Owington (6 February 1991 – 12 August 1996) was a 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
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 showed very good form as a juvenile, winning the
Moët & Chandon Rennen
The Zukunfts-Rennen is a Group 3 flat horse race in Germany open to two-year-old thoroughbreds. It is run at Baden-Baden over a distance of 1,400 metres (about 7 furlongs), and it is scheduled to take place each year in late August or early Septe ...
in Germany and finishing a close second in the
Middle Park Stakes
The Middle Park Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to two-year-old colts. It is run on the Rowley Mile at Newmarket over a distance of 6 furlongs (1,207 metres), and it is s ...
. In the following season he was one of the leading sprinters in Europe, recording victories in the
Duke of York Stakes
The Duke of York Stakes is a Group 2 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged three years or older. It is run over a distance of 6 furlongs () at York in May.
History
An ...
,
Cork and Orrery Stakes
The Platinum Jubilee Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged four years or older. Three-year-olds foaled in the Southern Hemisphere are also eligible. It is run at A ...
and
July Cup
The July Cup is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged three years or older. It is run on the July Course at Newmarket over a distance of 6 furlongs (1,207 metres ...
. He remained in training in 1995 and ran well without winning. He was retired to stud in 1996 but died later that year.
Background
Owington was a bay horse with no white
markings bred by the
18th Earl of Derby's Stanley Estate. He was sired by Green Desert who finished second to
Dancing Brave
Dancing Brave (11 May 1983 – 2 August 1999) was an American-bred, British-trained thoroughbred racehorse. In a racing career which lasted from the autumn of 1985 until October 1986, he ran ten times and won eight races. Dancing Brave was the ou ...
in the
2000 Guineas
The 2000 Guineas Stakes is a Group 1 flat race in Great Britain open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run on the Rowley Mile at Newmarket over a distance of 1 mile (1,609 metres) and scheduled to take place each year at ...
and won the
July Cup
The July Cup is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged three years or older. It is run on the July Course at Newmarket over a distance of 6 furlongs (1,207 metres ...
in 1986. He sired the winners of over 1,000 races, including
Oasis Dream
Oasis Dream (foaled 30 March 2000) is retired thoroughbred racehorse and active sire who was bred and trained in the United Kingdom. He was the highest-rated two-year-old in the 2002 European flat racing season and won the Cartier Racing Award f ...
,
Desert Prince
Desert Prince (foaled 14 March 1995) is an Irish-bred, British-trained Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. After winning one of his four starts as a two-year-old in 1997, he improved to become one of the best milers and the highest-rated horse o ...
,
Sheikh Albadou
Sheikh Albadou (15 April 1988 – 1999), was a Thoroughbred racehorse and sire who was bred and trained in the United Kingdom. In a racing career which lasted from October 1990 until October 1992 he ran fifteen times and won six races. Shei ...
and
Cape Cross
Cape Cross (Afrikaans: ''Kaap Kruis''; German: ''Kreuzkap''; Portuguese: ''Cabo da Cruz'') is a headland in the South Atlantic in Skeleton Coast, western Namibia.
History
In 1484, Portuguese navigator and explorer Diogo Cão was ordered by Ki ...
. Owington's dam, Old Domesday Book won one race at
Chester Racecourse
Chester Racecourse, also known as the Roodee, is a racecourse located in Chester, England. The horse racing venue is officially recognised by Guinness World Records as the "oldest racecourse still in operation". Horse racing in Chester dates ...
from eight starts and was rated 93 by Timeform in 1986.
She was a great-granddaughter of Samanda, an influential broodmare whose descendants have included
Ouija Board
The ouija ( , ), also known as a spirit board or talking board, is a flat board marked with the letters of the Latin alphabet, the numbers 0–9, the words "yes", "no", occasionally "hello" and "goodbye", along with various symbols and grap ...
,
Teleprompter
A teleprompter, also known as an autocue, is a display device that prompts the person speaking with an electronic visual text of a speech or script.
Using a teleprompter is similar to using cue cards. The screen is in front of, and usually be ...
and
Ibn Bey
Ibn Bey (22 March 1984 – 10 December 2012) was a British-bred Thoroughbred racehorse and sire (horse), sire who won major races in the United Kingdom, France, Ireland, Italy and Germany as well as competing in the United States and Japan. ...
