Northern Spur (foaled 1991 in Ireland – died February 24, 2016) was 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 ...
racehorse
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 ...
who raced in France and the United States. Bred at
Robert Sangster
Robert Edmund Sangster (23 May 1936 – 7 April 2004)
Sadler's Wells
Sadler's Wells Theatre is a performing arts venue in Clerkenwell, London, England located on Rosebery Avenue next to New River Head. The present-day theatre is the sixth on the site since 1683. It consists of two performance spaces: a 1,500-sea ...
and out of the
mare
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
for conditioning, in 1994 Northern Spur notably won the
Prix du Lys
The Prix du Lys is a Conditions races, Group 3 Flat racing, flat Horse racing, horse race in France open to three-year-old thoroughbred Colt (horse), colts and geldings. It is run at Longchamp Racecourse, Longch ...
Oaklawn Park Oaklawn Plantation may refer to:
*Oaklawn (Huntsville, Alabama), listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP)
*Oaklawn Plantation (Leon County, Florida)
*Oaklawn Plantation (Natchez, Louisiana)
The Oaklawn Plantation is a historic pl ...
racetrack in
Hot Springs, Arkansas
Hot Springs is a resort city in the state of Arkansas and the county seat of Garland County. The city is located in the Ouachita Mountains among the U.S. Interior Highlands, and is set among several natural hot springs for which the city is n ...
. Brought to race in the United States, Northern Spur won the 1995
Oak Tree Invitational Stakes
The John Henry Turf Championship Stakes (renamed for John Henry who won it three times) is an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually during the Oak Tree Racing Association's Autumn Meeting at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California.
It is ...
and capped off the year with a win in the 1½ mile
Breeders' Cup Turf
The Breeders' Cup Turf is a Weight for Age Thoroughbred horse race on turf for three-year-olds and up. It is held annually at a different racetrack in the United States or Canada as part of the Breeders' Cup World Championships. The race's current ...
. His best result at age five was a second-place finish in the 1996 Grade I Hollywood Turf Handicap. His performances in 1995 earned him the
Eclipse Award for Outstanding Male Turf Horse
The American Champion Male Turf Horse award is an American Thoroughbred horse racing honor.
The award originated in 1953 when the ''Daily Racing Form'' (DRF) named Iceberg II their champion. The Thoroughbred Racing Association (TRA) added the ca ...
.
Retired, Northern Spur stood at Foggy Bottom Farm in
Geneseo, New York
Geneseo is a Administrative divisions of New York#Town, town in Livingston County, New York, Livingston County in the Finger Lakes region of New York (state), New York, United States. It is at the south end of the five-county Rochester metropol ...
. To date, his offspring have met with modest racing success.
Northern Spur died in early February 24, 2016 following a bout with colic.Champion Grass Horse Northern Spur Dies Bloodhorse.com, February 24, 2016