Mariacci (foaled 13 April 1972) 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 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 ...

. He was the highest-rated two-year-old trained in France in 1974, when he was unbeaten in three race including the

Prix des Chênes The Prix des Chênes is a Conditions races, Group 3 Flat racing, flat Horse racing, horse race in France open to two-year-old thoroughbred Colt (horse), colts and geldings. It is run at Longchamp Racecour ...

and the

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 commun ...

. After extending his winning run to four when winning the

Prix Greffulhe The Prix Greffulhe is a Group 2 flat horse race in France open to three-year-old horses. It is run over a distance of 2,000 metres (about 1¼ miles) at Saint-Cloud in May. History The eve ...

on his debut as a three-year-old, he was beaten in his three subsequent races but continued to display top-class form when being placed in 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 ...

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

Prix d'Ispahan The Prix d'Ispahan is a Group 1 Group 1 may refer to: * Alkali metal, a chemical element classification for Alkali metal * Group 1 (racing), a historic (until 1981) classification for Touring car raci ...

. Despite being retired in the summer of his second season, Mariacci defeated many of the best French horses of his era including

Allez France Allez France (24 May 1970 – 11 December 1989) was an American-bred, French-trained Thoroughbred racehorse and broodmare. Winner of the French 1000 Guineas, the French Oaks and the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, she was one of the greatest-ever ...

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Green Dancer Green Dancer (14 April 1972 – 5 December 2000) was an American-bred, French-trained Thoroughbred racehorse and stallion. A son of the British Tiple Crown winner Nijinsky, he won the French 2000 Guineas in 1975. Background A son of the Englis ...

Val de l'Orne Val de l'Orne (1972–1993) was a French Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. He won four of his five races between September 1974 and June 1975 before his racing career was ended by injury. In 1974 he won on his debut and then finished second i ...

and

Nobiliary Nobiliary (foaled 14 February 1972) was an American-bred, French-trained Thoroughbred racehorse and broodmare. She recorded her biggest win in the Washington, D.C.International in 1975, a year in which she became (and remains) the only filly ...

. He made little impact as a breeding stallion.

Background

Mariacci was a "neat, good-looking" bay horse bred in France by his owner

Guy de Rothschild Baron Guy Édouard Alphonse Paul de Rothschild (; 21 May 1909 – 12 June 2007) was a French banker and member of the Rothschild family. He owned the bank Rothschild Frères from 1967 to 1979, when it was nationalized by the French government, and ...

. His sire, Djakao, was a stayer who won the

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

and was placed in both the

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 ...

in 1969. The best of Djakao's other progeny included the

Arlington Million The Arlington Million is a Grade 1 flat horse race in the United States for thoroughbred horses aged three years and upward on the turf. It was originally raced at the now-closed Arlington Park in Arlington Heights, Illinois over a distance of m ...

winner Perrault and the

winner Belgio. Mariacci's dam Marbrisa was a moderate racehorse but was a granddaughter of Temora, a half-sister of The Derby winner

Galcador Galcador (1947–1970) was a French Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. In a career that lasted from autumn 1949 to June 1950 he ran four times and won three races. In 1950 he won England's most prestigious race, The Derby. He never raced aft ...

. During his racing career, Mariacci was trained by Jean-Michel de Choubersky.

Racing career

1974: two-year-old season

Mariacci began his racing career in the Prix de Crèvecœur for previously unraced horses over 1400 metres at

Deauville 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 t ...

in August and won by three quarters of 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 ...

. In September, the colt was moved up in class and distance for the Prix des Chênes over 1600 metres at Longchamp. Starting at odds of 7/1 he was restrained in last place before making ground to challenge for the lead in the straight. He moved up alongside

200 metres from the finish and after a "sharp struggle" prevailed by half a length with the pair finishing eight lengths clear of Mister Jacket in third place. The form of the race was subsequently boosted when Green Dancer was sent to England and won the

Observer Gold Cup 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), ...

. On his final appearance of the season, Maricci contested France's most prestigious race for two-year-olds, the Grand Critérium at Longchamp on 13 October. Ridden by Gerard Rivases, he started the 4.3/1 third favourite in the betting behind the

Angel Penna Sr. Angel A. Penna Sr. (September 30, 1923 –January 15, 1992) was an Argentine-born U. S. Racing Hall of Fame Thoroughbred horse trainer. Penna was an international trainer who worked and raced on three continents. He conditioned more than 250 ...