.
Owington was acquired by the German financier Baron Georg Von Ullmann and sent into training with
Geoff Wragg
Geoff Wragg (9 January 1930 – 15 September 2017) was a Thoroughbred horse trainer who trained champion horses such as Teenoso and Pentire. He was the son of former jockey and trainer Harry Wragg, from whom he took over the licence at Abington P ...
at his Abington Place stable 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 ...
. Like many of Wragg's horses, he usually raced in a
sheepskin noseband.
Racing career
1993: two-year-old season
Owington began his racing career by finishing third 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
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 ...
on 31 July 1993. Nineteen days later he started
5/4 favourite for the Convivial Maiden Stakes at
York Racecourse
York Racecourse is a horse racing venue in York, North Yorkshire, England.
It is the third biggest racecourse in Britain in terms of total prize money offered, and second behind Ascot Racecourse, Ascot in prize money offered per meeting. It att ...
and recorded his first victory, accelerating away from his opponents in the closing stages to win in "impressive" style by three and a half
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 Pinkerton's Pal. The colt was then sent to Germany and moved up in class for the
Group Two Moët & Chandon Rennen at
Baden-Baden
Baden-Baden () is a spa town in the states of Germany, state of Baden-Württemberg, south-western Germany, at the north-western border of the Black Forest mountain range on the small river Oos (river), Oos, ten kilometres (six miles) east of the ...
on 3 September. Ridden as in his two previous races by
Michael Hills he prevailed by a short head from his fellow British challenger Fumo di Londra.
Pat Eddery
Patrick James John Eddery (18 March 1952 – 10 November 2015) was an Irish flat racing jockey and trainer. He rode three winners of the Derby and was Champion Jockey on eleven occasions. He rode the winners of 4,632 British flat races, a f ...
took over from Hills when Owingtom contested the Group One
Middle Park Stakes
The Middle Park Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to two-year-old colts. It is run on the Rowley Mile at Newmarket over a distance of 6 furlongs (1,207 metres), and it is s ...
at Newmarket and started second favourite behind
Turtle Island (
Phoenix Stakes
The Phoenix Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Ireland open to two-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run at the Curragh over a distance of 6 furlongs (1,207 metres), and it is sch ...
,
Gimcrack Stakes
The Gimcrack Stakes is a Group 2 flat horse race in Great Britain open to two-year-old colts and geldings.
It is run at York over a distance of 6 furlongs (1,207 metres), and it is scheduled to t ...
). Owington took the lead approaching the last quarter mile but was caught in the final strides and beaten a head by his stablemate
First Trump
First Trump (1991–2015) was a British Thoroughbred racehorse. In 1993 he has named Cartier Champion Two-year-old Colt, European Champion Two-Year-Old Colt at the Cartier Racing Awards. In his championship season he won five of his six races in ...
.
1994: three-year-old season
On his first appearance as a three-year-old, Owington ran in the
Greenham Stakes
The Greenham Stakes is a Group 3 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old colts and geldings. It is run over a distance of 7 furlongs () at Newbury in ...
(a trial race for the
2000 Guineas
The 2000 Guineas Stakes is a Group 1 flat race in Great Britain open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run on the Rowley Mile at Newmarket over a distance of 1 mile (1,609 metres) and scheduled to take place each year at ...
) over seven furlongs on
soft ground at
Newbury Racecourse
Newbury Racecourse is a racecourse and events venue in the civil parish of Greenham, adjoining the town of Newbury in Berkshire, England. It has courses for flat races and over jumps. It hosts one of Great Britain's 36 annual Group 1 flat r ...
. He took the lead three furlongs out but faded in the closing stages and finished fifth of the eight runners behind Turtle Island. On 12 May, the colt reverted to sprint distances and was matched against older horses in the Duke of York Stakes at York and started 4/1 third favourite behind Tropical (
Phoenix Sprint Stakes
The Phoenix Sprint Stakes is a Group 3 flat horse race in Ireland open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run at the Curragh over a distance of 6 furlongs (1,207 metres), and it is schedu ...
