Classic Fame (29 March 1986 – after 2002) 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 ...

racehorse and sire. In a track career interrupted by illness and injury he won eight of his nineteen starts over five seasons. He began in Ireland as a two-year-old in 1988 when he was unbeaten in three races including the

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 the Beresford Stakes. After being well beaten in two starts as a three-year-old he developed Horse colic and missed the rest of the year before being transferred to the United States. Racing mainly in California he won the

American Handicap The American Stakes is a Grade III American thoroughbred horse race for horses age three and older over a distance of one mile on the turf track held at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California in June. The race currently offers a purse of $100, ...

in 1990 and then returned from injury to take the

San Gabriel Handicap The San Gabriel Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race run at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California at the close of each year (though on occasion it is run in very early January). The Grade II race is open to horses, age three and up, will ...

and

San Marcos Handicap The San Marcos Stakes is an American Grade II Thoroughbred horse race held annually in late January or early February at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California. Open to horses aged four and older, it is raced on turf over a distance of one and o ...

as a six-year-old in 1992.

Background

Classic Fame was a bay horse with no white markings bred in Kentucky by Kinderhill-Aron Associates. 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 ...

in July 1987 the colt was consigned to the

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 its ...

Sale and was bought for $750,000 by the trainer

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 ...

. He was acting on behalf of Classic Thoroughbreds, a

public company A public company is a company whose ownership is organized via shares of stock which are intended to be freely traded on a stock exchange or in over-the-counter markets. A public (publicly traded) company can be listed on a stock exchange ( ...

founded by O'Brien,

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

and

John Magnier John Magnier (born 10 February 1948; also known as "The Boss") is an Irish business magnate. He is Ireland's leading thoroughbred stud owner and has extensive business interests outside the horse-breeding industry. Magnier has also been a Sena ...

. The colt was sent to Europe and was taken into training by O'Brien 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 ...

. He was sired by

Nijinsky Vaslav (or Vatslav) Nijinsky (; rus, Вацлав Фомич Нижинский, Vatslav Fomich Nizhinsky, p=ˈvatsləf fɐˈmʲitɕ nʲɪˈʐɨnskʲɪj; pl, Wacław Niżyński, ; 12 March 1889/18908 April 1950) was a ballet dancer and choreog ...

, the Canadian-bred winner of the English

Triple Crown Triple Crown may refer to: Sports Horse racing * Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing * Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing (United States) ** Triple Crown Trophy ** Triple Crown Productions * Canadian Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing * Tri ...

in 1970 who went on to become an important stallion, siring horses such as

Ferdinand Ferdinand is a Germanic name composed of the elements "protection", "peace" (PIE "to love, to make peace") or alternatively "journey, travel", Proto-Germanic , abstract noun from root "to fare, travel" (PIE , "to lead, pass over"), and "co ...

Lammtarra Lammtarra (2 February 1992 7 July 2014) was an American-bred, British-trained Thoroughbred racehorse. He was undefeated in his career and won three Group One races in 1995, in which year he was voted the Cartier Three-Year-Old European Champi ...

Caerleon Caerleon (; cy, Caerllion) is a town and community in Newport, Wales. Situated on the River Usk, it lies northeast of Newport city centre, and southeast of Cwmbran. Caerleon is of archaeological importance, being the site of a notable Roman ...

Sky Classic Sky Classic (March 17, 1987 – April 30, 2015) was a Canadian Thoroughbred Hall of Fame racehorse. A son of U.K. Triple Crown champion Nijinsky, in 1989 Sky Classic won the Sovereign Award for Champion 2-Year-Old Male Horse in Canada but injur ...

and Shahrastani. Classic Fame's dam Family Fame was an unraced,

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolitan areas include, Peoria and Rockf ...

-bred daughter of the Washington DC International winner Droll Role. She was a third-generation descendant of Two Bob, who won the

Kentucky Oaks The Kentucky Oaks is a Grade I stakes race for three-year-old Thoroughbred fillies staged annually in Louisville, Kentucky, United States. The race currently covers at Churchill Downs; the horses carry . The Kentucky Oaks is held on the Friday ...

in 1936 and was the female-line ancestor of numerous major winners including

Tim Tam Tim Tam is a brand of chocolate biscuit introduced by the Australian biscuit company Arnott's in 1964. It consists of two malted biscuits separated by a light hard chocolate cream filling and coated in a thin layer of textured chocolate. H ...

On-and-On On-and-On (April 24, 1956 – 1970) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse who was a top runner for owner/breeder Calumet Farm and the sire of their 1968 Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes winner, Forward Pass and the damsire of U.S. Racing ...

Chief's Crown Chief's Crown (April 7, 1982 – April 29, 1997) was an American-bred Thoroughbred race horse who won the 1984 Breeders' Cup Juvenile and was voted the Eclipse Award for Outstanding Two-Year-Old Male Horse. He later became a successful sire. Ba ...

