Designs On Rome (foaled 17 March 2010) is an Irish-bred Thoroughbred racehorse. He is best known for his performances in Hong Kong where he was named Horse of the Year in 2014.

Background

Designs On Rome is a bay gelding bred in Ireland by the

Moyglare Stud Walter Haefner (13 September 1910 – 19 June 2012) was a Swiss businessman and a thoroughbred racehorse owner and breeder in Ireland. As a young man Haefner went to work in the auto industry as an employee of the Swiss division of General Mo ...

. He was sired by

Holy Roman Emperor The Holy Roman Emperor, originally and officially the Emperor of the Romans ( la, Imperator Romanorum, german: Kaiser der Römer) during the Middle Ages, and also known as the Roman-German Emperor since the early modern period ( la, Imperat ...

, one of the leading European two-year-olds of his generation, who unusually began his stud career as a three-year-old. The best of his other progeny have included the

1000 Guineas The 1000 Guineas Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old fillies. It is run on the Rowley Mile at Newmarket over a distance of 1 mile (1,609 ...

winner Homecoming Queen and the Santa Anita Sprint Championship winner Rich Tapestry. Designs On Rome's dam Summer Trysting failed to win but finished second on five occasions and was closely related to the Irish Derby winner

Grey Swallow Grey Swallow (19 February 2001 – 25 August 2021) was an Irish Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. In a racing career which lasted from July 2003 until October 2006 he competed in five countries and won six of his fifteen races. He was unbeaten in ...

Racing career

2012: two-year-old season

Designs On Rome ran five times as a juvenile in 2012. In May finished third in 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 ...

at Gowran Park and fourth in a similar event at the Curragh. He recorded his first success in a seven furlong maiden at Naas in August, beating the Dermot Weld-trained favourite Mouteab by two

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 In ...

at odds of 9/2. Later that month, in a nursery race (a handicap for two-year-olds) he finished second to Sugar Boy, to whom he was conceding seven pounds. On his final appearance as a juvenile, Designs On Rome was moved up to

Group One Group One, Group 1, Grade I or G1 is the term used for the highest level of Thoroughbred and Standardbred stakes races in many countries. In Europe, the level of races for Thoroughbred racing is determined using the Pattern races, Pattern race sys ...

class for the National Stakes at the Curragh. Starting a 28/1 outsider, he finished second of the seven runners behind

Dawn Approach Dawn Approach (foaled 23 April 2010) is an Irish Thoroughbred racehorse. In a racing career which began in March 2012 the colt has won all seven of his races including the Coventry Stakes at Royal Ascot, the National Stakes at the Curragh and ...

2013/2014 season

In 2013, Designs On Rome was bought by Cheng Keung Fai and sent to Hong Kong where he was trained by John Moore. On his first appearance for his new connections he won the Sha Tin Trophy, a one-mile handicap race at Sha Tin Racecourse. In January 2014 he finished second to the favoured Able Friend Hong Kong Classic Mile, before defeating the same horse to record his first major success in the

Hong Kong Classic Cup The Hong Kong Classic Cup is a Thoroughbred set weights horse race in Hong Kong for four year olds, run over a distance of 1800 metres. The first three finishers in this race have priority to run in the Hong Kong Derby, which is the most prestigious ...

a month later. Designs On Rome met Able Friend for the third time in the Hong Kong Derby over ten furlongs in March and won again, prevailing over his rival by half a length. In April Designs On Rome won the Queen Elizabeth II Cup, beating Military Attack by a neck, with the South African runner Vercingetorix in third and Epiphaneia in fourth. When moved up in distance for the

Hong Kong Champions & Chater Cup Hong Kong Champions & Chater Cup is a Hong Kong Thoroughbred horse race held annually in late May or early June at Sha Tin Racecourse. A Group One race that offers a purse of HK$12,000,000, it is run on turf over a distance of 2400 meters (prior ...

over 2400 metres in May he started the 2/5 favourite, but finished fifth of the eight runners behind

Blazing Speed Blazing or blazin' can refer to; * Trail blazing, practice of marking outdoor pathways. * A technique for changing the energy distribution of dispersed light from a diffraction grating by altering the shape of the slits. * A slang term for smokin ...