-trained Val du Fier and the

Prix La Rochette The Prix La Rochette is a Group 3 flat horse race in France open to two-year-old thoroughbreds. It is run at Longchamp over a distance of 1,400 metres (about 7 furlongs), and it is scheduled to take place ...

winner Dandy Lute: the other runners included Sky Commander (

Prix Robert Papin The Prix Robert Papin is a Group 2 flat horse race in France open to two-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run at Chantilly over a distance of 1,200 metres (about 6 furlongs), and it is scheduled to take ...

and

. Restrained by Rivases in the early stages, Mariacci overtook Val de l'Orne 200 metres from the finish and drew away in the closing stages to win by two lengths.

1975: three-year-old season

On his first appearance as a three-year-old, Mariacci started 11/10 favourite against sixteen opponents in the Prix Greffulhe over 2100 metres at Longchamp on 6 April. Rivases employed exaggerated waiting tactics, delaying his challenge until the last 200 metres but Mariacci maintained his unbeaten record, winning by a nose and a head from Good Point and Top Gear. On 18 May, over the same course and distance, Mariacci faced Green Dancer again in the

. The two colts engaged in a prolonged struggle in the straight, and Green Dancer inflicted Mariacci's first defeat as he prevailed by three quarters of a length. There was a gap of six lengths back to Matahawk, who went on to win the

. Green Dancer was sent to England for The Derby and in the

over 2400 metres at

Chantilly Racecourse Chantilly Racecourse (In French: "Hippodrome de Chantilly") is a Thoroughbred turf racecourse for flat racing in Chantilly, Oise, France, about north of the centre of the city of Paris. Chantilly Racecourse is located in the country's main hors ...

on 8 June Mariacci started second favourite behind Val de l'Orne. After fighting Rivases's attempts to restrain him in the early stages he looked likely to make a serious challenge in the straight before finishing third, beaten a head and two and a half lengths by Val de l'Orne and

Patch Patch or Patches may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * Patch Johnson, a fictional character from ''Days of Our Lives'' * Patch (''My Little Pony''), a toy * "Patches" (Dickey Lee song), 1962 * "Patches" (Chairmen of the Board song) ...

. Mariacci was matched against older horses for the first time in the

over 1850 metres on 29 June. Starting the 4/1 second favourite he proved too good for

and

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but, in a huge upset, he finished second to the 33/1 outsider Ramirez.

Assessment

There was no International Classification of European two-year-olds in 1974: the official handicappers of Britain, Ireland and France compiled separate rankings for horses which competed in those countries. In the official French handicap, Mariacci was the top-rated two-year-old of the year, one pound ahead of Green Dancer and two ahead of the filly

Broadway Dancer Broadway Dancer (foaled 16 February 1972) was an American-bred, French-trained Thoroughbred racehorse and broodmare. Between June 1974 and August 1975 she raced six times, winning twice. As a two-year-old she won on her debut before being narrow ...

. The independent Timeform organisation gave him a rating of 133, one pound behind their best two-year-old Grundy. In their annual ''Racehorses of 1974'' Timeform described Mariacci as "superior to any staying colt we know about" and said that he would be "very difficult to beat" if he was to contest the Epsom Derby. In 1975, Mariacci was given a rating of 128 by Timeform, nine pounds below their Horse of the Year Grundy. In the official French handicap he was rated the fourth-best three-year-old colt of the year behind Val de l'Orne, Patch and Green Dancer.

Stud record

Mariacci did not race again after finishing second in the Prix d'Ispahan and was retired to stand at the Haras du Meautry at an initial fee of 20,000

francs The franc is any of various units of currency. One franc is typically divided into 100 centimes. The name is said to derive from the Latin inscription ''francorum rex'' (King of the Franks) used on early French coins and until the 18th centu ...

. He sired very few recorded foals, but these included Mariacho, who won the

Prix Saint-Roman The Prix Saint-Roman was a Group 3 flat horse race in France open to two-year-old thoroughbreds. For much of its history it was run at Longchamp over a distance of 1,800 metres (about 1⅛ miles), and it was scheduled to take place each year in l ...

in 1980.

Pedigree

References

{{reflist 1972 racehorse births Racehorses bred in France Racehorses trained in France Thoroughbred family 9-e