Intercontinental (foaled 2000 in

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

) is a

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 ...

Champion A champion (from the late Latin ''campio'') is the victor in a challenge, contest or competition. There can be a territorial pyramid of championships, e.g. local, regional / provincial, state, national, continental and world championships, an ...

racehorse who competed in England, France, and the United States. Bred and raced by Khalid Abdullah's

Juddmonte Farms Juddmonte Farms is a horse breeding farm, owned until his death on 12th January 2021 by Prince Khalid bin Abdullah of Saudi Arabia.National Thoroughbred Racing Association"Juddmonte Farms, Inc.", profile. Retrieved October 16, 2007. Overview Ju ...

, she was sired by Danehill, a multiple Champion sire in England, Ireland, and France and the most successful sire in the history of

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

n Thoroughbred racing. Her dam was the outstanding

broodmare 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 ...

Hasili, whose sire Kahyasi won the 1988

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

and

Epsom Derby The Derby Stakes, also known as the Epsom Derby or the Derby, and as the Cazoo Derby for sponsorship reasons, is a Group 1 flat horse race in England open to three-year-old colts and fillies. It is run at Epsom Downs Racecourse in Surrey o ...

s. Intercontinental is a full sister to

Cacique A ''cacique'' (Latin American ; ; feminine form: ''cacica'') was a tribal chieftain of the Taíno people, the indigenous inhabitants at European contact of the Bahamas, the Greater Antilles, and the northern Lesser Antilles. The term is a Spa ...

Banks Hill Banks Hill (foaled February 24, 1998 in England) was a French Thoroughbred Champion racehorse. She was bred and raced by Khalid Abdullah's Juddmonte Farms. She was sired by Danehill, a multiple Champion sire in England, Ireland, and France and ...

, and

Champs Elysees Champs may refer to: Music * The Champs, a U.S. instrumental music group * Champs (Brazilian band), a Brazilian boy band * Champs (British band), a British folk- and indie rock-influenced band * The Fucking Champs, a U.S. progressive heavy metal ...

. Based in France with trainer

André Fabre André Fabre (born 9 December 1945) is a French thoroughbred horse racing trainer. The son of a diplomat, Fabre graduated from university with a law degree but then decided to pursue a career in thoroughbred horse racing. He began by working in ...

, Intercontinental made three starts at age two. She won two races and was third 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 ...

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 ...

. At age three in 2003, she made six starts at racecourses in France and England. Her only win came in the

Listed Listed may refer to: * Listed, Bornholm, a fishing village on the Danish island of Bornholm * Listed (MMM program), a television show on MuchMoreMusic * Endangered species in biology * Listed building, in architecture, designation of a historicall ...

Prix Amandine for three-year-old fillies at

Deauville-La Touques Racecourse Hippodrome Deauville-La Touques is a race track for thoroughbred horse racing located in Deauville in the Calvados département, in the Normandy '' région'' of France. Originally called Hippodrome de la Touques, it was named for the Touques River ...

. She notably ran third to winner

Russian Rhythm Russian Rhythm is a retired Thoroughbred racehorse and active broodmare who was bred in the United States but trained in the United Kingdom. During a racing career which lasted from June 2002 until May 2004 she ran ten times and won seven races. ...

in the

1,000 Guineas Stakes at

Newmarket Racecourse Newmarket Racecourse is a British Thoroughbred horse racing venue in Newmarket, Suffolk, Newmarket, Suffolk, comprising two individual racecourses: the Rowley Mile and the July Course. Newmarket is often referred to as the headquarters of ...

{cbignore, bot=medic At age four, Intercontinental was sent to Robert J. Frankel, Robert Frankel, Juddmonte Farms' trainer in the United States. For the U.S. Racing Hall of Fame trainer, Intercontinental began 2004 with a win in the

Jenny Wiley Stakes The Jenny Wiley Stakes is a Grade I American Thoroughbred horse race for fillies and Mares, age four and older over a distance of one and one-sixteenth miles on the turf held annually in early April at Keeneland Race Course, Lexington, Kentucky d ...

br>
at Keeneland, Keeneland Race Course in

Lexington, Kentucky Lexington is a city in Kentucky, United States that is the county seat of Fayette County, Kentucky, Fayette County. By population, it is the List of cities in Kentucky, second-largest city in Kentucky and List of United States cities by popul ...