. He was ridden by

Tommy Berry Tommy may refer to: People * Tommy (given name) * Tommy Atkins, or just Tommy, a slang term for a common soldier in the British Army Arts and entertainment Film and television * ''Tommy'' (1931 film), a Soviet drama film * ''Tommy'' (1975 fil ...

in this season's major races.

2014/2015 season

In this season, Designs On Rome is ridden by Joao Moreira. He failed to win in his first three starts in the autumn of 2014. He finished third when attempting to concede three pounds to Gold-Fun in the Celebration Cup over 1400 metres on 5 October, eighth behind Military Attack in the 1600 metre Oriental Watch Sha Tin Trophy three weeks later and fifth to Blazing Speed in the Jockey Club Cup in November. After that, He won the Hong Kong Cup (G1 2000m) on 14 December by beating Military Attack with a short-head. In 2015, he continued his winning way by winning both the Centenary Vase (HKG3 1800m) and the Hong Kong Gold Cup (G1 2000m). In March he was sent to the United Arab Emirates to contest the

Sheema Classic The Dubai Sheema Classic is a Group 1 flat horse race in the United Arab Emirates open to thoroughbreds which are four-years-old or above. It is run over a distance of 2,400 metres (approximately miles; 2410 metres since 2010) on the turf track at ...

. He came from well off the pace to finish fourth behind Dolniya, Flintshire and One And Only. On his return to Hong Kong he finished fourth to Blazing Speed in the Queen Elizabeth II Cup. He then missed the

due to injury, and have to undergo an arthroscopic joint surgery.

2015/2016 season

Designs On Rome came back from the surgery with his seasonal debut in the Jockey Club Mile as a prep race for the Hong Kong Cup, in which he finishes sixth. He then steps up to his best trip of 2000M in the Hong Kong Cup, which he won the year before. But this time he could only manage to fourth behind the Japanese A Shin Hikari and Nuovo Record. In his next start in the one mile Stewards' Cup, he disappointed, finishing eighth. He races again a month later at his optimum trip of 2000M in the

Hong Kong Gold Cup The Hong Kong Gold Cup is a Group One Hong Kong Thoroughbred horse race held annually since 1979 at Sha Tin Racecourse. It is open to horses three years of age and older. Run on grass, turf, it was initially run over a distance of 1,800 metre ...

, but this time ridden by his old partner Tommy Berry, according to the owner's will. He stayed in the tail of the field, but being pushed 800M from home, setting off his trademark early run. He sustained his momentum and held off stable companion Helene Happy Star by a comfortable half-length margin, claiming back-to-back victories in the Hong Kong Gold Cup. Designs On Rome proved his class and demolished all the suspicions that he would not return to his best again after the injury. He then finished third in the Group 2

Chairman's Trophy The Chairman's Trophy is a Group 2 set weights Thoroughbred horse race in Hong Kong, run at Sha Tin over a distance of 1600 metres, and takes place in early April. Horses three years old and older are qualified to enter this race. Winners ...

as a lead-up for the Queen Elizabeth II Cup.

Assessment and awards

In the Hong Kong Jockey Club Champion Awards for the 2013/2014 season, Designs On Rome was named Horse of the Year, Most Popular Horse of the Year and Champion Middle-distance Horse.

Pedigree

*Designs On Rome is inbred 4 x 4 x 4 to Northern Dancer, meaning that this stallion appears three times in the fourth generation of his pedigree.

References

{{reflist 2010 racehorse births Racehorses bred in Ireland Racehorses trained in Ireland Racehorses trained in Hong Kong Thoroughbred family 8-f