Eclair au Chocolat (1935 – ca. 1945) was a French

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 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 ...

and

sire Sire is an archaic respectful form of address to reigning kings in Europe. In French and other languages it is less archaic and relatively more current. In Belgium, the king is addressed as "Sire..." in both Dutch and French. The words "sire" a ...

. As a three-year-old he won the Grand Prix de la Ville de Vichy and then established himself as one of the best of a strong generation of European horses with wins in the

Prix Royal Oak The Prix Royal-Oak is a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run at Longchamp over a distance of 3,100 metres (about 1 mile and 7½ furlongs), and ...

and 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 ...

. After retiring to stud in 1939 he was taken to Germany during the

Occupation of France The Military Administration in France (german: Militärverwaltung in Frankreich; french: Occupation de la France par l'Allemagne) was an interim occupation authority established by Nazi Germany during World War II to administer the occupied zo ...

. His final fate is unknown.

Background

Eclair au Chocolat was a big, brown horse bred in France by his owner Edouard Alphonse de Rothschild. He was the best horse sired by Bubbles who won the

Prix Lupin The Prix Lupin was a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It was run at Longchamp over a distance of 2,100 metres (about 1 mile and 2½ furlongs), and it was scheduled to take place each year in ...

and the

Prix du Président de la République The Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud is a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to thoroughbreds aged four years or older. It is run at Saint-Cloud over a distance of 2,400 metres (about 1½ miles), and it is s ...

for Rothschild in 1928 and 1929 and was

Leading sire in France The list below shows the leading Thoroughbred sire of racehorses in France for each year since 1887. This is determined by the amount of prize money won by the sire's progeny during the season. Due to the huge prize money of the Prix de l'Arc de Tri ...

in 1938. Eclair au Chocolat's dam Honey Sweet was a daughter of Honeysuckle, whose wins included the

Prix de Pomone The Prix de Pomone is a Group 2 flat horse race in France open to thoroughbred fillies and mares aged three years or older. It is run at Deauville over a distance of 2,500 metres (about 1 mile and 4½ fur ...

and the

Prix de Malleret The Prix de Malleret is a Group 2 flat horse race in France open to three-year-old thoroughbred fillies. It is run at Saint-Cloud over a distance of 2,400 metres (about 1½ miles), and it is scheduled to ...

. Honeysuckle was descended from the broodmare Charlotte Russe, making her a distant relative of

Gallahadion Gallahadion (March 31, 1937 – July 7, 1958) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse best known as the 1940 winner of the Kentucky Derby. He was a son of the Champion sire Sir Gallahad III, and his dam-sire was U.S. Horse of the Year Reigh C ...

and

La Farina La Farina (1911–1935) was a French Thoroughbred racehorse and sire who was noted for his rivalry with his contemporary Sardanapale and has been regarded as one of the best French horses of the 20th century. In 1913 he showed promise as a ju ...

. During his racing career Eclair au Chocolat and was ridden in his major races by Charles Bouillon. He was usually restrained in the early stages before being produced with a late run and was reported to be immensely popular with the French racing public.

Racing career

1938: three-year-old season

In the spring of 1938 Eclair au Chocolat contested the

Prix Matchem The Prix Matchem is a Listed flat horse race in France open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and geldings. It is run at Maisons-Laffitte over a distance of 1,800 metres (1⅛ miles), and it is scheduled to ta ...

over 1800 metres at

Le Tremblay Le Tremblay () is a former commune in the Maine-et-Loire department in western France. On 15 December 2016, it was merged into the new commune Ombrée d'Anjou.Prix de Condé The Prix de Condé is a Group 3 flat horse race in France open to two-year-old thoroughbreds. It is run at Longchamp over a distance of 1,800 metres (about 1⅛ miles), and it is scheduled to take place ...

winner Castel Fusano. In July he was matched against older horses over 2600 metres in the Grand Prix de la Ville de Vichy and recorded his first major success. On 18 September Eclair au Chocolat contested the

Prix Royal-Oak The Prix Royal-Oak is a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run at Longchamp over a distance of 3,100 metres (about 1 mile and 7½ furlongs), and ...