Excellent Art Excellent Art (25 February 2004) was a British-bred Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. As a two-year-old he was trained in England and showed good form, winning the National Stakes and the Mill Reef Stakes and being placed in both the Prix Morny a ...

, Deep Sky,

Special Duty Special Duty (foaled 12 February 2007) is a British-bred, French-trained champion Thoroughbred racehorse and broodmare. She won two of her four starts as a two-year-old including the Group One Cheveley Park Stakes and the Group Two Prix Robert ...

and Winning Colors.

Racing career

1988: two-year-old season

Classic Fame began his racing career in the Belleville Race over seven

furlongs 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 ho ...

Phoenix Park Racecourse Phoenix Park Racecourse is a former horse racing venue in Ireland. It was located in the townlands of Ashtown and Castleknock in the civil parish of Castleknock on the northern edge of the Phoenix Park in Dublin. The course was founded by JHH ...

on 3 September in which he started the 9/10 favourite and won by three

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 ...

from Just A Millionaire. Seven days after his debut, the colt was stepped up to the highest level for 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 ...

National Stakes 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 ...

and was made the 9/4 favourite. The more fancied of his eleven opponents included Always Valiant (winner of 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 ...

), Corwyn Bay (

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 ...

), Stone Flake (third in the

Vintage Stakes The Vintage Stakes is a Group 2 flat horse race in Great Britain open to two-year-old horses. It is run at Goodwood over a distance of 7 furlongs (1,408 metres), and it is scheduled to take place e ...

) and the highly regarded maiden race winner Guaranteed Bonus. Ridden by John Reid he came home two lengths clear of Always Valliant, with Stone Flake a length away in third. In October Classic Fame was moved up to one mile for the Group 2 Beresford Stakes at the same track and was clearly expected to win again despite a four-pound weight penalty, as he started at odds of 1/2 against five opponents. He maintained his unbeaten record but was not impressive as he was "all out" to prevail by a head from the British-trained Prince Ibrahim.

1989: three-year-old season

Classic Fame began his second campaign in the

Irish 2000 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 ...

at the Curragh on 20 May. Starting at odds of 8/1 he proved to be the best of the Irish contingent but came home fifth behind the British challengers

Shaadi Shaadi may refer to: * A Shaadi is the generic term for an Indian or Pakistani wedding * Shaadi.com, an Indian matrimonial website * ''Shaadi'' (1962 film), a 1962 Indian film * ''Shaadi'' (1941 film), a 1941 Bollywood film * Shaadi (horse) ...

, Great Commotion, Distant Relative and Danehill. On 7 June he was sent to England and started a 33/1 outsider in the 210th running of the Epsom Derby over one and a half miles at

Epsom Racecourse Epsom Downs is a Grade 1 racecourse on the hills associated with Epsom in Surrey, England which is used for thoroughbred horse racing. The "Downs" referred to in the name are part of the North Downs. The course, which has a crowd capacity of 13 ...

and finished seventh of the twelve runners, more than seventeen lengths behind the winner

Nashwan Nashwan (1 March 1986 – 2002) was an American-bred, British-trained Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. After winning both his starts as a two-year-old, he developed into an outstanding performer in the spring and summer of 1989, completing a ...

. Classic Fame missed the rest of his three-year-old season after suffering a bout of

colic Colic or cholic () is a form of pain that starts and stops abruptly. It occurs due to muscular contractions of a hollow tube (small and large intestine, gall bladder, ureter, etc.) in an attempt to relieve an obstruction by forcing content out. ...

1990: four-year-old season

For the 1990 season, Classic Fame was transferred to the United States where he entered training with

Gary F. Jones Gary F. Jones (June 16, 1944 – October 11, 2020) was a trainer of Thoroughbred racehorses whose career began in 1974 and ended with his retirement at the end of July, 1996 having earned $52,672,611 in purses and the winner of 1,465 races includ ...

. He began his North American career by winning an

allowance race Glossary of North American horse racing: Additional glossaries at: *Glossary of Australian and New Zealand punting *Glossary of equestrian terms This is a basic glossary of equestrian terms that includes both technical terminology and jargo ...

at Santa Anita in April and was then stepped up in class for the Grade II John Henry Handicap at

Hollywood Park Racetrack Hollywood Park was a thoroughbred race course located in Inglewood, California, about 3 miles (5 km) from Los Angeles International Airport and adjacent to the Forum indoor arena. In 1994, the original Hollywood Park Casino was added to t ...

the following month in which he finished second to

Golden Pheasant The golden pheasant (''Chrysolophus pictus''), also known as the Chinese pheasant, and rainbow pheasant, is a gamebird of the order Galliformes (gallinaceous birds) and the family Phasianidae (pheasants). The genus name is from Ancient Greek ...

