English Prince (1971–1983) was an Irish-bred, 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 ...
racehorse and
sire. In a racing career which lasted four months in the spring and summer of 1974 he ran six times and won four races. After being beaten on his racecourse debut he won the
White Rose Stakes,
Predominate Stakes and
King Edward VII Stakes
The King Edward VII Stakes is a Group 2 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old colts and geldings. It is run at Ascot over a distance of 1 mile 3 furlongs and 211 yards (2,406 met ...
in England before recording his most important success 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 ...
. He suffered from a series of training problems thereafter, was beaten by
Bustino
Bustino (foaled 1971) was a British Thoroughbred Champion racehorse and sire. In a career which lasted from August 1973 until July 1975 he ran nine times and won five races. He was the best British three-year-old of 1974, when his wins includ ...
in his only subsequent race and was retired from racing at the end of the year. He sired the dual
classic
A classic is an outstanding example of a particular style; something of lasting worth or with a timeless quality; of the first or highest quality, class, or rank – something that exemplifies its class. The word can be an adjective (a ''c ...
winner
Sun Princess Sun Princess may refer to:
* ''Sun Princess'' (ship), various ships
* Sun Princess (horse), a Thoroughbred racehorse
* Sun Princess, the title given to the second place winner of the Sun and Salsa Festival pageant
See also
* Princess Sun, ...
before being exported to Japan where he died in 1983.
Background
English Prince was a "big, well-made, attractive"
bay horse with a narrow white
blaze and a white
sock on his left hind leg bred by his owner, Vera Hue-Williams (formerly Vera Lilley) at her Irish stud in
County Kildare which she ran in partnership with her second husband Roger Hue-Williams. She had previously owned many top-class racehorses including
Supreme Court when married to Tom Lilley. In the same year, the Hue-Williams stud bred a colt by
Sir Ivor
Sir Ivor (May 5, 1965 – November 10, 1995) was an American-bred, Irish-trained champion Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. In a career which lasted from July 1967 to October 1968 he ran thirteen times and won eight races. He won major races in ...
who was named Imperial Prince and raced in Roger's ownership. English Prince was from the second crop of foals sired by
Petingo
Petingo (1965–1976) was a British Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. In a racing career which lasted from June 1967 until August 1968 he ran nine times and won six races. In 1967 he was unbeaten in three starts including the Gimcrack Stakes ...
, the leading English two-year-old of 1967 when he was rated the best horse in Europe by the independent
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 t ...
organisation. Petingo's later progeny included the 1978
Oaks winner
Fair Salinia
Fair Salinia (18 March 1975 – 31 March 2004) was a British Thoroughbred racehorse and broodmare best known for winning the classic Oaks Stakes in 1978. In a racing career which lasted from September 1977 until September 1978 she won four of he ...
and 1979 Derby winner
Troy
Troy ( el, Τροία and Latin: Troia, Hittite: 𒋫𒊒𒄿𒊭 ''Truwiša'') or Ilion ( el, Ίλιον and Latin: Ilium, Hittite: 𒃾𒇻𒊭 ''Wiluša'') was an ancient city located at Hisarlik in present-day Turkey, south-west of Ç ...
. English Prince's dam English Miss was a useful stayer (rated 99 by Timeform) who won over a mile as a two-year-old and ran in the
Cesarewitch
The Cesarewitch Handicap is a flat handicap horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged three years or older. It is run at Newmarket over a distance of 2 miles and 2 furlongs (3,621 metres ...
at three. English Miss's grand-dam Perfume was a half-sister to
Ambiorix
Ambiorix (Gaulish "king of the surroundings", or "king-protector") ( 54–53 BC) was, together with Cativolcus, prince of the Eburones, leader of a Belgic tribe of north-eastern Gaul (Gallia Belgica), where modern Belgium is located. In the n ...
and the dam of 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 ...
winner
My Babu and the
Prix Jacques Le Marois winner
Sayani.
Vera Hue-Williams sent her colt into training with
Peter Walwyn
Peter Tyndall Walwyn, (1 July 1933 – 7 December 2017) was a British racehorse trainer. He was based at stables in the Lambourn, Berkshire, area and enjoyed his period of greatest success in the mid-1970s when he was British flat racing Cham ...
at the Seven Barrows Stable near
Lambourn
Lambourn is a village and civil parish in Berkshire, England. It lies just north of the M4 Motorway between Swindon and Newbury, and borders Wiltshire to the west and Oxfordshire to the north. After Newmarket it is the largest centre of ra ...
in
Berkshire.
