Indian Queen (25 February 1985 – July 2000) was a British
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 best known for winning the
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 ...
on her final racecourse appearance.
Background
Indian Queen was a chestnut mare bred by her owner
Sir Gordon Brunton at the North Munstead Stud. She was sired by Electric out of Taj Princess (Taj Dewan). She was trained by the then Royal trainer
William Hastings-Bass, 17th Earl of Huntingdon
William Edward Robin Hood Hastings-Bass, 17th Earl of Huntingdon, (born 30 January 1948), is an English hereditary peer and former racehorse trainer to Queen Elizabeth II.
He was a member of the House of Lords from 1990 to 1999.
Early life
H ...
, at
West Ilsley
West Ilsley is a village and civil parish in Berkshire, England. The population of the village at the 2011 Census was 332.
Location and amenities
It is situated in West Berkshire, north of Newbury on the Berkshire Downs. The companion village ...
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 ...
.
Indian Queen died at age 15 after an accident in the paddocks at North Munstead Stud at
Godalming
Godalming is a market town and civil parish in southwest Surrey, England, around southwest of central London. It is in the Borough of Waverley, at the confluence of the Rivers Wey and Ock. The civil parish covers and includes the settleme ...
,
Surrey
Surrey () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South East England, bordering Greater London to the south west. Surrey has a large rural area, and several significant urban areas which form part of the Greater London Built-up Area. ...
, in July 2000.
She was two weeks in foal to
Hector Protector
Hector Protector (foaled 1988 in Kentucky) was an American-bred, French-trained Thoroughbred racehorse. He was a full brother to the Champion filly Bosra Sham, who was trained by Henry Cecil. She was a champion miler and despite her bad feet she ...
when she died.
[
]
Racing career
Indian Queen earned a reputation for winning over long distances. She began her career in France and won a victory at Cagnes-sur-Mer
Cagnes-sur-Mer (, literally ''Cagnes on Sea''; oc, Canha de Mar) is a French Riviera town in the Alpes-Maritimes department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France.
Geography
Cagnes-sur-Mer is a town in south-eastern ...
.[ She was the winner of a number of Group class races including a ]dead heat
A dead heat is a rare situation in various racing sports in which the performances of competitors are judged to be so close that no difference between them can be resolved. The result is declared a Tie (draw), tie and the competitors are awarde ...
with Braashee 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 ...
at Longchamp in 1990, and gained outright victory, as a rank outsider at 25–1, in the 1991 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 ...
Walter Swinburn
Walter Robert John Swinburn (7 August 1961 – 12 December 2016) was a flat racing jockey and trainer who competed in Great Britain and internationally.
Biography
Swinburn was born in Oxford. He was the son of Wally Swinburn, who won the ...
.[ She beat Arzanni ridden by ]Frankie Dettori
Lanfranco Dettori (; born 15 December 1970), better known as Frankie Dettori, is an Italian horse racing jockey based in the United Kingdom. Dettori has been British flat racing Champion Jockey three times and has ...
in a thrilling finish to claim her Gold Cup triumph.
Stud record
Indian Queen was retired following her Gold Cup win. Then she served as broodmare.[ Her daughter, Royal Patron, won several races.][
]
References
1985 racehorse births
2000 racehorse deaths
Racehorses bred in Ireland
Racehorses trained in the United Kingdom
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