Oh So Sharp (1982–2001) 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 best known for winning the
English Fillies' Triple Crown in 1985. In a racing career which lasted from August 1984 until September 1985, she won seven of her nine races, starting favourite on each occasion and never at odds of more than
2/1. She was one of the leading two-year-old fillies of 1984 when she was unbeaten in three races, including the
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 sche ...
. In the following year Oh So Sharp won the
1000 Guineas
The 1000 Guineas Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old fillies. It is run on the Rowley Mile at Newmarket over a distance of 1 mile (1,609 ...
in record time and then took
the Oaks 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 ...
before being narrowly beaten in her next two starts in major
weight-for-age
{{use dmy dates, date=October 2022
Weight for Age (WFA) is a term in thoroughbred horse racing which is one of the conditions for a race.
History
The principle of WFA was developed by Admiral Rous, a handicapper with the English Jockey Club. Rous ...
races. The filly completed the Triple Crown in the
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 ...
. She was retired at the end of the season and became a successful broodmare. Oh So Sharp died in 2001 at the age of nineteen.
Background
Oh So Sharp, described by
Timeform
Timeform is a sports data and content provider located in Halifax, West Yorkshire, England. Founded in 1948, it provides systematic information on form to punters and others involved in the horse racing industry. The company was purchased by t ...
as "a big, lengthy filly and a grand mover with a raking stride"
was bred in Ireland by her 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 ...
. She was one of two classic winners sired by
Kris
The kris, or ''keris'' in the Indonesian language, is an asymmetrical dagger with distinctive blade-patterning achieved through alternating laminations of iron and nickelous iron (''pamor''). Of Javanese origin, the kris is famous for its disti ...
the leading British miler of 1979: the chestnut Oh So Sharp came from his first crop of foals. Her dam was the American-bred mare Oh So Fair, making her a half-sister to Roussalka a filly which won the
Coronation Stakes
The Coronation Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old fillies. It is run at Ascot over a distance of 7 furlong and 213 yards (1,603 metres), and it is schedul ...
and two runnings of the
Nassau Stakes
The Nassau Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to fillies and mares aged three years or older. It is run at Goodwood over a distance of 1 mile, 1 furlong ...
when trained by
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 ...
in the mid-1970s. She later became a successful broodmare, whose descendants include
Collier Hill
Collier Hill (foaled 26 March 1998) is a British Thoroughbred racehorse. He was bred by the prominent American sportsman George W. Strawbridge, Jr. who was involved in both steeplechase and flat racing and who raced in Europe and the United State ...
and
Ameerat.
Oh So Fair was carrying the unborn Oh So Sharp in October 1981 when she was included in the deal in which Sheikh acquired the
Dalham Hall
Dalham Hall is a country house and estate, located in the village of Dalham, Suffolk, near Newmarket, and west of Bury St Edmunds.
Owners of the Dalham estate have included:
*c.1050-1240 Peche Family
*1240-1320 English Crown Estate (from 1 ...
stud.
Oh So Sharp was sent into training at Henry Cecil's Warren Place stables in
Newmarket, Suffolk
Newmarket is a market town and civil parish in the West Suffolk district of Suffolk, England. Located (14 miles) west of Bury St Edmunds and (14 miles) northeast of Cambridge. It is considered the birthplace and global centre of thoroughbred hor ...
. She was ridden in all of her races as a three-year-old by the American jockey
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. ...
.
Lester Piggott
Lester Keith Piggott (5 November 1935 – 29 May 2022) was an English professional jockey and trainer. With 4,493 career flat racing wins in Britain, including a record nine Epsom Derby victories, he is widely regarded as one of the greatest f ...
had ridden Oh So Sharp during 1984, his last season as stable jockey at Warren Place.
Racing career
1984: two-year-old season
Oh So Sharp made her racecourse debut in a six
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
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 ...
at
Nottingham Racecourse
Nottingham Racecourse is a thoroughbred horse racing venue located in Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, England. It is situated at Colwick Park, close to the River Trent and about 3 km east of the city centre.
Characteristics
There are actually ...
in August. Ridden by
Paul Eddery
Paul may refer to:
*Paul (given name), a given name (includes a list of people with that name)
*Paul (surname), a list of people
People
Christianity
* Paul the Apostle (AD c.5–c.64/65), also known as Saul of Tarsus or Saint Paul, early Chri ...
as stable jockey
Lester Piggott
Lester Keith Piggott (5 November 1935 – 29 May 2022) was an English professional jockey and trainer. With 4,493 career flat racing wins in Britain, including a record nine Epsom Derby victories, he is widely regarded as one of the greatest f ...
was injured,she started the
1/2 favourite and won easily, despite being given a very gentle introduction by her jockey.