Racing career
1974: three-year-old season
Unraced as a two-year-old, English Prince made his racecourse debut in a
maiden race over one mile at
Newbury Racecourse
Newbury Racecourse is a racecourse and events venue in the civil parish of Greenham, adjoining the town of Newbury in Berkshire, England. It has courses for flat races and over jumps. It hosts one of Great Britain's 36 annual Group 1 flat ...
in April and finished second to Final Chord who went on to win the
Britannia Stakes
The Britannia Stakes is a flat handicap horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old colts and geldings. It is run at Ascot over a distance of 1 mile (1,609 metres) on the straight cou ...
in June. Despite his defeat English Prince was then moved up in class and distance for the
Group Three White Rose Stakes over ten
furlongs
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 ho ...
at
Ascot Racecourse
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 a ...
in May. Ridden by
Pat Eddery
Patrick James John Eddery (18 March 1952 – 10 November 2015) was an Irish flat racing jockey and trainer. He rode three winners of the Derby and was Champion Jockey on eleven occasions. He rode the winners of 4,632 British flat races, a f ...
, he won from Regular Guy and Rymer. In the
Predominate Stakes (usually a trial race for the Epsom Derby) over a mile and a half 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 la ...
later that month he won again, beating Live Arrow by six
lengths. Walwyn opted not to run English Prince in the Epsom Derby, believing that the colt was still immature and would be unsuited by the course. At
Royal Ascot on 20 June English Prince, with Eddery again in the saddle, started the 8/11 favourite
for the Group Two King Edward VII Stakes against five opponents including Royal Empire (runner-up in the
Prix Jean de Chaudenay
The Prix Jean de Chaudenay was a Group 2 flat horse race in France open to thoroughbreds aged four years or older. It was run at Saint-Cloud over a distance of 2,400 metres (about 1½ miles), and it was scheduled to take place each year in May or ...
), Honoured Guest (winner of the
Dante Stakes
The Dante Stakes is a Group 2 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old horses. It is run over a distance of 1 mile, 2 furlongs and 56 yards () at ...
) and Straight As A Die (
Royal Lodge Stakes
The Royal Lodge Stakes is a Group 2 flat horse race in Great Britain open to two-year-old colts and geldings. It is run on the Rowley Mile at Newmarket over a distance of 1 mile (1,609 metres) ...
). English won in race record time from Straight As A Die, to whom he was conceding four pounds.
Nine days after his win at Ascot, English Prince was sent to Ireland to contest the Irish Sweeps Derby 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 ...
with the French champion
Yves Saint-Martin
Yves Saint-Martin (born 8 September 1941 in Agen, Lot-et-Garonne, France) is a retired champion jockey in French Thoroughbred horse racing. He is widely considered one of the greatest riders in French racing history.
Saint-Martin won his fir ...
taking over the ride from Eddery, who was serving a suspension. Roger Hue-Williams' Imperial Prince, runner-up to
Snow Knight
Snow Knight (28 February 1971 – 15 September 1992) was a Thoroughbred racehorse who won Britain's most prestigious race in 1974, the Derby, then the following year earned an Eclipse Award as the American Champion Male Turf Horse.
Backgrou ...
in the Epsom Derby, started favourite ahead of the French-trained colts
Caracolero
Caracolero (1971 – after 1987) was a Kentucky-bred, French-trained Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. He showed some promise as a two-year-old in 1973, winning one of his three races, but was rated well behind the best of his year in France. ...
(
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 ...
) and
Mississipian (
Grand Critérium
Grand may refer to:
People with the name
* Grand (surname)
* Grand L. Bush (born 1955), American actor
* Grand Mixer DXT, American turntablist
* Grand Puba (born 1966), American rapper
Places
* Grand, Oklahoma
* Grand, Vosges, village and c ...
) with English Prince fourth in the betting at odds of 8/1 in a field of thirteen which also included the
Irish 2000 Guineas
The Irish 2,000 Guineas 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 mile (1,609 metres), and it is ...
winner
Furry Glen. Saint-Martin kept the colt in the first three from the start before going to the front half a mile from the finish and establishing a clear advantage in the straight. English Prince stayed on strongly in the closing stages to win by one and a half lengths from Imperial Prince with Mississipian finishing third ahead of Sir Penfro with Furry Glen seventh, Caracolero eighth and the future
Irish St Leger winner
Mistigri in tenth. After the race Saint-Martin said that the winner "always ran beautifully, and was all ready to go when I urged him to do so".