. She also won the Just A Game Breeders' Cup Handicap at

Belmont Park Belmont Park is a major thoroughbred horse racing facility in the northeastern United States, located in Elmont, New York, just east of the New York City limits. It was opened on May 4, 1905. It is operated by the non-profit New York Racin ...

Elmont, New York Elmont is an unincorporated hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) located in northwestern Hempstead in Nassau County, New York, United States, along its border with the borough of Queens in New York City. The population was 35,265 at the ...

and got her first

Grade 1 First grade (also called Grade One, called '' Year 2'' in England or Primary 2 in Scotland) is the first grade in elementary school and the first school year after kindergarten. Children are usually 6–7 years old in this grade. Examples by ...

win at

Hollywood Park Racetrack Hollywood Park was a thoroughbred race course located in Inglewood, California, about 3 miles (5 km) from Los Angeles International Airport and adjacent to the Forum indoor arena. In 1994, the original Hollywood Park Casino was added to t ...

Inglewood, California Inglewood is a city in southwestern Los Angeles County, California, in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. As of the 2020 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 107,762. It was incorporated on February 14, 1908. The city is in the South Bay ...

in the

Matriarch Stakes :'' This article is about an American horse race. For the Australian horse race, see Matriarch Stakes (Australia).'' The Matriarch Stakes is a Graded stakes race, Grade I American Thoroughbred horse race for fillies and mares that are of age thre ...

2005 Championship Year

At age five, Intercontinental had her best year. She won her second straight edition of the Jenny Wiley Stakes and also won the First Lady Stakes, Galaxy Stakes, the

Palomar Breeders' Cup Handicap The Yellow Ribbon Handicap (formerly known as the Palomar Handicap) is an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually at Del Mar Racetrack in Del Mar, California. The Grade II race is run on turf at a distance of one and one-sixteenth miles (8 ...

, and the Royal Heroine Invitational Stakesbr>
before winning the richest and most important race of her career. The 2005

Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf The Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf is a Weight for Age Thoroughbred horse race on turf for fillies and mares, three years old and up. It is held annually at a different racetrack in the United States as part of the Breeders' Cup World Champion ...

was the final race of Intercontinental's career and she won it by defeating the defending champion,

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, by a length. It was the first ever Breeders' Cup win for her

jockey A jockey is someone who rides horses in horse racing or steeplechase racing, primarily as a profession. The word also applies to camel riders in camel racing. The word "jockey" originated from England and was used to describe the individual ...

Rafael Bejarano Rafael Bejarano (born June 23, 1982 in Arequipa, Peru) is a champion jockey in American Thoroughbred horse racing. He trained at the Peruvian national riding school before embarking on his professional career in 1999. Having met with success, inclu ...

. Intercontinental's 2005 performances earned her the

Eclipse Award The Eclipse Award is an American Thoroughbred horse racing award named after the 18th-century British racehorse and sire, Eclipse. An Eclipse Award Trophy is presented to the winner in each division that is made by a few small selected American ...

as that year's

American Champion Female Turf Horse The American Champion Female Turf Horse award is an American Thoroughbred horse racing honor. It is part of the Eclipse Awards program and is awarded annually to a female horse (filly or mare) for her performance on grass race courses. Until 1978 t ...

As a broodmare

After earning more than US$2 million in racing, Intercontinental was sent to

duty at the

breeding operation near

. In 2007, she gave birth to her first foal, a filly by

Empire Maker Empire Maker (April 27, 2000 - January 18, 2020)Intercontinental's pedigree and partial racing stats

Article with video at Breeders' Cup.com of Intercontinental's win in the 2005 Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Turf
2000 racehorse births Racehorses bred in the United Kingdom Racehorses trained in France Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf winners Eclipse Award winners Thoroughbred family 11 United States Harness Racing Hall of Fame inductees