In early September, Oh So Sharp was moved up in class and matched against
colts in the
Group Three Solario Stakes
The Solario Stakes is a Group 3 flat horse race in Great Britain open to two-year-old horses. It is run at Sandown Park over a distance of 7 furlongs (1,408 metres), and it is scheduled to take plac ...
over seven furlongs at
Sandown Park
Sandown Park is a horse racing course and leisure venue in Esher, Surrey, England, located in the outer suburbs of London. It hosts 5 Grade One National Hunt races and one Group 1 flat race, the Eclipse Stakes. It regularly has horse rac ...
. Ridden on this occasion by the stable jockey
Lester Piggott
Lester Keith Piggott (5 November 1935 – 29 May 2022) was an English professional jockey and trainer. With 4,493 career flat racing wins in Britain, including a record nine Epsom Derby victories, he is widely regarded as one of the greatest f ...
, who had been very keen to return from injury to ride her, she took the lead approaching the final furlong and drew clear to win by two lengths at odds of 6/4.
The form of the race was boosted when the runner-up, Young Runaway, won the Group Two
Champagne Stakes at
Doncaster Racecourse two weeks later.
Oh So Sharp's last race of the year was the
Hoover Fillies' Mile at
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 ...
in which she started at odds of 6/5. The contest was then a Group Three race, but has subsequently been promoted to Group One.Piggott had the filly in second place before taking the lead at the start of straight and won easily by one and a half lengths from the
Prix du Calvados
The Prix du Calvados is a Group 2 flat horse race in France open to two-year-old thoroughbred fillies. It is run at Deauville over a distance of 1,400 metres (about 7 furlongs), and it is scheduled to ta ...
winner
Helen Street, who was carrying four
pounds more than the winner. In the International Classification produced by the official handicappers of France, Ireland and the United Kingdom, Oh So Sharp was given a rating of 77, five pounds behind the year's highest-rated two-year-old filly
Triptych
A triptych ( ; from the Greek language, Greek adjective ''τρίπτυχον'' "''triptukhon''" ("three-fold"), from ''tri'', i.e., "three" and ''ptysso'', i.e., "to fold" or ''ptyx'', i.e., "fold") is a work of art (usually a panel painting) t ...
.
Piggott reputedly believed her to be the best filly he had ridden since
Petite Etoile
Petite Etoile (foaled 1956) was a British Thoroughbred racehorse. In a career which lasted from June 1958 until September 1961 she won fourteen of her nineteen races and finished second in the other five. After showing promising, but unexceptiona ...
25 years before.
1985: three-year-old season
Spring
Oh So Sharp began her three-year-old season on 18 April in the seven furlong
Nell Gwyn Stakes
The Nell Gwyn Stakes is a Group 3 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old fillies. It is run over a distance of 7 furlongs (1,408 metres) on the Rowley Mile at N ...
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 ...
in which she met Helen Street at level weights and was ridden for the first time by Cauthen as Lester Piggott had ceased to be Henry Cecil ‘s stable jockey due to the dispute between Piggott and Daniel Wildenstein who insisted on other jockeys riding his horses when Piggott did not ride All Along in the 1983 Arc. She won at odds of 8/13, beating Bella Colora by a length, with Helen Street two and a half lengths back in third. Two weeks later, Oh So Sharp was one of seventeen fillies to contest the 1000 Guineas over Newmarket's Rowley Mile course. Racing on unusually firm ground, Oh So Sharp was not among the early leaders and appeared to be struggling in the final quarter mile when the race seemed to lie between Bella Colora and Al Bahathri. In the closing stages however Cauthen produced the favourite with a powerful late run and she caught the leaders in the last stride to win a three-way
photo finish
A photo finish occurs in a sporting race when multiple competitors cross the finishing line at nearly the same time. As the naked eye may not be able to determine which of the competitors crossed the line first, a photo or video taken at the finis ...
by two
short heads from Al Bahathri and Bella Colora. The runner-up, owned by Sheikh Mohammed's older brother
Hamdan Al-Maktoum went on to win the
Irish 1000 Guineas
The Irish 1,000 Guineas is a Group 1 flat horse race in Ireland open to three-year-old thoroughbred fillies. It is run at the Curragh over a distance of 1 mile (1,609 metres), and it is scheduled t ...
and the
Coronation Stakes
The Coronation Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old fillies. It is run at Ascot over a distance of 7 furlong and 213 yards (1,603 metres), and it is schedul ...
while Bella Colora won the
Prix de l'Opéra
The Prix de l'Opéra is a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to thoroughbred fillies and mares aged three years or older. It is run at Longchamp over a distance of 2,000 metres (about 1¼ miles), and i ...
in autumn. Oh So Sharp's win gave Sheikh Mohammed a first win in a British Classic and her winning time of 1:36.85 broke the race record which had stood since 1950.