Mississipian was demoted from third to fourth following a stewards' inquiry. English Prince was regarded as a leading contender for the
St Leger Stakes
The St Leger Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run at Doncaster over a ...
, but had a series of minor training problems before he appeared for his trial race, the
Great Voltigeur Stakes
The Great Voltigeur Stakes is a Group 2 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old colts and geldings. It is run at York over a distance of 1 mile 3 furlongs and 1 ...
at
York Racecourse
York Racecourse is a horse racing venue in York, North Yorkshire, England.
It is the third biggest racecourse in Britain in terms of total prize money offered, and second behind Ascot in prize money offered per meeting. It attracts around 350 ...
. He looked impressive before the race and started favourite, but after taking the lead in the straight he proved no match for
Bustino
Bustino (foaled 1971) was a British Thoroughbred Champion racehorse and sire. In a career which lasted from August 1973 until July 1975 he ran nine times and won five races. He was the best British three-year-old of 1974, when his wins includ ...
and was beaten four lengths into second place. On returning from the race, the colt was found to be suffering from soreness in his right foreleg. The injury did not respond to treatment: he was withdrawn from the St Leger and did not race again.
Assessment
There was no International Classification of European three-year-olds in 1974: the official handicappers of Britain, Ireland and France compiled separate rankings for horses which competed in those countries. In the British handicap English Prince was rated the ninth best three-year-old colt of the season, six pounds behind
Take A Reef. The independent Timeform organisation gave him a rating of 129 one pound behind the best British-trained colts Bustino and
Giacometti
Alberto Giacometti (, , ; 10 October 1901 – 11 January 1966) was a Swiss sculptor, painter, Drafter, draftsman and Printmaking, printmaker. Beginning in 1922, he lived and worked mainly in Paris but regularly visited his hometown Borgonovo, ...
, and two pounds behind the French three-year-olds Nonoalco,
Sagaro,
Dankaro
Dankaro (8 May 1971 died 30 September 1976) was a French Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. One of the last champions bred by Marcel Boussac, he showed promise as a two-year-old in 1973 when he won the Prix de Cabourg. In the following spring he ...
, Caracolero and
Comtesse de Loir
Comtesse de Loir (1971 – after 1993) was a French Thoroughbred racehorse and broodmare. In her three-year racing career, she won only one important race, the Prix Saint-Alary in 1974. but was placed in numerous major events including the ...
.
Stud record
English Prince was retired from racing to become a breeding stallion, beginning his stud career at the Ballylinch Stud in
County Kilkenny at a fee of £2,000. His early results were not impressive and in 1980 he was sold and exported to Japan where he died in 1983. His last three European crops boosted his reputation as a stallion after his departure to Japan. In 1982 his three-year-old daughter
Prince's Polly won the
Irish 1000 Guineas
The Irish 1,000 Guineas is a Group 1 flat horse race in Ireland open to three-year-old thoroughbred fillies. It is run at the Curragh over a distance of 1 mile (1,609 metres), and it is scheduled t ...
(beating
On The House), whilst his four-year-old son Evzon took the
Queen's Vase
The Queen's Vase is a Group 2 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old horses. It is run at Ascot over a distance of 1 mile 6 furlongs and 34 yards (2,847 metres), and it is schedul ...
at Royal Ascot.
In the following year the three-year-old filly
Sun Princess Sun Princess may refer to:
* ''Sun Princess'' (ship), various ships
* Sun Princess (horse), a Thoroughbred racehorse
* Sun Princess, the title given to the second place winner of the Sun and Salsa Festival pageant
See also
* Princess Sun, ...
emerged as the best of English Prince's offspring, winning
The Oaks by twelve lengths, the
Yorkshire Oaks
The Yorkshire Oaks is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to fillies and mares aged three years or older. It is run at York over a distance of 1 mile 3 ...
and the
St Leger
The St Leger Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run at Doncaster over a ...
as well as finishing second 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 ...
.
Pedigree
References
{{reflist
1971 racehorse births
1983 racehorse deaths
Racehorses bred in Ireland
Racehorses trained in the United Kingdom
Thoroughbred family 1-w
Irish Classic Race winners