Spectrum (8 May 1992 – 25 May 2020) 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 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 ...

. In a racing career which lasted from October 1994 until August 1996 he ran nine times and won four races. As a three-year-old in 1995 he won the Irish 2000 Guineas but was injured when starting second favourite for The Derby. Big John the bus driver took all odds down from 66/1 and was told by a good source that the horse was injured before it ran. He returned in autumn to win the

Champion Stakes The Champion Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run at Ascot over a distance of 1 mile and 2 furlong ...

over ten

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 ...

s at Newmarket. After a disappointing four-year-old season he was retired to stud where he became a successful sire of winners.

Background

Spectrum was a bay horse with a narrow white

star A star is an astronomical object comprising a luminous spheroid of plasma (physics), plasma held together by its gravity. The List of nearest stars and brown dwarfs, nearest star to Earth is the Sun. Many other stars are visible to the naked ...

and three 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 ...

bred by

Arnold Weinstock Arnold Weinstock, Baron Weinstock, Kt. OMRI, (29 July 1924 – 23 July 2002) was an English industrialist and businessman known for making General Electric Company one of Britain's most profitable companies. The City criticized Weinstock for ...

Ballymacoll Stud Ballymacoll Stud is a Thoroughbred stud farm of 300 acres in County Meath, Ireland. It is located in the townland of Ballymacoll, approximately two miles from the village of Dunboyne and four miles (6 km) from the town of Maynooth. Under th ...

County Meath County Meath (; gle, Contae na Mí or simply ) is a county in the Eastern and Midland Region of Ireland, within the province of Leinster. It is bordered by Dublin to the southeast, Louth to the northeast, Kildare to the south, Offaly to the sou ...

, Ireland. He was sired by

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, ...

who won 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 ...

before becoming a very successful breeding stallion. Rainbow Quest's other progeny included Quest for Fame, Saumarez,

Raintrap Raintrap (foaled 1990 in Great Britain) is a British Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. Background Raintrap was a chestnut horse bred in England by his owner Khalid Abdullah's Juddmonte Farms. He was sired by Rainbow Quest who won the Prix de l'A ...

Nedawi Nedawi (foaled 9 April 1995), is a retired British Thoroughbred racehorse and active Horse breeding#Terminology, sire. In a career that lasted from June 1998 until July 1999, he ran seven times and won three races. He recorded his most important ...

and

Millenary Millenary is a retired British Thoroughbred racehorse and active sire. He won the St. Leger Stakes in 2000, and, unusually for a Classic winner, stayed in training until the age of eight, winning many important races over middle and long dista ...

. Spectrum's dam River Dancer never raced but was an influential broodmare who also produced the dams of

Conduit Conduit may refer to: Engineering systems * Conduit (fluid conveyance), a pipe suitable for carrying either open-channel or pressurized liquids * Electrical conduit, a protective cover, tube or piping system for electric cables * Conduit curre ...

and

Petrushka Petrushka ( rus, Петру́шка, p=pʲɪtˈruʂkə, a=Ru-петрушка.ogg) is a stock character of Russian folk puppetry. Italian puppeteers introduced it in the first third of the 19th century. While most core characters came from Italy ...

. During his racing career, Spectrum was owned by Arnold Weinstock in partnership with his son Simon. The colt was trained by

Peter Chapple-Hyam Peter Chapple-Hyam (born 2 April 1963 in Leamington Spa, Warwickshire, England) is a Thoroughbred racehorse trainer. He trained Dr Devious to win The Derby in 1992 and repeated the feat with Authorized in 2007. He managed two Group One wins ...

and ridden in all of his races by John Reid.

Racing career

Spectrum never contested a

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 ...

, beginning his racing career in the Whatcombe Stakes over one mile on heavy 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 ...

on 22 October 1994. Starting the 8/11 favourite against four opponents, he took the lead two

s from the finish and won easily by ten

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 ...