over 3000 metres at

Longchamp Racecourse The Longchamp Racecourse (french: Hippodrome de Longchamp) is a 57 hectare horse-racing facility located on the Route des Tribunes at the Bois de Boulogne in Paris, France. It is used for flat racing and is noted for its variety of interlaced tr ...

and won from Castel Fusano and Cannot, a colt who had previously finished second in both the

Prix du Jockey Club The Prix du Jockey Club, sometimes referred to as the French Derby, is a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run at Chantilly over a ...

and the

Grand Prix de Paris The Grand Prix de Paris is a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run at Longchamp over a distance of 2,400 metres (about 1½ miles), and it ...

(to

Nearco Nearco (January 24, 1935 – June 27, 1957) was an Italian-bred Thoroughbred racehorse described by ''Thoroughbred Heritage'' as "one of the greatest racehorses of the Twentieth Century" and "one of the most important sires of the century." He ...

). The colt's win gave Rothschild a record fifth win in the race. On 9 October Eclair au Chocolat started the 2.6/1 favourite against nine opponents for the nineteenth running of the

over 2400 metres at Longchamp Racecourse. Ridden by Charles Bouillon, he won by two lengths from Antonym, with Cannot half a length away in third place.

Stud record

Eclair au Chocolat was entered in the 1939

Ascot Gold Cup The Gold Cup is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged four years or older. It is run at Ascot over a distance of 2 miles 3 furlongs and 210 yards (4,014 ...

but was retired from racing to become a breeding stallion at the

Haras de Meautry Haras de Meautry in Touques, Calvados, Normandy, France, is a thoroughbred horse breeding farm. It was acquired in the 19th century by horse-racing enthusiast Alphonse James de Rothschild (1827–1905) who passed it down to his offspring so that ...

. Following the

Fall of France The Battle of France (french: bataille de France) (10 May – 25 June 1940), also known as the Western Campaign ('), the French Campaign (german: Frankreichfeldzug, ) and the Fall of France, was the German invasion of France during the Second World ...

in 1940 he was reportedly taken to Germany and stood at the Graditz and Altefeld Studs until 1945. He disappeared from the record at the end of the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

Assessment

At the end of 1938, Eclair au Chocolat was regarded as one of the best horses of his generation, alongside Nearco,

Rockfel Rockfel (1935 – November 1941) was a British Thoroughbred racehorse and broodmare, best known for winning two British Classic Races, Classics in 1938. In a career which lasted from July 1937 until May 1939 she ran thirteen times and won eight ...

and

Bois Roussel Bois Roussel (1935–1955) was a French-bred Thoroughbred champion racehorse and a leading broodmare sire. He won the 1938 Epsom Derby on his second racecourse appearance. Background He was named for Haras du Bois-Roussel, the breeding farm in A ...

. The Australian jockey Rae Johnstone (who rode Cannot), reportedly regarded him as potentially the best stayer since

Phar Lap Phar Lap (4 October 1926 – 5 April 1932) was a champion New Zealand–bred Thoroughbred racehorse who is widely regarded as New Zealand's greatest racehorse ever. Achieving incredible success during his distinguished career, his initial ...

. In their book ''A Century of Champions'', based on a modified version of the

Timeform Timeform is a sports data and content provider located in Halifax, West Yorkshire, England. Founded in 1948, it provides systematic information on form to punters and others involved in the horse racing industry. The company was purchased by ...

system, John Randall and Tony Morris rated Eclair au Chocolat a "superior" winner of the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe. They rated him the one hundred and forty-fifth best racehorse of twentieth century, the thirtieth best horse of the century to have been trained in France, and the second best horse foaled in 1935, behind Nearco.

Pedigree

*Eclair au Chocolat was

inbred Inbreeding is the production of offspring from the mating or breeding of individuals or organisms that are closely related genetically. By analogy, the term is used in human reproduction, but more commonly refers to the genetic disorders and o ...

3 × 4 to Sans Souci, meaning that this stallion appears in both third and fourth generations of his pedigree.

References

{{reflist 1935 racehorse births Racehorses bred in France Racehorses trained in France Thoroughbred family 4-e