Ivanka (foaled 5 March 1990) 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 c ...

racehorse. As a two-year-old in 1992 she won two of her five races, taking a minor stakes race on her debut and winning 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 ...

Fillies' Mile The Fillies' Mile is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to two-year-old fillies. It is run on the Rowley Mile at Newmarket over a distance of 1 mile (1,609 metres), and it is schedu ...

in September. She also finished second in the

Racing Post Trophy The Vertem Futurity Trophy is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to two-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run at Doncaster over a distance of 1 mile (1,609 metres), ...

and third in the

May Hill Stakes The May Hill Stakes is a Group 2 flat horse race in Great Britain open to two-year-old fillies. It is run at Doncaster over a distance of 1 mile (1,609 metres), and it is scheduled to take place eac ...

. She sustained a fatal training injury in late 1992.

Background

Ivanka was a bay filly bred in Ireland by the Stackallen Stud. Her sire Dancing Brave was the most highly rated British racehorse of the 1980s winning a series of major races culminating 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 ...

. At stud, he was a modest success, siring the

winners Commander in Chief, White Muzzle,

Wemyss Bight Wemyss Bight (6 April 1990 – 15 April 2009) was a British-bred, French-trained Thoroughbred racehorse and Horse breeding#Terminology, broodmare. She was successful in her only start as a two-year-old in 1992 and developed into a top-class midd ...

and Cherokee Rose before being sold and exported to Japan in 1991. Her dam Diamond Land won one minor race in Ireland and became an influential broodmare, being the grand-dam of

Yeats William Butler Yeats (13 June 186528 January 1939) was an Irish poet, dramatist, writer and one of the foremost figures of 20th-century literature. He was a driving force behind the Irish Literary Revival and became a pillar of the Irish litera ...

and 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 ...

winner Alcazar. As a

yearling Yearling may refer to: *Yearling (horse), a horse between one and two years old *''The Yearling ''The Yearling'' is a novel by American writer Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, published in March 1938. It was the main selection of the Book of the Mo ...

in October 1991, the filly was offered for sale at

Tattersalls Tattersalls (formerly Tattersall's) is the main auctioneer of race horses in the United Kingdom and Ireland. Founding It was founded in 1766 by Richard Tattersall (1724–1795), who had been stud groom to the second Duke of Kingston. T ...

and was bought for 30,000

guineas The guinea (; commonly abbreviated gn., or gns. in plural) was a coin, minted in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, Great Britain between 1663 and 1814, that contained approximately one-quarter of an ounce of gold. The name came from t ...

Sheikh Mohammed Sheikh Muhammad (1560–1650) was a Muslim saint-poet who is venerated by Hindus. Sheikh Muhammad or alternatively Sheikh Muhammed, Sheikh Mohammad, Sheikh Mohammed may also refer to (in chronological birth order): * Sheikh Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wah ...

's Darley Stud Management. She entered the ownership of Ali Saeed was sent into training with

Clive Brittain Clive Brittain (born 15 December 1934) is a retired British race-horse trainer. He started in racing as an apprentice in 1949, and became a licensed trainer from 1972 after working for Noel Murless. He trained at Carlburg Stables in Newmarket, ...

at the Carlburg Stables in Newmarket.

Racing career

1992: two-year-old season

Ivanka never contested a

maiden race In horse racing a maiden race is an event for horses that have not won a race. Horses that have not won a race are referred to as maidens. Maiden horse races are held over a variety of distances and under conditions with eligibility based on the se ...

, beginning her racing career in the Ewar Stud Stakes over six furlongs 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 ...

on 27 June. Ridden by the South African jockey Michael Roberts she started at odds of 3/1 against four opponents, three of whom were previous winners. Having been hampered at the start she raced at the rear of the field before taking the lead a furlong out and winning by a

length Length is a measure of distance. In the International System of Quantities, length is a quantity with dimension distance. In most systems of measurement a base unit for length is chosen, from which all other units are derived. In the Interna ...

and a half from the

Michael Stoute Sir Michael Ronald Stoute (born 22 October 1945) is a Barbadian British Thoroughbred horse trainer in flat racing. Career Stoute, whose father was the Chief of Police for Barbados, left the island in 1964 at the age of 19 to become an assis ...

-trained favourite Greenlet.

Steve Cauthen Steve Cauthen (born May 1, 1960) is a retired American jockey. In 1977 he became the first jockey to win over $6 million in a year working with agent Lenny Goodman, and in 1978 he became the youngest jockey to win the U. S. ...

took over from Roberts when the filly was stepped up in class for the

Group Three AP Films or APF, later becoming Century 21 Productions, was a British independent film production company of the 1950s until the early 1970s. The company became internationally known for its imaginative children's action-adventure marionette tel ...

Princess Margaret Stakes The Princess Margaret Stakes is a Group 3 flat horse race in Great Britain open to two-year-old fillies. It is run at Ascot over a distance of 6 furlongs (1,207 metres), and it is scheduled to tak ...

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 and ...

on 25 July. She was made the 7/4 favourite but after racing prominently in the early stages she finished fifth of the six runners, ten lengths behind the winner Marina Park. On 9 September Ivanka was moved up in distance for the

over one mile at

Doncaster Racecourse Doncaster Racecourse (also known as the Town Moor course) is a racecourse in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England. It hosts two of Great Britain's 36 annual Group 1 flat races, the St Leger Stakes and the Racing Post Trophy. History Doncas ...

. After being restrained by Roberts in the early stages, she stayed on in the straight to finish third behind Marillette and Self Assured. On 26 September at Ascot, Ivanka started at odds of 6/1 in an eight-runner field for the Group One Fillies' Mile. The highly regarded maiden winner Iviza started favourite ahead of the

Moyglare Stud Stakes The Moyglare Stud Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Ireland open to two-year-old thoroughbred fillies. It is run at the Curragh over a distance of 7 furlongs (1,408 metres), and it is scheduled ...

runner-up Bright Generation, the

Henry Cecil Sir Henry Richard Amherst Cecil (11 January 1943 – 11 June 2013) was a British flat racing horse trainer. Cecil was very successful, becoming Champion Trainer ten times and training 25 domestic Classic winners. These comprised four winners o ...

-trained Magique Rond Point and the Sweet Solera Stakes winner Mystic Goddess. Ivanka, with Roberts in the saddle, tracked the leaders and turned into the straight in fourth place behind Mystic Goddess, Ajfan and Magique Rond Point. Ajfan went to the front but Ivanka took the lead a furlong and a half from the finish and won by one and a half lengths, with Iviza three lengths back in third. Four weeks after her win at Ascot, Ivanka was matched against colts in the Group One

over one mile at Doncaster. Ridden by Cauthen, she stayed on in the straight to finish second to the favourite

Armiger In heraldry, an armiger is a person entitled to use a heraldic achievement (e.g., bear arms, an "armour-bearer") either by hereditary right, grant, matriculation, or assumption of arms. Such a person is said to be armigerous. A family or a cl ...

, with the other beaten horses including Marillette and the

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), an ...

winner Desert Secret. Before the end of the year Ivanka sustained a serious leg injury in a training gallop and was

euthanised Animal euthanasia (euthanasia from el, εὐθανασία; "good death") is the act of killing an animal or allowing it to die by withholding extreme medical measures. Reasons for euthanasia include incurable (and especially painful) conditio ...

Pedigree

References

{{reflist 1990 racehorse births 1992 racehorse deaths Racehorses bred in Ireland Racehorses trained in the United Kingdom Thoroughbred family 1-m