Dr Devious (10 March 1989 – 7 March 2018) was an Irish-bred and British-trained
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 ...
race horse
Horse racing is an equestrian performance sport, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its basic pr ...
. In a career which lasted from May 1991 until November 1992, he ran fifteen times and won six races. He is most notable as the winner of 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 ...
in 1992. Dr Devious's other most significant wins came in the
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), ...
and the
Irish Champion Stakes
The Irish Champion Stakes ( Irish: Curadh-Dhuais na hÉireann) is a Group 1 flat horse race in Ireland open to horses aged three years or older. It is run at Leopardstown over a distance of 1 mile and 2 furlongs (2,01 ...
. He was the second horse, after Bold Arrangement in 1986, to run in both the Kentucky Derby and the Epsom Derby.
Cashel, County Tipperary
Cashel (; ) is a town in County Tipperary in Ireland. Its population was 4,422 in the 2016 census. The town gives its name to the ecclesiastical province of ''Cashel''. Additionally, the ''cathedra'' of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cashel ...
, Dr Devious was sired by
Ahonoora
Ahonoora (1975–1989) was a British Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. In a career that lasted from 1977 to 1979 he ran sixteen times and won seven races. Ahonoora was a sprinter who specialised in races over five and six furlongs, with his most ...
out of the
mare
A mare is an adult female horse or other equine. In most cases, a mare is a female horse over the age of three, and a filly is a female horse three and younger. In Thoroughbred horse racing, a mare is defined as a female horse more than four ...
Rose of Jericho, a daughter of two-time
Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe
The Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe is a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run at Longchamp Racecourse in Paris, France, over a distance ...
winner
Alleged
In law, an allegation is a claim of an unproven fact by a party in a pleading, charge, or defense. Until they can be proved, allegations remain merely assertions.
. As a son of Ahonoora, he is a representative of the
Byerley Turk
The Byerley Turk (c. 1680 – c. 1703), also spelled Byerly Turk, was the earliest of three stallions that were the founders of the modern Thoroughbred horse racing bloodstock (the other two are the Godolphin Arabian and the Darley Arabian).Ahner ...
sire line, unlike more than 95% of modern thoroughbreds, who descend directly from the
Darley Arabian
The Darley Arabian (foaled c. 1700) was one of three dominant foundation sires of modern Thoroughbred horse racing bloodstock. The other two founders were the Godolphin Arabian and the Byerley Turk. This bay Arabian horse was bought in Alep ...
. Rose of Jericho was an unraced mare who also produced the Greenlands Stakes winner Archway. He was purchased by Italian businessman
Luciano Gaucci
Luciano Gaucci (December 28, 1938 – February 1, 2020) was an Italian entrepreneur and sportsman. He was the owner of various clubs:
* Perugia Calcio, a football club based in Perugia, Umbria.
* Viterbese Calcio, a football club based in Viterbo, ...
, owner of the Allevamento White Star breeding and racing operation who had had great success in the late 1980s with the colt
Tony Bin
Tony may refer to:
People and fictional characters
* Tony (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters
* Gregory Tony (born 1978), American law enforcement officer
* Motu Tony (born 1981), New Zealand international rugby leagu ...
. Dr Devious, reportedly named after a
supervillain
A supervillain or supercriminal is a variant of the villainous stock character that is commonly found in American comic books, usually possessing superhuman abilities. A supervillain is the antithesis of a superhero.
Supervillains are oft ...
, was trained throughout his career by
Peter Chapple-Hyam
Peter Chapple-Hyam (born 2 April 1963 in Leamington Spa, Warwickshire, England) is a Thoroughbred racehorse trainer. He trained Dr Devious to win The Derby in 1992 and repeated the feat with Authorized in 2007. He managed two Group One wins ...
.
Racing career
1991: two-year-old season
In the spring of 1991, the two-year-old Dr Devious won the May Maiden Stakes at Newbury, then in June ran second in the
Coventry Stakes
The Coventry Stakes is a Group 2 flat horse race in Great Britain open to two-year-old horses. It is run at Ascot over a distance of 6 furlongs (1,207 metres), and it is scheduled to take place each ...
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 ...
. Ridden for the remainder of the year by
Willie Carson
William Fisher Hunter Carson, OBE (born 16 November 1942) is a retired jockey in thoroughbred horse racing.
Life and career
Best known as "Willie", Carson was born in Stirling, Scotland in 1942. He was apprenticed ...
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 ...
at
Goodwood Racecourse
Goodwood Racecourse is a horse-racing track five miles north of Chichester, West Sussex, in England controlled by the family of the Duke of Richmond, whose seat is nearby Goodwood House. It hosts the annual Glorious Goodwood meeting in lat ...
. The horse had been sold by
Robert Sangster
Robert Edmund Sangster (23 May 1936 – 7 April 2004)
to
Luciano Gaucci
Luciano Gaucci (December 28, 1938 – February 1, 2020) was an Italian entrepreneur and sportsman. He was the owner of various clubs:
* Perugia Calcio, a football club based in Perugia, Umbria.
* Viterbese Calcio, a football club based in Viterbo, ...
before 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 ...
, but the agreement was that he would be leased back to Sangster for his next two races. Back at Newmarket, on 2 October he finished a head second to Young Senor in a crowded field in the Tiffany Highflyer Stakes then just over two weeks later (wearing the Gaucci colours for the first time) ran in the
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 ...
seven
furlong
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 hors ...
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), ...
, Britain's most prestigious race for two-year-olds. He took the lead a furlong from the finish and won by two and a half lengths from Great Palm.