) and Marina Park (
Princess Margaret Stakes
The Princess Margaret Stakes is a Group 3 flat horse race in Great Britain open to two-year-old fillies. It is run at Ascot over a distance of 6 furlongs (1,207 metres), and it is scheduled to take ...
). The colt was always among the leaders, went to the front a furlong out, and won "comfortably" by three lengths from Bid For Blue.
In June Owington was 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 ...
and was made favourite for the Cork and Orrery Stakes (then a Group Three race). His sixteen opponents included Catrail (
Challenge Stakes), Redoubtable (
National Stakes
The Vincent O'Brien National Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Ireland open to two-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run at the Curragh over a distance of 7 furlongs (1,408 metres ...
), So Factual (
European Free Handicap
The European Free Handicap was a Listed flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old horses. It was run over a distance of 7 furlongs (1,408 metres) on the Rowley Mile at Newmark ...
), College Chapel (winner of the race in 1993),
Keen Hunter,
Piccolo
The piccolo ( ; Italian for 'small') is a half-size flute and a member of the woodwind family of musical instruments. Sometimes referred to as a "baby flute" the modern piccolo has similar fingerings as the standard transverse flute, but the so ...
and
Lake Coniston. The favourite was restrained by Hills in the early stages before making progress and taking the lead approaching the final furlong. He held off the challenge of So Factual by half a length, with two lengths back to Catrail in third. On 7 July Owington was partnered 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 Chris ...
when he started 3/1 second favourite behind the six-year-old mare
Lochsong
Lochsong (26 April 1988 – 27 May 2014) was a bay Thoroughbred filly who twice won the Cartier Award as Top European Sprinter and was voted 1993 European Horse of the Year.
Background
Lochsong was a bay mare bred by her owner, Jeff Smith's Li ...
in the July Cup. Catrail, Piccolo and Redoubtable were again in opposition with the four other runners being
Barathea
Barathea, sometimes spelled barrathea, is a soft fabric, with a broken twill weft rib, giving a surface that is lightly pebbled or ribbed, with the effect of a twill running both left and right. Original developed as a cloth for mourning clothes ...
,
Dolphin Street
This is a list of notable streets in the city of Baltimore, Maryland, United States.
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
Heath St. Route 64. (MTA Maryland)
K
L
M
N
O
P
R
Ramsay st
S
U
W
Y
Numbered streets
In Balt ...
(
Prix de la Forêt
The Prix de la Forêt is a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run at Longchamp over a distance of 1,400 metres (about 7 furlongs), and it is ...
),
Lavinia Fontana
Lavinia Fontana (August 24, 1552 – August 11, 1614) was a Bologna, Bolognese Mannerism, Mannerist painter active in Bologna and Rome. She is best known for her successful portraiture, but also worked in the genres of mythology and religious pai ...
(
Prix du Petit Couvert
The Prix du Petit Couvert is a Group 3 flat horse race in France open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run at Longchamp over a distance of 1,000 metres (about 5 furlongs), and it is schedu ...
) and Splice (
Abernant Stakes
The Abernant Stakes is a Group 3 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged three years or older. It is run over a distance of 6 furlongs (1,207 metres) on the Rowley Mile ...
). After tracking the leaders, Owington began to make progress in the last quarter mile and overtook the leader Barathea inside the final furlong. He held off a strong late challenge from Dolphin Street to win by a head with Catrail taking third just ahead of Barathea.
Cash Asmussen
Cash Asmussen (born March 15, 1962 in Agar, South Dakota) is an American thoroughbred horse racing jockey. Born Brian Keith Asmussen, in 1977 he legally changed his name to "Cash".
From a Texas horse racing family, his parents, Keith and Marilyn ...
, who rode the runner-up said "I got there to do him, but the bastard
wingtonwas just idling and he pulled out a bit more".
Owington was sent to France in August for the
Prix Maurice de Gheest
The Prix Maurice de Gheest is a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run at Deauville over a distance of 1,300 metres (about 6½ furlongs), and it is sched ...
over 1300 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 ...
