Danehill (March 26, 1986 – May 13, 2003) 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 who was the most successful sire of all time with 349 stakes winners and 89

Grade 1 First grade (also called Grade One, called '' Year 2'' in England or Primary 2 in Scotland) is the first grade in elementary school and the first school year after kindergarten. Children are usually 6–7 years old in this grade. Examples by ...

winners. He was the leading sire in Australia nine times, the leading sire in Great Britain and Ireland three times, and the leading sire in France twice.

Background

Danehill was a bay stallion by leading sire Danzig (by

Northern Dancer Northern Dancer (May 27, 1961 – November 16, 1990) was a Thoroughbred who, in 1964, became the first Canadian-bred horse to win the Kentucky Derby. He then became one of the most successful sires of the 20th century. He is considered a Canad ...

) out of Razyana (by His Majesty). Danehill was inbred twice to Natalma in the third generation (3x3) of his pedigree. He was a brother to a stakes winner, Eagle Eyed, and two other stallions, Anziyan and Nuclear Freeze. Danehill was owned during his racing career by Khalid Abdullah, who also bred him.

Racing career

Trained by

Jeremy Tree Arthur Jeremy Tree (21 December 1925 – 7 March 1993) was a British Thoroughbred racehorse trainer. Background Born into a prominent London family, Tree was always known by his middle name, Jeremy. His father was Ronald Tree, an American-born ...

, Danehill ran nine times, winning four. As a three-year-old, following a third placing in the 2,000 Guineas behind

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 ...

and a fourth place in the Irish equivalent, Danehill was switched to sprinting, winning the

Cork and Orrery Stakes The Platinum Jubilee Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged four years or older. Three-year-olds foaled in the Southern Hemisphere are also eligible. It is run at ...

at Ascot and the

Haydock Sprint Cup The Sprint Cup is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run at Haydock Park over a distance of 6 furlongs (1,207 metres), an ...

. During his racing career he earned a total of £177,465 and ran to a peak Timeform rating of T126.

Stud record

Danehill retired to stud duties in 1990 at 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 ...

in Ireland and made his greatest impact as a

stallion A stallion is a male horse that has not been gelded (castrated). Stallions follow the conformation and phenotype of their breed, but within that standard, the presence of hormones such as testosterone may give stallions a thicker, "cresty" nec ...

. Sold by his owner under advice to the partnership of

Arrowfield Stud Arrowfield Stud is a thoroughbred stud farm comprising 2,500 acres in the fertile Segenhoe Valley, near Scone in the Upper Hunter Valley. Established in 1985, Arrowfield Stud is the largest Australian owned thoroughbred stud and currently stands ...

Scone, New South Wales Scone is a town in the Upper Hunter Shire in the Hunter Region of New South Wales, Australia. At the 2006 census, Scone had a population of 5,624 people. It is on the New England Highway north of Muswellbrook about 270 kilometres north of Sydn ...

, Australia, and Ireland's

, he came to Australia as a shuttle stallion in 1990. At the end of the stud season, he returned to Coolmore Stud in Ireland. He was an immediate sensation at stud in Australia, where he was leading sire on many occasions. Danehill returned to Australia ten more times and also served one season at stud in Japan during 1996. With his appeal to European breeders, he became the first high-profile shuttle stallion, standing the

northern hemisphere The Northern Hemisphere is the half of Earth that is north of the Equator. For other planets in the Solar System, north is defined as being in the same celestial hemisphere relative to the invariable plane of the solar system as Earth's Nort ...

covering season at Coolmore's Irish facility. Coolmore subsequently became his sole owner after a $24 million deal, making him the most valuable Thoroughbred in Australian breeding history. Danehill's success in the United Kingdom, Eire and France was slow to develop as connections had convinced themselves the Danehill's required wet tracks and light work. After winning 3 Golden Slippers in his first 3 crops in Australia the opposite was proven true and Ballydoyle who had the majority of the NH Danehills adjusted their training methods which yielded Aidan Obriens first G1 success when Desert King, from the 4th crop of Danehill, won the G1 National Stakes for 2yos at The Curragh in 1996 under Walter Swinburn. Danehill's highest rated racehorses were: Rock Of Gibraltar (T133 achieved G1 Sussex Stakes Goodwood 2002) George Washington (T133 achieved QEII Stakes Ascot 2006) Dylan Thomas (T132 achieved G1 King George & Queen Elizabeth Stakes Ascot 2007) Duke Of Marmalade (T132 achieved Prince of Wales's Stakes G1 Ascot 2008) Mozart (T131 achieved July Cup G1 Newmarket The July Course 2001) Westerner (T130 achieved Gold Cup Ascot (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 ...

) 2005)

The Group 1 Danehills (84)

''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 ...

, n=northern hemisphere, s=southern hemisphere'' Also: Scintillation (3 × Hong Kong local G1), Fairy King Prawn (4 × Hong Kong local G1,1 x Japan G1). Fairy King Prawn won local G1 in Hong Kong and a local G1 in Japan but neither was a race listed in Part 1 of the International Cataloguing Standards, which means they counted for listed status only. His total of 84 International G1 winners was a world record until June 2020 when Peaceful won the G1 Irish 1000 Guineas in Ireland, thereby making her a new world-record 85th G1 winner for her sire, Galileo. Danehill was the sire of 2,485 foals, of which 347 were black-type winners (209 Group winners and 138 Listed winners). Danehill's last foal crop, which comprised 96 live foals, were born in 2004. Danzig and his son, Danehill, were dominant bay sires along with Danehill's sons. This meant that they would not produce

chestnut The chestnuts are the deciduous trees and shrubs in the genus ''Castanea'', in the beech family Fagaceae. They are native to temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. The name also refers to the edible nuts they produce. The unrelat ...

progeny and only a grey if the foal's dam was grey. On 13 May 2003, Danehill died in a paddock accident at Coolmore Stud. He was being hand-led in his paddock when he reared playfully and landed awkwardly, breaking a hip. Even with some of the world's best veterinary practitioners on hand, it was decided there was no alternative but to put the horse down. Coolmore received £36 million from their insurance upon his death. Champion Danehill dies in accident
Retrieved on 200-8-12

Pedigree

Danehill is inbred 3 x 3 to Natalma. This means that Danehill is inbred 4 x 4 to both

Native Dancer Native Dancer (March 27, 1950 – November 16, 1967), nicknamed the ''Gray Ghost'', was one of the most celebrated and accomplished Thoroughbred racehorses in American history and was the first horse made famous through the medium of television. ...

and

Almahmoud Almahmoud (1947–1971) was an American Thoroughbred racemare that was best known as an influential broodmare who produced Natalma and Cosmah. She was sired by the 1936 Epsom Derby winner Mahmoud, who was imported to the United States in 1940 ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Danehill (Horse) 1986 racehorse births 2003 racehorse deaths British Champion Thoroughbred Sires Champion Thoroughbred Sires of France Champion Thoroughbred Sires of Australia American Champion Thoroughbred broodmare sires Racehorses bred in Kentucky Racehorses trained in the United Kingdom Thoroughbred family 2-d Australian Racing Hall of Fame horses