1992: three-year-old season
American
Jenny Craig
Jenny Craig, Inc., often known simply as Jenny Craig, is an American weight loss, weight management, and nutrition company. The company has more than 700 weight management centers in Australia, the United States, Canada, and New Zealand. The pro ...
purchased Dr Devious for a reported $2.5 million as a gift for her husband Sidney. In April 1992, Dr Devious finished second to Alnasr Alwasheek under the French-based American jockey
Cash Asmussen
Cash Asmussen (born March 15, 1962 in Agar, South Dakota) is an American thoroughbred horse racing jockey. Born Brian Keith Asmussen, in 1977 he legally changed his name to "Cash".
From a Texas horse racing family, his parents, Keith and Marilyn ...
in the
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 ...
. In May of that year, the colt was shipped to
Churchill Downs
Churchill Downs is a horse racing complex located on Central Avenue in south Louisville, Kentucky, United States, famed for hosting the annual Kentucky Derby. It officially opened in 1875 and was named for Samuel Churchill, whose family was ...
in
Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border ...
, to compete in America's most prestigious horse race, the
Kentucky Derby
The Kentucky Derby is a horse race held annually in Louisville, Kentucky, United States, almost always on the first Saturday in May, capping the two-week-long Kentucky Derby Festival. The competition is a Grade I stakes race for three-year ...
. Racing on dirt, Dr Devious finished seventh to winner
Lil E. Tee
Lil E. Tee (March 29, 1989 – March 18, 2009) was an American-bred Thoroughbred racehorse who in 1992 scored one of the biggest upsets in the history of the Kentucky Derby.
Background
A bay colt, Lil E. Tee was bred in Pennsylvania by Lawr ...
. After the race, Sidney Craig asked the advice of his American trainer,
Ron McAnally
Ronald L. McAnally (born July 11, 1932, in Covington, Kentucky) is an American Hall of Fame trainer in Thoroughbred horse racing. Called "one of the most honored and respected of North American trainers" by Thoroughbred Times Co., Inc, as a chil ...
, who advised him that Dr Devious was a turf specialist and that he should send the colt back to England.
Dr Devious returned to England to run in the Epsom Derby on 3 June. Starting the 8/1 second favourite in a field of eighteen, he took the lead a furlong from the finish and held off the challenges of
St Jovite
St Jovite (11 March 1989 – 9 January 2016) was an American bred, Irish-trained Thoroughbred racehorse bred and owned by Virginia Kraft Payson. He was sired by Pleasant Colony, winner of the 1981 Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes. His dam ...
and Silver Wisp to win by two lengths.
Three and a half weeks after his Epsom win, Dr Devious met St Jovite again in the
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 ...
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 ...
. Dr Devious was made odds-on favourite but was never able to make a serious challenge to St Jovite, who won by twelve lengths in record time. Dr Devious finished fourth in 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 in August and then ran against St Jovite for a third time in the Irish Champion Stakes over ten furlongs. The two horses raced head-to-head down the straight with Dr Devious moving ahead near the post and winning by a short head.
Dr Devious ran three more times without recovering his best form. He finished sixth in the
Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe
The Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe is a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run at Longchamp Racecourse in Paris, France, over a distance ...
, fourth in the
Breeders' Cup Turf
The Breeders' Cup Turf is a Weight for Age Thoroughbred horse race on turf for three-year-olds and up. It is held annually at a different racetrack in the United States or Canada as part of the Breeders' Cup World Championships. The race's current ...
, and unplaced on his final start in the
Japan Cup
The is one of the most prestigious horse races in Japan. It is contested on the last Sunday of November, post time of 15:40 at Tokyo Racecourse in Fuchu, Tokyo at a distance of 2400 meters (about miles) run under weight for age conditions with ...
.
Stud career
Retired to
stud
Stud may refer to the following terms:
Animals
* Stud (animal), an animal retained for breeding
** Stud farm, a property where livestock are bred
Arts and entertainment
* Stud (band), a British progressive rock group
* The Stud (bar), a gay ba ...
in Japan 1993-96 at Coolmore Ireland in 1997-2001, he was eventually sent to Italy for stud duty at Allevamenti della Berardenga in 2002-16, Pensioned from stud duties in 2016 and was the leading sire in Italy on two occasions. His most successful offspring has been the
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 ...
Collier Hill
Collier Hill (foaled 26 March 1998) is a British Thoroughbred racehorse. He was bred by the prominent American sportsman George W. Strawbridge, Jr. who was involved in both steeplechase and flat racing and who raced in Europe and the United State ...
, a multiple winner of major international stakes whose victories include the 2004 and 2006
Stockholm Cup International
The Stockholm Cup International is a Conditions races, Group 3 Flat racing, flat Horse racing, horse race in Sweden open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run at Bro Park Racecourse, Bro Park over a distance of 2,400 metres (about 1 ...
, the 2005
Gerling-Preis
The Gerling-Preis is a Group 2 flat horse race in Germany open to thoroughbreds aged four years or older. It is run over a distance of 2,400 metres (about 1½ miles) at Cologne in late April or early May.
History
The event was est ...
Canadian International Stakes
The Canadian International Stakes is a Grade I stakes race for thoroughbred racehorses three years of age and up on Turf. It is held annually in October at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The current purse is
Since its creation i ...
and
Hong Kong Vase
The Hong Kong Vase is a Group 1 flat horse race in Hong Kong which is open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run over a distance of 2,400 metres (about miles or 12 furlongs) at Sha Tin, and it is scheduled to take place each year ...
. He was also the sire of the
Prix de l'Opéra
The Prix de l'Opéra is a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to thoroughbred fillies and mares aged three years or older. It is run at Longchamp over a distance of 2,000 metres (about 1¼ miles), and i ...
winner Kinnaird. Died in Sardinia on 7 March 2018.