (1,408 metr ...
and
Dewhurst Stakes
The Dewhurst Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to two-year-old colts and fillies. It is run on the Rowley Mile at Newmarket over a distance of 7 furlongs (1,408 metres), ...
. On his three-year-old debut he won 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 ...
and followed up with a second Classic victory in the
Irish 2,000 Guineas
The Irish 2,000 Guineas is a Group 1 flat horse race in Ireland open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run at the Curragh over a distance of 1 mile (1,609 metres), and it is ...
.
Background
Churchill is a bay colt 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 ...
and three 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 ...
bred in Ireland by Liberty Bloodstock, a breeding company associated with 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 ...
organisation.
He was sired by
Galileo
Galileo di Vincenzo Bonaiuti de' Galilei (15 February 1564 – 8 January 1642) was an Italian astronomer, physicist and engineer, sometimes described as a polymath. Commonly referred to as Galileo, his name was pronounced (, ). He was ...
, who won the
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 gai ...
,
Irish Derby
The Irish Derby (Irish: Dearbaí na hÉireann) is a Group 1 flat horse race in Ireland open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run at the Curragh over a distance of 1 ...
and
in 2001. Galileo is now one of the world's leading stallions and has been
champion sire of Great Britain and Ireland eight times so far. His other progeny include
Cape Blanco,
Frankel
Frankel is the surname of:
* Benjamin Frankel (1906–1973), British composer
* Bethenny Frankel (born 1970), American chef and reality television personality
* Charles Frankel (1917–1975), American philosopher, known for Charles Frankel Prize ...
,
Golden Lilac
Golden Lilac is an Irish-bred, French-trained Thoroughbred racehorse. She won her first six races including the Poule d'Essai des Pouliches and the Prix de Diane as a three-year-old in 2011. In May 2012, she defeated Cirrus des Aigles to win the ...
,
Nathaniel
, nickname =
{{Plainlist,
* Nat
* Nate
, footnotes =
Nathaniel is an English variant of the biblical Greek name Nathanael.
People with the name Nathaniel
* Nathaniel Archibald (1952–2018), American basketball player
* Nate A ...
,
New Approach
New Approach (foaled 18 February 2005) is a retired Irish Thoroughbred racehorse and active stallion. In a racing career which lasted from July 2007 to October 2008 he ran eleven times and won eight races. He was undefeated in five races as a tw ...
,
Rip Van Winkle
"Rip Van Winkle" is a short story by the American author Washington Irving, first published in 1819. It follows a Dutch-American villager in colonial America named Rip Van Winkle who meets mysterious Dutchmen, imbibes their liquor and falls aslee ...
,
Found,
Minding and
Ruler of the World
Ruler of the World (foaled 17 March 2010) is an Irish Thoroughbred racehorse who won The Derby in 2013. He was unraced as a two-year-old. In 2013, he won a maiden race at the Curragh and the Group Three Chester Vase before winning the Derb ...
. Churchill's dam Meow showed good form as a juvenile in 2010, finishing second in the
Queen Mary Stakes
The Queen Mary Stakes is a Group races, Group 2 Flat racing, flat Horse racing, horse race in Great Britain open to two-year-old Filly, fillies. It is run at Ascot Racecourse, Ascot over a distance o ...
and winning the Listed
Grangecon Stud Stakes. Meow was a daughter of the outstanding filly
Airwave and closely related to the leading sprinter
Jwala.
The colt was sent into training with
Aidan O'Brien
Aidan Patrick O'Brien (born 16 October 1969 in County Wexford, Ireland)[ Aidan O'Brien bio NTRA. ...](_blank)
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 ...
. Like many Coolmore horses, the official details of his ownership have changed from race to race: he has sometimes been listed as being the property of
Susan Magnier, while on other occasions he has been described as being owned by a partnership of Derrick Smith,
Michael Tabor
Michael Barry Tabor (born 28 October 1941) is a British businessman, bookmaker, gambler and owner of thoroughbred racehorses.
Tabor regularly appears on the ''Sunday Times Rich List'' of the richest people in Britain. In 2012 his fortune w ...
and Susan Magnier.
Racing career
2016: two-year-old season
Spring
Churchill made his racecourse debut in a six-furlong
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 ...
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 ...
on 22 May in which he was ridden by
Ryan Moore and started the
2/1 favourite in an eleven-runner field. After racing in mid-division he stayed on in the closing stages to finish third behind Van Der Decken and Magnification.
Summer
In June he was moved up in class and distance when he was sent to England to contest the Listed Chesham Stakes over seven furlongs 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 ...
