Roderic O'Connor (foaled 4 April 2008) is an

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

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 ...

. He won the

Critérium International The Critérium International was a two-day bicycle stage race held in France every spring from 1932 until 2016, typically the last weekend of March. It was formerly known as the Critérium National de la Route, first run in 1932. For many years ...

as a two-year-old and the

Irish 2,000 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 s ...

as a three-year-old. He is owned by Mrs John Magnier and was trained by

Aidan O'Brien Aidan Patrick O'Brien (born 16 October 1969 in County Wexford, Ireland) Aidan O'Brien bio NTRA. ...

. He stood as a

stallion A stallion is a male horse that has not been gelded (castrated). Stallions follow the conformation and phenotype of their breed, but within that standard, the presence of hormones such as testosterone may give stallions a thicker, "cresty" nec ...

at Ballyhane Stud. He now stands as a

Stallion A stallion is a male horse that has not been gelded (castrated). Stallions follow the conformation and phenotype of their breed, but within that standard, the presence of hormones such as testosterone may give stallions a thicker, "cresty" nec ...

at Poonawalla Stud Farms, India.

Breeding

Roderic O'Connor is the son of

Galileo Galileo di Vincenzo Bonaiuti de' Galilei (15 February 1564 – 8 January 1642) was an Italian astronomer, physicist and engineer, sometimes described as a polymath. Commonly referred to as Galileo, his name was pronounced (, ). He was ...

, who won The Derby,

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 of 1 ...

and

King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes The King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged three years or older. It is run at Ascot o ...

and multiple Champion sire. Galileo's sire was

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 ...

, winner of the

Eclipse Stakes The Eclipse Stakes is a Group races, Group 1 Flat racing, flat Horse racing, horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged three years or older. It is run at Sandown P ...

and

Irish Champion Stakes The Irish Champion Stakes (Irish: Curadh-Dhuais na hÉireann) is a Group 1 flat horse race in Ireland open to horses aged three years or older. It is run at Leopardstown over a distance of 1 mile and 2 furlongs (2,012 ...

and multiple Champion sire. Roderic O'Connor's dam, Secret Garden won twice, including a listed race. Secret Garden's sire was Danehill, winner of the Sprint Cup and Champion sire.

Racing career

2010: two-year-old season

Roderic O'Connor finished third on his racecourse debut when starting at 20/1 for a seven-furlong maiden at

Leopardstown Leopardstown () is a suburb of Dublin in Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown, within the traditional County Dublin, Ireland. Located at the foot of the Dublin Mountains, it is a residential suburb with institutional lands and a large racecourse. It is di ...

. He then won a maiden race at the

Curragh The Curragh ( ; ga, An Currach ) is a flat open plain of almost of common land in County Kildare. This area is well known for Irish horse breeding and training. The Irish National Stud is located on the edge of Kildare town, beside the ...

, beating Master of Hounds by 2½ lengths. In the

Dewhurst Stakes The Dewhurst Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to two-year-old colts and fillies. It is run on the Rowley Mile at Newmarket over a distance of 7 furlongs (1,408 metres), ...

he took on

Frankel Frankel is the surname of: * Benjamin Frankel (1906–1973), British composer * Bethenny Frankel (born 1970), American chef and reality television personality * Charles Frankel (1917–1975), American philosopher, known for Charles Frankel Prize * ...

and Dream Ahead. Starting as the 25/1 outsider he finished second, 2¼ lengths behind Frankel. In his final start as a two-year-old he travelled to France for the

. He started the race the 5/2 second favourite and was ridden by

Johnny Murtagh Johnny Murtagh (born 14 May 1970) is an Irish flat racing trainer and former jockey from Bohermeen, near Navan, Kells, County Meath. As a jockey he won many of the major flat races in Europe, including all the Irish Classi ...

. He was ridden prominently during the early stages of the race and then quickened clear in the finishing straight. In the closing stages he drifted first left and then right, but he ran on again to win by 1½ lengths from Salto.

2011: three-year-old-season

He started his three-year-old season

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 was amongst the favourites. Dewhurst winner

was the hot favourite at 1/2, then came Roderic O'Connor and

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 ...

winner Pathfork at 8/1.

Racing Post Trophy 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), ...

winner Casamento started at 11/1. Frankel pulled away in the opening stages of the race and was never caught. Ridden by Ryan Moore, Roderic O'Connor was near the front of the chasing group, but faded with three furlongs still to run. He finished 38 lengths behind the winner in eleventh. Roderic O'Connor then took on 2000 Guineas runner-up Dubawi Gold in the

. Under Joseph O'Brien (son of trainer

Aidan O'Brien Aidan Patrick O'Brien (born 16 October 1969 in County Wexford, Ireland) Aidan O'Brien bio NTRA. ...

) he led from the start. Dubawi Gold closed in the final stages of the race, but could not catch him and Roderic O'Connor went on to win by ¾ length. This was Joseph O'Brien's first Group 1 win. He then finished eighth in the

Prix du Jockey Club The Prix du Jockey Club, sometimes referred to as the French Derby, is a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run at Chantilly over a ...

, sixth in the

and fifth in the

Assessment

He was officially rated as the 136th best horse in the world in 2011.

Stud career

At the end of the 2011 season Roderic O'Connor was retired to stud. He stood as a stallion at Ballyhane Stud and also shuttled to Brazil during the 2012 season. His 2012 stud fee is €9,000. He was later acquired by Poonawalla Stud Farm to stand as a stallion in India. Notable Progenies in India : # A STAR IS BORN(b c 2018 x Angel Dust By Win Legend(JPN))- The Indian 2000 Guineas (Gr.1),The Indian Champion Cup (Gr.1); 2nd -The Pune Derby(Gr.1), The Indian Derby(Gr.1),The Maharaja's Gold Cup(Gr.2),The Calcutta Gold Cup(Gr.2); # KAMILAH(b f 2018 x My Lakshmi By Ace(IRE))- The Calcutta 1000 Guineas(Gr.3); 2nd- The Calcutta Oaks(Gr.3), The Calcutta Debby Stakes(Gr.1); 3rd- Threptin Fillies & Mares Stakes(Gr.3); # THUNBERG(b f 2019 x Ice Glacier By Arazan(IRE))- 2nd- The Indian 1,000 Guineas (Gr.1); 3rd - The Indian Oaks (Gr.1);

Pedigree

''Note: b. =

Bay A bay is a recessed, coastal body of water that directly connects to a larger main body of water, such as an ocean, a lake, or another bay. A large bay is usually called a Gulf (geography), gulf, sea, sound (geography), sound, or bight (geogra ...

, br. =

Brown Brown is a color. It can be considered a composite color, but it is mainly a darker shade of orange. In the CMYK color model used in printing or painting, brown is usually made by combining the colors orange and black. In the RGB color model used ...

'', ch. =

Chestnut The chestnuts are the deciduous trees and shrubs in the genus ''Castanea'', in the beech family Fagaceae. They are native to temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. The name also refers to the edible nuts they produce. The unrelat ...

* Roderic O'Connor is

inbred Inbreeding is the production of offspring from the mating or breeding of individuals or organisms that are closely related genetically. By analogy, the term is used in human reproduction, but more commonly refers to the genetic disorders and o ...

3x4 to Northern Dancer, meaning that the stallion appears once in the third generation and once in the fourth generation of his pedigree.

References

{{reflist 2008 racehorse births Racehorses bred in Ireland Racehorses trained in Ireland Irish Classic Race winners Thoroughbred family 16-c