Swain (12 February 1992 - 27 July 2022) was an Irish-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 ...

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 is one of only three horses to win two editions of Britain's premier

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 ...

race, the

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 ...

Background

Swain was a bay horse with a white star and snip and white

socks A sock is a piece of clothing worn on the feet and often covering the ankle or some part of the calf. Some types of shoes or boots are typically worn over socks. In ancient times, socks were made from leather or matted animal hair. In the late ...

on his hind legs bred in Ireland by his 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 ...

. He was one of the best horses sired by

Nashwan Nashwan (1 March 1986 – 2002) was an American-bred, British-trained Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. After winning both his starts as a two-year-old, he developed into an outstanding performer in the spring and summer of 1989, completing a ...

, the 1989 Epsom Derby winner. Swain's dam, Love Smitten was a successful Canadian-bred racemare whose wins included the Grade I

Apple Blossom Handicap The Apple Blossom Handicap is a Grade I American Thoroughbred horse race for fillies and mares that are four years old or older, run under handicap conditions over a distance of one and one-sixteenth miles on the dirt track held annually in April ...

. The colt was originally sent into training in France with

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 t ...

Racing career

Swain began his racing career in France in 1995 when he won his first five races including the

Group Three AP Films or APF, later becoming Century 21 Productions, was a British independent film production company of the 1950s until the early 1970s. The company became internationally known for its imaginative children's action-adventure marionette tel ...

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 ...

, the Listed

Prix Reux Prix was an American power pop band formed in Memphis, Tennessee, in 1975 by Tommy Hoehn and Jon Tiven. The group ended up primarily as a studio project. Its recordings were produced by Tiven along with former Big Star member Chris Bell, who als ...

and the

Grand Prix de Deauville The Grand Prix de Deauville is a Group 2 flat horse race in France open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run at Deauville over a distance of 2,500 metres (about 1 mile and 4½ furl ...

. On his final race of the season he started 11/5 second favourite as part of Sheikh Mohammed's entry for the

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 ...

. He finished third of the sixteen runners, beaten three-quarters of a length and two lengths behind

Lammtarra Lammtarra (2 February 1992 7 July 2014) was an American-bred, British-trained Thoroughbred racehorse. He was undefeated in his career and won three Group One races in 1995, in which year he was voted the Cartier Three-Year-Old European Champi ...

and

Freedom Cry ''Freedom Cry'' is reggae artist Sizzla's fourth studio album, released November 11, 1998 on VP Records as ''Freedom Cry'' in the United States and as ''Kalonji'' in Europe. It features mainly conscious reggae songs, all written by Sizzla himself ...

. At four, he was finished third in the

Prix Ganay The Prix Ganay is a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to thoroughbreds aged four years or older. It is run over a distance of 2,100 metres (about 1 mile and 2½ furlongs) at Longc ...

before being sent to England where he recorded his first success at Group One level when beating

Singspiel A Singspiel (; plural: ; ) is a form of German-language music drama, now regarded as a genre of opera. It is characterized by spoken dialogue, which is alternated with ensembles, songs, ballads, and arias which were often strophic, or folk-like ...

by a neck in the

Coronation Cup The Coronation Cup is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged four years or older. It is run at Epsom Downs over a distance of 1 mile, 4 furlongs and 6 yards (2, ...

. He then finished second to

Helissio Helissio (1993–2013) was a Thoroughbred racehorse sired by Fairy King and a grandson of Northern Dancer. Owned by the Spanish businessman Enrique Sarasola, he was voted the European Horse of the Year for 1996 His career highlight was win ...

in the 1996

Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud The Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud is a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to thoroughbreds aged four years or older. It is run at Saint-Cloud over a distance of 2,400 metres (about 1½ miles), and it is sc ...

, and defeated

Pentire Pentire (12 April 1992 – 20 November 2017) was a British Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. Background Pentire was bred by Lord Halifax, he was purchased for 54,000 guineas by Mollers Racing, the racing stable Trust of brothers Eric and Budgi ...

in the Prix Foy. He finished fourth in his second attempt at the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe before being shipped to North America for the 1996

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 ...

