Prince Royal (1961 – 4 August 1983), known as Prince Royal II in the United States, was a British-bred

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 ...

best known for winning France's prestigious

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 ...

Background

Bred by Charles W. Wacker III, Prince Royal was sired was the undefeated

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

runner and

leading sire in Great Britain and Ireland The title of champion, or leading, sire of racehorses in Great Britain and Ireland is awarded to the stallion whose offspring have won the most prize money in Britain and Ireland during the flat racing season. The current champion is Frankel, who r ...

, Ribot. His dam, Pange, also produced Senibility, the grand-dam of the

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 ...

winner

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Prince Royal was sold to Italy's Dr. Carlo Bassignana at the December 1961

Tattersalls Tattersalls (formerly Tattersall's) is the main auctioneer of race horses in the United Kingdom and Ireland. Founding It was founded in 1766 by Richard Tattersall (1724–1795), who had been stud groom to the second Duke of Kingston. T ...

sale for approximately $10,600 and sent into training with Giuseppe Galbiati in Italy.

Racing career

The colt began his career in racing at age two in Italy where he had one win in four of his 1963 starts with a third-place finish in Italy's most important race for his age group, the

Gran Criterium The Gran Criterium is a Group 2 flat horse race in Italy open to two-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run at Milan over a distance of 1,500 metres (about 1 mile), and it is scheduled to take place each year in October. The event he ...

. Racing at age three in 1964, Prince Royal won his first three starts before finishing fourth in the

Gran Premio d'Italia The Gran Premio d'Italia is a Listed flat horse race in Italy open to three-year-old thoroughbreds. It is run at Milan over a distance of 2,400 metres (about 1½ miles), and it is scheduled to take place each year in June. History The event was e ...

. He came back to win the

Gran Premio di Milano The Gran Premio di Milano is a Group 2 flat horse race in Italy open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run at Milan over a distance of 2,400 metres (about 1½ miles), and it is scheduled to take place each year in June. The event w ...

and ran away from the opposition to win the Premio Besana by fifteen lengths. Prince Royal was then sent to race in

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

. He ran in the

Prix Royal-Oak The Prix Royal-Oak 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 3,100 metres (about 1 mile and 7½ furlongs), and ...

in poor racing condition and was held back, finishing last to Baron Guy de Rothschild's winning colt, Barbieri. Negotiations, which had been going on prior to the Prix Royal-Oak, saw American

Rex Ellsworth Rex Cooper Ellsworth (November 15, 1907 – August 24, 1997) was a major owner in Thoroughbred racing and twice the leading breeder in the United States whose story was featured with a cover of the February 25, 1963 edition of ''Sports Illustrate ...

purchase Prince Royal for a reported

US$ The United States dollar (symbol: $; code: USD; also abbreviated US$ or U.S. Dollar, to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies; referred to as the dollar, U.S. dollar, American dollar, or colloquially buck) is the official ...

400,000 who turned him over to French trainer, Georges Bridgland. For his new owner and trainer, Prince Royal was next entered in the October 4th running of the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe. Up against older horses, the three-year-old colt won the forty-third running of France's most important race. Following Prince Royal's Arc victory he was retired from racing and sent to the United States where he was registered as "Prince Royal II".

Assessment

In 1964, 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 ...

organisation awarded Prince Royal a rating of 134, making him the highest-rated three-year-old colt of the season ahead of The Derby winner

Santa Claus Santa Claus, also known as Father Christmas, Saint Nicholas, Saint Nick, Kris Kringle, or simply Santa, is a Legend, legendary figure originating in Western Christianity, Western Christian culture who is said to Christmas gift-bringer, bring ...

. In their book ''A Century of Champions'', based on a modified version of the Timeform system, John Randall and Tony Morris rated Prince Royal as an "average" winner of the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe. Prince Royal was the Italian Champion Three-Year-Old Colt of 1964.

Stud record

Prince Royal served

stud Stud may refer to the following terms: Animals * Stud (animal), an animal retained for breeding ** Stud farm, a property where livestock are bred Arts and entertainment * Stud (band), a British progressive rock group * The Stud (bar), a gay bar ...

duty at owner Rex Ellworth's

breeding Breeding is sexual reproduction that produces offspring, usually animals or plants. It can only occur between a male and a female animal or plant. Breeding may refer to: * Animal husbandry, through selected specimens such as dogs, horses, and rab ...

operation in Southern California's Chino Valley from 1965 through 1973. He met with little success as a stallion, siring just seven stakes race winners from 268 foals. He did however have one son, Unconscious, who won the 1971

San Felipe Handicap The San Felipe Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California. It is a Grade II event open to three-year-old horses. Normally held in early -March, it is raced at a distance of one and one ...

and the 1972

Strub Stakes The Strub Stakes is an American race for thoroughbred horses run at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California Arcadia is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States, located about northeast of downtown Los Angeles in the San Gabriel ...

. Acquired by a Japanese breeder, he stood at stud in Japan from 1974 to 1983 and died on 4 August 1983.

Pedigree

References

External links

Prince Royal's pedigree and partial racing stats
{{Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe Winners 1961 racehorse births 1983 racehorse deaths Racehorses bred in the United Kingdom Racehorses trained in Italy Racehorses trained in France French Champion racehorses Arc winners Thoroughbred family 3-h