. After finishing third to Mohamed Abdu in the

Inglewood Handicap The Last Tycoon Stakes (formerly known as the Inglewood Handicap) is an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually in late April at Hollywood Park Racetrack in Inglewood, California. First run in 1938, the race is open to horses three years ol ...

at Hollywood Park in June he contested the Grade II American Handicap on 4 July at the same track. In the straight, he appeared to be boxed against the rail but was extricated by his jockey

Eddie Delahoussaye Edward J. Delahoussaye (born September 21, 1951) is a retired American Thoroughbred jockey from New Iberia, Louisiana. He began his career in 1968 and ten years later became the top American jockey with 384 wins. He has won the Kentucky Derby ...

to win by three quarters of a length from the 1989 Turf champion Steinlen. Jones, who was wearing a "lucky" green jacket in honour of his Irish import commented "There was not too much of a place to go, but he got through. For a while, there, I thought we had no shot and I was getting ready to cuss. But then he came through. That's the way it's supposed to go all the time". On his next appearance Classic Fame finished second to Fly Till Dawn in the Eddie Read Handicap at

Del Mar Racetrack The Del Mar Fairgrounds is a event venue in Del Mar, California. The annual San Diego County Fair is held here, which was called the Del Mar Fair from 1984 to 2001. In 1936, the Del Mar Racetrack was built by the Thoroughbred Club with foundi ...

on 8 August. Three weeks later he was sent to Chicago to contest the

Arlington Million The Arlington Million is a Grade 1 flat horse race in the United States for thoroughbred horses aged three years and upward on the turf. It was originally raced at the now-closed Arlington Park in Arlington Heights, Illinois over a distance of ...

and came home fourth behind Golden Pheasant,

With Approval With Approval (May 9, 1986 – June 21, 2010) was a Thoroughbred racehorse who won the Canadian Triple Crown in 1989 under jockey Don Seymour. Even though he missed the rest of his three-year-old season due to injury, he was named th ...

and Steinlen. He sustained a

cannon bone Good conformation in the limbs leads to improved movement and decreased likelihood of injuries. Large differences in bone structure and size can be found in horses used for different activities, but correct conformation remains relatively simil ...

fracture during the race and missed the rest of the season.

1991: five-year-old season

After an absence of almost a year, Classic Fame returned at Del Mar in August and finished sixth in the ungraded Tsunami Slew Stakes, sustaining a hoof injury in the process. His other two races that season came in November: he won an allowance at Santa Anita and then finished third to Notorious Pleasure in the Citation Handicap at Hollywood Park.

1992: six-year-old season

On 1 January 1992, Classic Fame began his fifth campaign at Santa Anita in the

in which he was ridden by Delahoussaye and started second favourite behind Fly Till Dawn. He took the lead in the straight and drew away in the closing stages to win by two and three quarter lengths from Super May. Later that month at the same track the horse started favourite for the one and quarter mile

in a six-runner field which also included Golden Pheasant, Fly Till Dawn and Super May. With Delahousaye again in the saddle he raced in fourth place before moving up to second on the home turn, overtaking Fly Till Dawn in the straight and winning by half a length. Delahoussaye commented "I loved the pace. I was just hoping he'd kick on. He dug in and caught that horse. I thought Fly Till Dawn would stop sooner... I don't know how far he'll go. They were concerned about a mile and a quarter, but he did it today". At Santa Anita in March, Classic Fame started second favourite for the

Arcadia Handicap The Arcadia Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race run in early April at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California. Open to horses four years of age and older, it is raced on turf over a distance of one mile. A Grade II race, it currently offe ...

but ran poorly and finished unplaced behind his old rival Fly Till Dawn. Despite his defeat the horse was made favourite when he stepped up to Grade I class for the Hollywood Turf Handicap in May, but finished second, beaten a length by the

1990 Epsom Derby {, class="collapsible collapsed" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="clear:right; float:right; text-align:center; font-weight:bold;" width="280px" ! colspan="3" style="border:1px solid black; background-color: #77DD77;" , Also Ran Th ...

winner Quest For Fame. On his final racecourse appearance at Hollywood Park in June Classic Fame came home third behind Notorious Pleasure and Marquetry in the John Henry Handicap.

Stud record

At the end of his racing career Classic Fame was retired to become a breeding stallion in California before moving to

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

. His best offspring included Armstrong (

New Zealand Stakes The New Zealand Stakes currently run as the Bonecrusher New Zealand Stakes is a Group One thoroughbred horse race in New Zealand. It is run at Ellerslie racecourse on the final day of the Auckland Cup Week Carnival in March for a stake of $200 ...

), Beaujolais (Manawatu Cup) and Gentle Call (Lowlands Stakes). His last recorded foal was born in 2003.

Pedigree

References

{{Reflist 1986 racehorse births Racehorses bred in Kentucky Racehorses trained in Ireland Racehorses trained in the United States Thoroughbred family 23-b