Dayjur (6 February 1987 – 25 September 2013) was an American-bred, British-trained
Thoroughbred racehorse. A specialist sprinter, he ran eleven times between June 1989 and October 1990 and won seven races. In 1990 he dominated European sprinting, winning the
King's Stand Stakes, the
Nunthorpe Stakes, the
Ladbroke Sprint Cup and the
Prix de l'Abbaye. On his final racecourse appearance he finished second to
Safely Kept
Safely Kept (April 7, 1986 – April 22, 2014) was a Maryland-bred Bay thoroughbred filly sired by Horatius. Safely Kept began her career in 1988 and won 24 of her 31 starts over the next three years. Most of her runs were against colts and geld ...
in the
Breeders' Cup Sprint. The ''
Racing Post
''Racing Post'' is a British daily horse racing, greyhound racing and sports betting publisher which is published in print and digital formats. It is printed in tabloid format from Monday to Sunday. , it has an average daily circulation of 6 ...
'' called him "the world's fastest horse".
Background
Dayjur was a dark-brown horse standing 15.3
hands
A hand is a prehensile, multi-fingered appendage located at the end of the forearm or forelimb of primates such as humans, chimpanzees, monkeys, and lemurs. A few other vertebrates such as the koala (which has two opposable thumbs on each " ...
bred in Kentucky by Georgia E. Hofmann. He was sired by
Danzig out of the
American Champion Sprinter Gold Beauty. As a yearling he was bought for $1.65m
by
Hamdan Al-Maktoum and sent to be trained in England. Dayjur was trained by
Dick Hern at
West Ilsley in
Berkshire
Berkshire ( ; in the 17th century sometimes spelt phonetically as Barkeshire; abbreviated Berks.) is a historic county in South East England. One of the home counties, Berkshire was recognised by Queen Elizabeth II as the Royal County of Berk ...
. He was ridden in all his races by the veteran Scottish jockey
Willie Carson.
Racing career
1989: two-year-old season
Dayjur made his first racecourse appearance in the six
furlong Kennett Maiden Stakes at
Newbury on 15 June. He started the
8/15 favourite against thirteen opponents and won "easily" by 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 ...
. A month later he was moved up in class for the
Listed Manton Rose Bowl Stakes over the same course and distance. He started 8/13 favourite but was beaten half a length by the
Clive Brittain-trained Rushmore. At the end of the year he was given a "Hobday" operation to improve his breathing.
1990: three-year-old season
Spring
In the spring of 1990, Dayjur was aimed at 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 ...
, but ran disappointing in his trial race, finishing seventh of the ten runners in the
European Free Handicap
The European Free Handicap was a Listed flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old horses. It was run over a distance of 7 furlongs (1,408 metres) on the Rowley Mile at Newmark ...
over seven furlongs at
Newmarket. He was moved back down to six furlongs and won a minor race at
Nottingham before being beaten a head by Tod in a similar event at Newbury. Ten days after his disappointing run at Newbury, Dayjur contested his first Group Race when he was pitted against more experienced sprinters in the five furlong
Temple Stakes at
Sandown Park Racecourse. On this occasion, Carson allowed the colt to lead from the start and he won by two lengths without being seriously challenged.
Summer
In June, Dayjur was sent to
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 ...
for the five-furlong
King's Stand Stakes, which was then a Group Two race. Hern was concerned about the soft ground, but Hamdan Al Maktoum insisted on running him. Dayjur led almost from the start and drew clear in the final two furlongs to beat the French colt
Ron's Victory by two and a half lengths, with a gap of six lengths to the rest of the field. In September, Ron's Victory won the
Diadem Stakes
A diadem is a type of crown, specifically an ornamental headband worn by monarchs and others as a badge of royalty.
Overview
The word derives from the Greek διάδημα ''diádēma'', "band" or "fillet", from διαδέω ''diadéō'', "I ...
by ten lengths. In August, Dayjur was made 8/11 favourite for the Group One
Nunthorpe Stakes at
York, with the
King George Stakes winner Argentum the only horse seriously supported against him. Once again, Carson allowed him to lead from the start and Dayjur pulled away in the closing stages to win by four lengths in a course record time of 56.16. The
Racing Post
''Racing Post'' is a British daily horse racing, greyhound racing and sports betting publisher which is published in print and digital formats. It is printed in tabloid format from Monday to Sunday. , it has an average daily circulation of 6 ...
described the performance as "very impressive".
Autumn
In September, Dayjur was moved back up to six furlongs for the
Ladbroke Sprint Cup at
Haydock Park. He started the 1/2 favourite against a field which included 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 ...
winner
Royal Academy
The Royal Academy of Arts (RA) is an art institution based in Burlington House on Piccadilly in London. Founded in 1768, it has a unique position as an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects. Its pur ...
and the
Prix Maurice de Gheest winner
Dead Certain. Dayjur led from the start, went clear inside the final quarter mile and held the late challenge of Royal Academy to win by one and a half lengths. In October, Royal Academy won the
Breeders' Cup Mile. On his final European start, Dayjur contested the
Prix de l'Abbaye at
Longchamp Racecourse in Paris. Only five horses appeared to oppose him and he led from the start before winning by two lengths. He was eased down in the closing stages and lost some ground when appearing to jump a shadow cast across the course.
During his final race, the 1990
Breeders' Cup Sprint at
Belmont Park
Belmont Park is a major thoroughbred horse racing facility in the northeastern United States, located in Elmont, New York, just east of the New York City limits. It was opened on May 4, 1905.
It is operated by the non-profit New York Racin ...
, Dayjur overcame a difficult wide draw and after bitterly contesting the lead with
Safely Kept
Safely Kept (April 7, 1986 – April 22, 2014) was a Maryland-bred Bay thoroughbred filly sired by Horatius. Safely Kept began her career in 1988 and won 24 of her 31 starts over the next three years. Most of her runs were against colts and geld ...
, had got on top and looked set for victory. However, in the closing seconds of the race, Dayjur jumped a dark shadow cast over the track – and another at the line – allowing the filly to claim victory by a neck.
Assessment
In their book ''A Century of Champions'', John Randall and Tony Morris rated Dayjur the best racehorse foaled in 1987 and the fifth best British sprinter of the twentieth century behind
Abernant,
Irish Elegance,
Pappa Fourway and
Tetratema.
Stud career
He retired to the
Shadwell Racing farm in
Kentucky of his owner
Sheikh Hamdan Al-Maktoum, from where he has sired several good winners like Tipsy Creek (Temple Stakes),
Hayil
Hayil (foaled 18 April 1995) is an American-bred Thoroughbred racehorse and sire best known for his upset win in the 1997 Middle Park Stakes. As a two-year-old in England, he showed promising form in his first five starts, winning once and plac ...
and Millstream (
Cornwallis Stakes
The Cornwallis Stakes is a Group 3 flat horse race in Great Britain open to two-year-old horses. It is run at Newmarket over a distance of 5 furlongs (1,006 metres), and it is scheduled to take place ...
). On January 18, 2010 it was announced that Dayjur had been retired from stud duty.
On 25 September 2013 Dayjur was euthanized Shadwell "due to the infirmities of old age".
Pedigree
References
{{reflist
1987 racehorse births
2013 racehorse deaths
Racehorses trained in the United Kingdom
Racehorses bred in Kentucky
Thoroughbred family 1-g