Nedawi (foaled 9 April 1995), is a retired 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 and active

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 ...

. In a career that lasted from June 1998 until July 1999, he ran seven times and won three races. He recorded his most important success by winning the

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 ...

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 ...

as a three-year-old in 1998, the same year that he won the

Gordon Stakes The Gordon Stakes is a Group 3 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old horses. It is run at Goodwood over a distance of 1 mile 3 furlongs and 218 yards (2,412 metres), and it i ...

. In the following season he finished second in the Dubai Turf Classic and the

King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes The King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged three years or older. It is run at Ascot o ...

before being retired to stud.

Background

Nedawi, was a "big, leggy" chestnut horse with a white blaze bred by his owner

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 ...

. He was sired by 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 ...

winner

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out of Wajd, a mare who won the Grand Prix d'Evry and the

Prix de Minerve The Prix Minerve is a Group races, Group 3 Flat racing, flat Horse racing, horse race in France open to three-year-old thoroughbred Filly, fillies. It is run at Deauville-La Touques Racecourse, Deauville over a dis ...

. Wajd was a daughter of the double King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes winner

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. Nedawi was sent into training with

Saeed Bin Suroor Saeed bin Suroor (born 16 November 1968 in Dubai) is a horse racing trainer in Great Britain. He took out his training licence in 1993 and the following year was appointed as the trainer for Sheikh Mohammed's Godolphin operation. He has been ...

, spending his winters in

Dubai Dubai (, ; ar, دبي, translit=Dubayy, , ) is the most populous city in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the capital of the Emirate of Dubai, the most populated of the 7 emirates of the United Arab Emirates.The Government and Politics of ...

and the summers in England.

Racing career

1998: three-year-old season

Unraced as a two-year-old, Nedawi made his first racecourse appearance in a twelve

furlong 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 hors ...

maiden race at Goodwood on 5 June 1998. Starting at odds of 5/2 and 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 ...

he took the lead three furlongs from the finish and drew clear to win by six

lengths 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 Intern ...

from the odds-on favourite Tuning. A month later, Nedawi started favourite for a

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race at

Haydock Haydock is a village within the Metropolitan Borough of St Helens, in Merseyside, England. At the 2011 Census, it had a population of 11,416 Haydock's historic area covers the Haydock electoral ward and a section of the Blackbrook ward. Haydoc ...

but finished third behind Rabah and Courteous. Three weeks later, Nedawi returned to

Glorious Goodwood 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 late ...

and was moved up in class to contest the

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Gordon Stakes, an important trial race for the St Leger. He led inside the final furlong and stayed on "gamely" to force a dead-heat with Rabah. On 12 September, Nedawi started 5/2 favourite for the St Leger at

Doncaster Doncaster (, ) is a city in South Yorkshire, England. Named after the River Don, it is the administrative centre of the larger City of Doncaster. It is the second largest settlement in South Yorkshire after Sheffield. Doncaster is situated in ...

, where he was ridden by John Reid, as Dettori was riding Swain in the

Irish Champion Stakes The Irish Champion Stakes (Irish: Curadh-Dhuais na hÉireann) is a Group 1 flat horse race in Ireland open to horses aged three years or older. It is run at Leopardstown over a distance of 1 mile and 2 furlongs (2,012 ...

on the same afternoon.. He tracked the leaders in the early stages before moving forward to challenge in the straight. Nedawi proved a difficult ride for Reid, swerving to the right and then hanging to the left before catching the filly High and Low, ridden by Jimmy Fortune, inside the final furlong and winning by half a length. Reid, who had recently been told that he was to be replaced by Fortune as the leading jockey for

Robert Sangster Robert Edmund Sangster (23 May 1936 – 7 April 2004)

mimicked Dettori's flying dismount and said that the victory had given him great satisfaction, while admitting that the race may not have been as strong as usual.

1999: four-year-old season

In the winter of 1998-9, Nedawi was sent to the Godolphin training base in

. He made his first appearance as a four-year-old in the Dubai Turf Classic at

Nad Al Sheba Racecourse Nad Al Sheba Racecourse was Thoroughbred horse racing facility in Dubai, United Arab Emirates opened in 1986. It had a 2,200 m left-handed dirt race track and a left-handed turf course of the same distance. It operated from November through March ...

on 28 March. Ridden by Dettori he took the lead in the straight but was caught in the last strides and beaten a neck by the Mark Johnston-trained Fruits of Love. Nedawi was returned to Godolphin's European base at Newmarket and sent to

Royal Ascot 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 ...

for the Gold Cup in June. He started favourite at odds of 7/2 in a field which included such notable stayers as

Kayf Tara Kayf Tara (18 March 1994 – 8 December 2022) was a British Thoroughbred racehorse and sire (horse), sire. Background Kayf Tara was bred in England by the Meon Valley Stud. His dam Colorspin won the Irish Oaks and had previously produced the mu ...

Celeric Celeric () is a retired, British Thoroughbred racehorse. He improved from running in minor handicaps to Group One level, and recorded his most important win in the 1997 Ascot Gold Cup. In the same year he was named European Champion Stayer a ...

and

Persian Punch Persian Punch (1993–2004) was a Thoroughbred racehorse trained in the United Kingdom. He was frequently heralded by the Racing Post and his fans as the most popular horse in training during the final years of his career and had his own fan c ...

, but finished fifth, lengths behind the winner Enzeli. A month after his defeat in the Gold Cup, Nedawi returned to Ascot for Britain's most prestigious all-aged race, the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes. While there was some speculation that he would be used as a

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for his stable companion

Daylami Daylami (20 April 1994– 6 June 2016) was a Thoroughbred Champion racehorse and sire who was bred in Ireland, but trained in France, Dubai and the United Kingdom. In a career which lasted from 1996 and 1999, he raced in five different countri ...

, the Godolphin team insisted that he would run on his own merits. Ridden by Gary Stevens, he took the lead just after half way in the mile and half contest and "shook off" the challenge of the 1999

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 ...

winner

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before being headed by Daylami in the straight. He stayed on to finish second, five lengths behind Daylami and ahead of Fruits of Love,

Silver Patriarch Silver Patriarch (foaled 1994) was a racehorse, winner of the 1997 St Leger and of seven other races. He was ridden by Pat Eddery in all but three of his races. The horse was bred in Ireland, by Saddlers' Hall and out of the American horse Ear ...

Indigenous Indigenous may refer to: *Indigenous peoples *Indigenous (ecology), presence in a region as the result of only natural processes, with no human intervention *Indigenous (band), an American blues-rock band *Indigenous (horse), a Hong Kong racehorse ...

and Oath. After the race he was found to have sustained an ankle injury. Nedawi's final race was at Newbury in the Geoffrey Freer Stakes where he finished third. He was entered in the

Melbourne Cup The Melbourne Cup is a Thoroughbred horse race held in Melbourne, Australia. It is a 3200-metre race for three-year-olds and over, conducted by the Victoria Racing Club on the Flemington Racecourse in Melbourne, Victoria as part of the Melbou ...

for which he was made joint top weight, but did not meet the engagement and was retired.

Stud career

At the end of his racing career, Nedawi was sent to stand as a stallion in Brazil. His most notable offspring was Mr Nedawi, who won Grade I races in Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay.

Pedigree

References

{{St Leger Winners 1995 racehorse births Racehorses bred in the United Kingdom Racehorses trained in the United Kingdom Racehorses trained in the United Arab Emirates Thoroughbred family 13-c St Leger winners