Woodbine Racetrack Woodbine Racetrack is a race track for Thoroughbred horse racing in the Etobicoke area of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Owned by Woodbine Entertainment Group, Woodbine Racetrack manages and hosts Canada's most famous race, the King's Plate. The track ...

: Swain finished third behind Pilsudski and Singspiel. At the end of the 1996 season, Swain was transferred to his owners Godolphin organisation and entered the stable of

Saeed bin Suroor Saeed bin Suroor (born 16 November 1968 in Dubai) is a horse racing trainer in Great Britain. He took out his training licence in 1993 and the following year was appointed as the trainer for Sheikh Mohammed's Godolphin operation. He has been ...

. At age five in 1997, Swain defeated both Pilsudski and

to win the 1997 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes. He returned in 1998 to repeat as the winner, making him (at age six) the oldest horse to win the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes and the first back-to-back winner since

Dahlia Dahlia (, ) is a genus of bushy, tuberous, herbaceous perennial plants native to Mexico and Central America. A member of the Asteraceae (former name: Compositae) family of dicotyledonous plants, its garden relatives thus include the sunflower, ...

in 1973–74. He also won the 1998 Irish Champion Stakes, but finished second in that year's Coronation Cup and second to

Silver Charm Silver Charm (foaled February 22, 1994) is a champion American Thoroughbred racehorse who won the 1997 Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes and 1998 Dubai World Cup (all of which he is the oldest surviving winner). He stood at stud in both Americ ...

in the

Dubai World Cup The Dubai World Cup (Arabic: كأس دبي العالمي) is a Thoroughbred horse race held annually since 1996 and contested at the Meydan Racecourse (Arabic: ميدان) which in Arabic suggests a place wher ...

. Sent to

Churchill Downs Churchill Downs is a horse racing complex located on Central Avenue in south Louisville, Kentucky, United States, famed for hosting the annual Kentucky Derby. It officially opened in 1875 and was named for Samuel Churchill, whose family was ...

in Louisville, Kentucky for the 1998

Breeders' Cup Classic The Breeders' Cup Classic is a Grade I Weight for Age thoroughbred horse race for 3-year-olds and older run at a distance of on dirt. It is held annually at a different racetrack as part of the Breeders' Cup World Championships in late October o ...

, Swain wound up his racing career with a third-place finish to

Awesome Again Awesome Again (March 29, 1994December 15, 2020) was a Canadian Thoroughbred horse racing, racehorse and stallion. As a three-year-old, he won the Queen's Plate in Canada and the Jim Dandy Stakes in the United States. He was undefeated at age four ...

and Silver Charm. After earning $3,797,566 in racing, Swain was retired to stud duty.

Progeny

Swain retired to stand stud at Shadwell's Kentucky farm in 1999 before being relocated to Ascot Stud, Ontario in 2013. Swain was not a success as a stallion: during his time at stud in Canada his stud fee fell from $35,000 to $4,000. He sired 13 stakes winners including: * Dimitrova (

Flower Bowl Invitational Stakes The Flower Bowl Stakes is a Grade II American thoroughbred horse race for fillies and mares aged four years old and older over a distance of miles on the turf held annually in early September at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York. ...

) Gr-1. * Nasheej (

May Hill Stakes The May Hill Stakes is a Group 2 flat horse race in Great Britain open to two-year-old fillies. It is run at Doncaster over a distance of 1 mile (1,609 metres), and it is scheduled to take place eac ...

) Gr-2. * Muqbil (

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 ...

) Gr-3. Swain was pensioned from stud duty in October 2011 and was returned to Shadwell in Kentucky. Swain's last standing fee was CA$3,500. In 2022, he was relocated to Old Friends Equine as part of a downsizing program following the death of Shadwell owner Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum. Swain was euthanized in July 2022 due to the infirmities of old age.

Pedigree

References

External links

Swain at Shadwell Farm LLC

Ascotstudfarm.com
where Swain is standing at stud {{Cartier Champion Older Horse 1992 racehorse births Racehorses bred in Ireland Racehorses trained in France Racehorses trained in the United Kingdom Cartier Award winners Thoroughbred family 14-c King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes winners 2022 racehorse deaths