Summer
On 8 June, Oh So Sharp was moved up in distance for the Oaks (known for sponsorship reasons as the
Gold Seal Oaks) at
Epsom Downs Racecourse
Epsom Downs is a Grade 1 racecourse on the hills associated with Epsom in Surrey, England which is used for thoroughbred horse racing. The "Downs" referred to in the name are part of the North Downs.
The course, which has a crowd capacity of 13 ...
. In this race, which was run on soft ground, she was matched against Triptych who had run poorly in the 1000 Guineas but had then defeated a field of colts in the
Irish 2000 Guineas
The Irish 2,000 Guineas is a Group 1 flat horse race in Ireland open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run at the Curragh over a distance of 1 mile (1,609 metres), and it is ...
. Cauthen settled the 6/4 favourite behind the leaders and tracked across to the stands side (furthest away from the inside rail) to take advantage of a strip of better ground. Oh So Sharp overtook Triptych two furlongs from the finish and quickly went clear, increasing her advantage throughout the closing stages to win by six lengths. Her win completed a notable double for Cecil and Cauthen, who had won
The Derby with
Slip Anchor
Slip Anchor (1982–2011) was a British Thoroughbred racehorse best known for winning the 1985 Epsom Derby by seven lengths. After showing some promise as a two-year-old, he showed substantial improvement in the spring of 1985, winning t ...
over the same course and distance three days earlier. Cecil said he would "do his damnedest" to keep the pair apart in future races.
Timeform
Timeform is a sports data and content provider located in Halifax, West Yorkshire, England. Founded in 1948, it provides systematic information on form to punters and others involved in the horse racing industry. The company was purchased by t ...
rated her performance as the fourth-best seen in the Oaks up to that time, behind those of
Petite Etoile
Petite Etoile (foaled 1956) was a British Thoroughbred racehorse. In a career which lasted from June 1958 until September 1961 she won fourteen of her nineteen races and finished second in the other five. After showing promising, but unexceptiona ...
,
Noblesse
The concept of the Scottish Noblesse, a class of nobles of either peerage or non-peerage rank, was prominently advocated for by Sir Thomas Innes of Learney during his tenure as an officer of arms. Innes of Learney believed that Scottish armige ...
, and
Dunfermline
Dunfermline (; sco, Dunfaurlin, gd, Dùn Phàrlain) is a city, parish and former Royal Burgh, in Fife, Scotland, on high ground from the northern shore of the Firth of Forth. The city currently has an estimated population of 58,508. Accord ...
.
Now unbeaten in six races, Oh So Sharp ran against older horses for the first time in Britain's most prestigious weight-for-age race, the
at Ascot on 27 July. She started 4/5 favourites in a field of twelve, with her main rivals in the betting being
Rainbow Quest
''Rainbow Quest'' (1965–66) was a U.S. television series devoted to folk music and hosted by Pete Seeger. It was videotaped in black-and-white and featured musicians playing in traditional American music genres such as traditional folk music, ...
,
Strawberry Road,
Petoski
Petoski (24 February 1982–2003) was a British Thoroughbred racehorse. In a racing career that lasted from June 1984 to July 1986, he ran twelve times and won four races. Petoski is most notable for his win against a strong international f ...
, and the
Irish Derby
The Irish Derby ( Irish: Dearbaí na hÉireann) is a Group 1 flat horse race in Ireland open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run at the Curragh over a distance ...
winner Law Society. Oh So Sharp took the lead early in the straight and got the better of a prolonged struggle with the four-year-old Rainbow Quest but was caught in the closing stages and beaten a neck by Petoski. Oh So Sharp was brought back in distance to contest the
Benson & Hedges Gold Cup over ten and a half furlongs at
York
York is a cathedral city with Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. It is the historic county town of Yorkshire. The city has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a ...
on 20 August. Triptych was again among her opponents, along with the leading four-year-olds
Commanche Run
Commanche Run (1981–2005) was a British Thoroughbred racehorse. He was a versatile top-class colt who won a number of Group One races at from one and a quarter to one and three-quarter miles in the 1980s.
Background
Bred in England, he ...
and
Palace Music
Joseph Will Oldham (born January 15, 1970) is an American singer-songwriter and actor. From 1993 to 1997, he performed and recorded in collaboration with dozens of other musicians under variations of Palace (Palace, Palace Flophouse, Palace Br ...
, but Oh So Sharp was sent off the 2/5 favourite. Piggott set an unexpectedly slow pace on Commanche Run before accelerating early in the straight catching Cauthen unawares.Oh So Sharp chased the leader throughout the closing stages but never drew level and finished second, beaten three quarters of a length.
