Night Raid (foaled 1918 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 ...

) was a Leading sire in Australia of

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 ...

racehorses Horse racing is an equestrian performance sport, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its basic pr ...

. He sired two leading racehorses, namely

Phar Lap Phar Lap (4 October 1926 – 5 April 1932) was a champion New Zealand–bred Thoroughbred racehorse who is widely regarded as New Zealand's greatest racehorse ever. Achieving incredible success during his distinguished career, his initial u ...

and

Nightmarch Nightmarch, foaled in 1925 was an outstanding New Zealand bred Thoroughbred racehorse known as ''The Kiwi''. He won the New Zealand Derby and Dunedin Cup as a three-year-old before going to Australia where he became the first horse to win both ...

Background

He was sired by the

Doncaster Cup The Doncaster Cup is a Group 2 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged three years or older. It is run at Doncaster over a distance of 2 miles 1 furlong and 197 yards (3,600 metr ...

and Goodwood Cup winner, Radium and his dam Sentiment was by The Derby winner and good sire,

Spearmint Spearmint, also known as garden mint, common mint, lamb mint and mackerel mint, is a species of mint, ''Mentha spicata'' (, native to Europe and southern temperate Asia, extending from Ireland in the west to southern China in the east. It is nat ...

. Radium was the sire of several stakes winners including

Clarissimus The constitution of the late Roman Empire was an unwritten set of guidelines and principles passed down, mainly through precedent, which defined the manner in which the late Roman Empire was governed. As a matter of historical convention, the late ...

, who won 2,000 Guineas Stakes. Sentiment's only stakes winner was Night Raid. He was line-bred to

Galopin Galopin (1872–1899) was a British Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. In a racing career which lasted from June 1874 until October 1875 he ran nine times and won eight races. He was one of the best British two-year-olds of 1874, winning his fir ...

in the 4th and 5th generation (4m x 5f).Morris, Simon; ''Tesio Power 2000 - Stallions of the World'', Syntax Software

Racing career

Although well bred, Night Raid was only moderately successful on the racecourse, not winning any of his six starts in England, but he did finish third in a Nursery Selling Plate. In Australia he had twenty-nine starts for one win and a dead heat.Pring, Peter; "Analysis of Champion Racehorses", The Thoroughbred Press, Sydney, 1977,

Stud record

Night Raid served one season at stud in Australia during 1923 and then resumed racing. He was retired to stud in New Zealand in 1924. His legacy as a sire is outstanding. Night Raid sired two great racehorses, namely

and

, victors in the successive Group One,

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 Melb ...

in 1929 and 1930. In all Night Raid sired 13 stakeswinners that had 75 stakeswins, including: * Blixten (won RRC

Rosehill Guineas The Rosehill Guineas is an Australian Turf Club Group One Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds at set weights run over a distance of 2000 metres at Rosehill Gardens Racecourse in Sydney, Australia annually in March. Total prize money for t ...

etc.) * Nightbeam (won

The Metropolitan (ATC) The Metropolitan is an Australian Turf Club Group 1 Thoroughbred horse race held under open handicap conditions, for horses aged three years old and older, over a distance of 2,400 metres at Randwick Racecourse, Sydney, Australia in early Octo ...

etc.) * Nightly (winner of seven Principal Races in Australia and New Zealand including CJC

New Zealand Derby The New Zealand Derby is a set-weights Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds, run over a distance of 2,400 metres (12 furlongs) at Ellerslie Racecourse in Auckland, New Zealand. It is held on the first Saturday in March, as the opening day o ...

, MVRC Moonee Valley Cup, CJC Canterbury Cup) *

(RRC

Rawson Stakes The Ranvet Stakes is an Australian Turf Club Group 1 Weight for Age Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds and older over a distance of 2,000 metres, held at Rosehill Gardens Racecourse in Sydney, Australia in March. Total prize money is A$7 ...

New Zealand Cup The New Zealand Cup is a thoroughbred horse race run at the Riccarton Park Racecourse in Christchurch. New Zealand Cup week The New Zealand Cup is raced on the final Saturday of Christchurch "Cup week" held each year in the second week of Novem ...

, WS

Cox Plate The W. S. Cox Plate is a Group 1 Thoroughbred horse race for horses aged three years old and over under Weight for age conditions, over a distance of 2040 metres (approximately 1m 2f), that is held by the Moonee Valley Racing Club at Moo ...

and AJC

Epsom Handicap The Epsom Handicap is an Australian Turf Club Group 1 Thoroughbred horse race for horses three years old and older, under handicap conditions over a distance of 1,600 metres at Randwick Racecourse, Sydney, Australia in early October. Prize money ...

(

Australian Derby Australian(s) may refer to: Australia * Australia, a country * Australians, citizens of the Commonwealth of Australia ** European Australians ** Anglo-Celtic Australians, Australians descended principally from British colonists ** Aboriginal A ...

, VRC

Victoria Derby The Victoria Derby, also known as the Penfolds Victoria Derby, is a Victoria Racing Club Group 1 Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds held under Set Weights conditions over a distance of 2,500 metres at Flemington Racecourse, in Melbourn ...

, WS

wiceand 1932

Agua Caliente Handicap The Agua Caliente Handicap is a defunct thoroughbred horse race that was once the premier event at Agua Caliente Racetrack in Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico, and the richest race in North America. Inaugurated in 1917 as the Coffroth Handicap, it ...

, plus Aesulus, Lady Graceful, Pillow Fight, Peter Jackson and The Cardinal all of which were good horses in their own right.ASB - Night Raid (GB)
Retrieved on 2009-6-9

References

{{Reflist Racehorses bred in the United Kingdom Racehorses trained in the United Kingdom Racehorses trained in Australia 1918 racehorse births Champion Thoroughbred Sires of Australia New Zealand Thoroughbred sires Thoroughbred family 1-m

Background

Racing career

Stud record

See also

References