. Starting the 8/11 favourite against twelve opponents he took the lead two furlongs out and won by half a
length
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 Interna ...
from Isomer despite drifting to the left in the closing stages. In July Churchill was moved up to
Group Three class for the Tyros Stakes over seven furlongs at
Leopardstown Racecourse
Leopardstown Racecourse is an Ireland, Irish horse-racing venue, located in Leopardstown, Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown, 8 km south of the Dublin city centre. Like the majority of Irish courses, it hosts both National Hunt and Flat racing.
Th ...
. He was sent off the 2/5 favourite, but after taking the lead a furlong out he was "strongly pressed" before prevailing by a neck from Alexios Komnenos.
Only three horses appeared to oppose Churchill when the colt started at odds of 1/4 for the Group Two Futurity Stakes over seven furlongs at the Curragh on 21 August. Ridden by
Seamie Heffernan
James Anthony "Seamie" Heffernan (born 17 July 1972) is an Irish flat racing jockey who rides mainly for horse racing trainer Aidan O'Brien. From a family with no racing connections Heffernan was introduced to the sport when he took a summer ho ...
he took the lead inside the final furlong and drew away in the closing stages to win by two lengths from the
Jim Bolger
James Brendan Bolger ( ; born 31 May 1935) is a New Zealand retired politician of the National Party who was the 35th prime minister of New Zealand, serving from 1990 to 1997.
Bolger was born to an Irish immigrant family in Ōpunake, Taran ...
-trained Radio Silence. After the race O'Brien commented "He's lazy and doesn't do a lot when he gets to the front, but he quickened nicely to get there. He'll come back here for the National Stakes next month. We think he's a Guineas horse and that he'll get further than a mile. He might get a mile and a half but the way he works you wouldn't be sure about that at this stage".
Autumn
On 11 September, over the same course and distance, Churchill started the odds-on favourite for Ireland's most prestigious race for juveniles, the Group One Vincent O'Brien National Stakes. The best of his six rivals appeared to be the British-trained Mehmas (ridden by
Frankie Dettori
Lanfranco Dettori (; born 15 December 1970), better known as Frankie Dettori, is an Italian horse racing jockey based in the United Kingdom. Dettori has been British flat racing Champion Jockey three times and has ...
), whose wins included the
July Stakes
The July Stakes is a Group 2 flat horse race in Great Britain open to two-year-old colts and geldings. It is run on the July Course at Newmarket over a distance of 6 furlongs (1,207 metres), and it ...
and
Richmond Stakes
The Richmond Stakes is a Group 2 flat horse race in Great Britain open to two-year-old colts and geldings. It is run at Goodwood over a distance of 6 furlongs (1,207 metres), and it is sch ...
. Ridden by Moore, Churchill briefly struggled to obtain a clear run before taking the lead in the final furlong and then drawing away to win "comfortably" by four and a quarter lengths from Mehmas. O'Brien said "He's a very exciting horse. He settled and he quickened and I thought that he went like a real miler, but Ryan was adamant that a mile and a quarter would be no problem to him next year either. He can be idle when he hits the front so it was lovely when Frankie's horse eyeballed him and kind of leaned into him up the run in because that's exactly what he wanted. He would have learned a lot today".
Churchill was then sent to England for the Dewhurst 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 ...
on 8 October. With Moore again in the saddle he was made the 8/11 favourite against six opponents including South Seas (winner of the
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 ...
),
Blue Point and
Rivet
A rivet is a permanent mechanical fastener. Before being installed, a rivet consists of a smooth cylindrical shaft with a head on one end. The end opposite to the head is called the ''tail''. On installation, the rivet is placed in a punched ...
. The O'Brien stable's pacemaker Lancaster Bomber took the lead from the start with Churchill restrained in mid-division. After briefly struggling to obtain a clear run the favourite took the lead inside the final furlong and won by one and a quarter lengths from Lancaster Bomber with Blue Point in third place and
Thunder Snow in fourth.
2017: three-year-old season
Churchill was favourite for both the 2000 Guineas and the Epsom Derby throughout the winter of 2016/7 and the spring of 2017. Rather than run in any of the recognised trial races, Churchill made his debut as a three-year-old in the 2000 Guineas on 6 May at Newmarket, in which he was accompanied by his stablemates Lancaster Bomber and Spirit of Valor. He was made favourite ahead of nine opponents headed by
Barney Roy (
Greenham Stakes
The Greenham Stakes is a Group 3 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old colts and geldings. It is run over a distance of 7 furlongs () at Newbury in ...
), Al Wukair (
Prix Djebel
The Prix Djebel is a Group 3 flat horse race in France open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and geldings. It is run over a distance of 1,400 metres (about 7 furlongs) at Maisons ...