Autumn
Oh So Sharp ended her racing career in the St Leger on the 14 September when she was opposed by five colts in the 209th running of the St Leger over fourteen and a half furlongs. As she had already won the 1000 Guineas and the Oaks she was attempting to complete the fillies' version of the
Triple Crown
Triple Crown may refer to:
Sports Horse racing
* Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing
* Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing (United States)
** Triple Crown Trophy
** Triple Crown Productions
* Canadian Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing
* Trip ...
a feat which had last been achieved by
Meld MELD may refer to:
* Model for End-Stage Liver Disease, a prognostic model
* A variant of the declarative language CycL
* Molecular orbital diagram, Molecular energy-level diagram, a type of one-dimensional plot with a significant qualitative aspec ...
in 1955.
She started the 8/11 favourite with her closest rival in the betting being her stable companion Lanfranco, winner of the
William Hill Futurity
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 the
King Edward VII Stakes
The King Edward VII Stakes is a Group 2 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old colts and geldings. It is run at Ascot over a distance of 1 mile 3 furlongs and 211 yards (2,406 met ...
. Oh So Sharp moved past Lanfranco in the straight but was unable to draw away from the colt and quickly came under renewed pressure from her stable companion and from the outsider Phardante. Oh So Sharp hung to the right in the closing stages before winning by three-quarters of a length and a head from Phardante and Lanfranco. The racecourse stewards called an inquiry into possible interference caused by the winner but the result was allowed to stand.
Cecil admitted that the filly's form had been declining and said that "another week and it might have been too late".
Assessment
Oh So Sharp was given a rating of 131 by the independent
Timeform
Timeform is a sports data and content provider located in Halifax, West Yorkshire, England. Founded in 1948, it provides systematic information on form to punters and others involved in the horse racing industry. The company was purchased by t ...
organisation in 1985, making her the highest-rated three-year-old filly of the year.
In the official International classification for 1985 she was the top rated filly of her generation by a margin of six pounds. In their book ''A Century of Champions'', based on a modified version of the Timeform system John Randall and Tony Morris rated Oh So Sharp a "superior" Oaks winner and an "average" winner of the St Leger. They placed her twenty-eighth in their list of the best female racehorses trained in Britain and Ireland in the 20th century.
Steve Cauthen called her, "without doubt, the best filly I have ridden."
Stud record
Although reports suggested that Oh So Sharp was to be kept in training as a four-year-old
she was retired from racing at the end of 1985 to become a broodmare at the Dalham Hall stud. None of her progeny have been as successful on the track as she was, but she has produced winners in Rosefinch, who won the
Prix Saint-Alary
The Prix Saint-Alary is a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to three-year-old thoroughbred fillies. It is run at Longchamp over a distance of 2,000 metres (about 1 miles), and it is scheduled t ...
, Shaima (USA) (1988, by Shareef Dancer) (
Long Island Handicap
The Long Island Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually in November at Aqueduct Racetrack, in Ozone Park, Queens, New York. The race is for fillies and mares, age three and up, willing to race the one and one-half miles on the ...
), Sacho (IRE) (1993, by Sadler's Wells) and Felitza. Shaima, sired by
Shareef Dancer
Shareef Dancer (1980–1999) was an American-bred, British-trained Thoroughbred racehorse.
Background
Shareef Dancer was sired by Northern Dancer out of the mare Sweet Alliance by Sir Ivor. He was bought by Maktoum bin Rashid Al Maktoum for $3 ...
, went on to produce the St Leger winner
Shantou
Shantou, alternately romanized as Swatow and sometimes known as Santow, is a prefecture-level city on the eastern coast of Guangdong, China, with a total population of 5,502,031 as of the 2020 census (5,391,028 in 2010) and an administrative ...
. Oh So Sharp is dam of Savoire Vivre who is enjoying some success at stud in Tasmania, Australia.
In early 2001, Oh So Sharp began to suffer from
laminitis
Laminitis is a disease that affects the feet of ungulates and is found mostly in horses and cattle. Clinical signs include foot tenderness progressing to inability to walk, increased digital pulses, and increased temperature in the hooves. Sever ...
. Her condition deteriorated in the autumn and she 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) conditi ...
at the end of October at the age of nineteen.
Pedigree
References
* Mooney, Bill and Ennor, George. ''The Complete Encyclopedia of Horse Racing'' Carlton Books Ltd (2006)
{{St Leger Winners
1982 racehorse births
2001 racehorse deaths
Racehorses bred in Ireland
Racehorses trained in the United Kingdom
Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing winners
Thoroughbred family 9-c
St Leger winners
1000 Guineas winners
Epsom Oaks winners