. He started second favourite but finished fifth behind Dolphin Street, Catrail, Lavinia Fontana and Unblest, beaten less than two lengths by the winner. In the
Haydock Sprint Cup
The Sprint Cup is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run at Haydock Park over a distance of 6 furlongs (1,207 metres), and ...
on 3 September, he started 15/8 favourite but appeared outpaced in the closing stages and finished third behind Lavinia Fontana and Piccolo.
1995: four-year-old season
Owington remained in training as a four-year-old in 1995. He failed to win in five races but ran consistently against top-class opposition. In the spring he finished third to the three-year-old Mind Games in both the
Palace House Stakes
The Palace House Stakes is a Group 3 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged three years or older. It is run over a distance of 5 furlongs (1,006 metres) on the Rowley ...
and the
Temple Stakes
The Temple Stakes is a Group 2 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged three years or older. It is run at Haydock Park over a distance of 5 furlongs (1,006 metres), and it is scheduled to ...
carrying weights of 132 pounds and 136 pounds respectively. In July he attempted to repeat his 1994 success in the July Cup and finished fourth behind Lake Coniston, Piccolo and Hoh Magic. At
Haydock Park
Haydock Park Racecourse is a racecourse in Merseyside, North West England. Within the boundaries of the historic county of Lancashire, the racecourse is set in an area of parkland bounded by the towns of Haydock to the west, Ashton-in-Makerfield ...
in September he finished third to the French-trained
Cherokee Rose
''Rosa laevigata'', the Cherokee rose, is a white, fragrant rose native to southern China and Taiwan south to Laos and Vietnam, and invasive in the United States.
Description
It is an evergreen climbing shrub, scrambling over other shrubs and ...
in the Sprint Cup, ahead of Lake Coniston, Mind Games and Lavinia Fontana. On his final appearance he was sent to the United States to contest the
Breeders' Cup Sprint
The Breeders' Cup Sprint is an American Weight for Age Grade I Thoroughbred horse race for horses three years old and older. Run on dirt Corrected grade for Santa Anita sprintover a distance of 6 Furlongs ( mile), the race has been held annually si ...
at
Belmont Park
Belmont Park is a major thoroughbred horse racing facility in the northeastern United States, located in Elmont, New York, just east of the New York City limits. It was opened on May 4, 1905.
It is operated by the non-profit New York Racin ...
on 28 October. 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 finished seventh behind
Desert Stormer
A desert is a barren area of landscape where little precipitation occurs and, consequently, living conditions are hostile for plant and animal life. The lack of vegetation exposes the unprotected surface of the ground to denudation. About on ...
, ahead of the other British challengers
Hever Golf Rose
Hever Golf Rose (22 February 1991 – September 1999) was a thoroughbred racehorse who was bred and trained in the United Kingdom, and campaigned throughout Europe in a career that lasted from 1993 to 1998. She was a specialist sprinter, showing ...
and Lake Coniston.
Stud record
Owington was retired from racing to become a breeding stallion in 1996 but died on 12 August 1996 after one season at stud. The best of his only crop of foals were Gateman who won eleven races including the
Diomed Stakes
The Diomed Stakes is a Group races, Group 3 Flat racing, flat Horse racing, horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged three years or older. It is run at Epsom Downs Racecourse, Epsom Downs over ...
and the
Earl of Sefton Stakes
The Earl of Sefton Stakes is a Group 3 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged four years or older. It is run over a distance of 1 mile and 1 furlong (1,811 metres) on the Rowley Mile ...
and Jemima who won the
Lowther Stakes
The Lowther Stakes is a Group 2 flat horse race in Great Britain open to two-year-old fillies. It is run at York over a distance of 6 furlongs (1,207 metres), and it is scheduled to take place each ...
. The ''
Racing Post
''Racing Post'' is a British daily horse racing, greyhound racing and sports betting publisher which is published in print and digital formats. It is printed in tabloid format from Monday to Sunday. , it has an average daily circulation of 6 ...
'' observed that the stallion's early demise "could have robbed the breeding industry of a fine stallion".
Pedigree
References
{{Reflist
1991 racehorse births
1996 racehorse deaths
Racehorses bred in the United Kingdom
Racehorses trained in the United Kingdom
Thoroughbred family 12-b