) and Eminent (
Craven Stakes
The Craven Stakes is a Group 3 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old colts and geldings. It is run over a distance of 1 mile (1,609 metres ...
). After tracking the leaders he took the lead approaching the final furlong and won by a length from Barney Roy with Al Wukair and Lancaster Bomber close behind in third and fourth. After the race Moore commented "He has a magnificent mind, he travels, has speed and loads of class. He was always racing comfortably – he was there a little bit early. He always feels like there's more when you ask him", whilst O'Brien, who was winning the race for a record eighth time said "I was very worried about it being his first run. He's a big horse and we knew he would come on for the run. Ryan gave him a lovely ride. Everyone at home was very happy with the horse which is why we took the chance to come first time, so I'm delighted".
Three weeks after his win at Newmarket, Churchill started 4/9 favourite for the Irish 2000 Guineas at the Curragh. Thunder Snow and Lancaster Bomber were again in opposition while the best of the other four runners appeared to be the previously undefeated Irishcorrespondent. Lancaster Bomber set the pace with Churchill settled towards the rear of the field before moving up on the outside in the straight. He took the lead from Thunder Snow approaching the final furlong and drew away in the closing stages to win by two and a half lengths. Ryan Moore commented "He wasn't enjoying the ground so I tried to help him along, but when I asked him he was there".
At Royal Ascot on 20 June Churchill started odds-on favourite as he attempted to extend his winning run in the
St James's Palace Stakes
The St James's Palace Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old colts. It is run at Ascot over a distance of 7 furlongs and 213 yards (1,603 metres). It is schedu ...
. He was restrained in the early stages as Lancaster Bomber set a steady pace but was unable to make any significant progress in the straight and finished fourth behind Barney Roy, Lancaster Bomber and Thunder Snow. After a break of more than two months Churchill returned for the
International Stakes
The International Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged three years or older. It is run at York over a distance of 1 mile, 2 furlongs and 56 yards (2, ...
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 ...
in which he was matched against older horses and moved up in distance to ten and a half furlongs. He was made the 5/2 favourite and raced in third place before making progress in the straight but was beaten two lengths into second place by the four-year-old
Ulysses
Ulysses is one form of the Roman name for Odysseus, a hero in ancient Greek literature.
Ulysses may also refer to:
People
* Ulysses (given name), including a list of people with this name
Places in the United States
* Ulysses, Kansas
* Ulysse ...
.
Stud career
Churchill retired to
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 ...
at the end of his 2017 season. Standing for an initial fee of €35,000, this dropped to €30,000 from 2020 and then to his current fee of €25,000 for 2022. Since 2018 Churchill has also shuttled to Coolmore Australia. From his first crop of two year olds in 2021 he produced five black type winners. In 2022 Churchill had his first Group 1 winner as a sire after Vadeni 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 a ...
.
Notable progeny
''c =
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 =
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 ...
''
Assessment and awards
On 8 November 2016 Churchill was named
Champion two-year-old colt at the
Cartier Racing Awards The Cartier Racing Awards are awards in European horse racing, founded in 1991, and sponsored by Cartier. The award winners are decided by points earned in group races (40%) plus the votes cast by British racing journalists (30%) and readers of th ...
. In the official European Classification of two-year-olds for 2016 Churchill was given a rating of 122, making him the best juvenile of the season, one pound ahead of the filly
Lady Aurelia
Lady Aurelia (foaled 27 January 2014) is an American Thoroughbred racehorse. After winning a race on dirt in the United States, she was sent to race on turf in Europe and proved herself as the one of the leading two-year-old fillies of her gener ...
and four pounds ahead of the colts
Thunder Snow and
National Defense
National security, or national defence, is the security and defence of a sovereign state, including its citizens, economy, and institutions, which is regarded as a duty of government. Originally conceived as protection against military attac ...
.
In the
2017 World's Best Racehorse Rankings, Churchill was rated the twelfth-best horse in the world and the joint-best horse in Ireland.
Pedigree
*Churchill is
inbred
Inbreeding is the production of offspring from the mating or breeding of individuals or organisms that are closely related genetically. By analogy, the term is used in human reproduction, but more commonly refers to the genetic disorders and o ...
3 × 4 to Northern Dancer, meaning that this stallion appears in both the third and fourth generations of his pedigree.
References
External links
Career 1-2-3 Colour Chart– ''Churchill''
{{2000 Guineas Winners
2014 racehorse births
Racehorses bred in Ireland
Racehorses trained in Ireland
Irish Classic Race winners
Thoroughbred family 19-a
Cartier Award winners
2000 Guineas winners