. On his three-year-old debut, Spectrum ran in the Tudor Stakes at

Sandown Park Racecourse 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 racing ...

on 28 April in which he was opposed by Stiletto Blade, a colt who had finished second in the

Royal Lodge Stakes The Royal Lodge Stakes is a Group 2 flat horse race in Great Britain open to two-year-old colts and geldings. It is run on the Rowley Mile at Newmarket over a distance of 1 mile (1,609 metres), an ...

. Starting at odds of 11/10 he took the lead in the last quarter mile and won easily by one and a half lengths from Sanoosea, with Stiletto Blade in third. Three weeks later, Spectrum was sent to Ireland and moved up sharply in class for the

Group One Group One, Group 1, Grade I or G1 is the term used for the highest level of Thoroughbred and Standardbred stakes races in many countries. In Europe, the level of races for Thoroughbred racing is determined using the Pattern races, Pattern race sys ...

Irish 2000 Guineas over one mile 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 ...

. He was made the 100/30 second favourite behind Bahri, a colt who had finished third behind

Pennekamp Pennekamp (foaled 26 March 1992) was an American-bred, French-trained Thoroughbred racehorse and sire (horse), sire. He was the highest-rated French two-year-old of 1994, when his wins included the Prix de la Salamandre and the Dewhurst Stakes. ...

and

Celtic Swing Celtic Swing (21 February 1992 – 4 September 2010) was a British Thoroughbred racehorse. He won the French Derby in 1995 and was also known for his performances in the autumn of the previous year, when his wins at Ascot and at Doncaster ...

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 ...

on 6 May. Reid settled the colt just behind the leaders before moving up to take the lead inside the final quarter mile. Spectrum stayed on strongly in the closing stages and won by a length from Adjareli, with Bahri in third. Chapple-Hyam described the winner as "a special horse" and announced that the colt would run next in The Derby. On 10 June 1995, Spectrum was one of fifteen colts to contest the 218th running of the Derby over one and a half miles 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 ...

. He was the 5/1 second choice in the betting behind the 11/8 favourite Pennekamp. The colt was held up towards the rear of the field and turned into the straight in tenth place but was unable to make any progress and finished thirteenth 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 ...

, beaten more than thirty lengths. He returned from the race with a serious back injury: Chapple Hyam commented "It was touch and go whether he ever ran again". Spectrum was off the racecourse for more than three months before returning in the

Prix du Prince d'Orange The Prix du Prince d'Orange is a group-3 flat horse race in France open to three-year-old thoroughbreds. It is run at Longchamp over a distance of 2,000 metres (about 1¼ miles), and it is scheduled to ...

over 2000

metres The metre (British spelling) or meter (American spelling; see spelling differences) (from the French unit , from the Greek noun , "measure"), symbol m, is the primary unit of length in the International System of Units (SI), though its prefi ...

Longchamp Racecourse The Longchamp Racecourse (french: Hippodrome de Longchamp) is a 57 hectare horse-racing facility located on the Route des Tribunes at the Bois de Boulogne in Paris, France. It is used for flat racing and is noted for its variety of interlaced tr ...

on 17 September. He finished second of the five runners, beaten a neck by the Derby runner-up Tamure to whom he was conceding seven pounds. On 14 October, Spectrum contested the Group One Champion Stakes over ten furlongs 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 ...

. He started the 5/1 fourth choice in the betting behind Bahri, Tamure and Riyadian. Reid restrained the colt at the back of the eight runner field before moving forward inside the last quarter mile. Spectrum took the lead approaching the final furlong and produced what ''

The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...

's'' correspondent described as "a scintillating burst of speed" to win by two lengths and a head from Riyadian and Montjoy. Spectrum remained in training as a four-year-old, but did not replicate his success of 1995. On his debut he was sent to France where he finished fourth to Valanour 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 ...

over 2100m in April. In the following month he started favourite for the

Lockinge Stakes The Lockinge Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged four years or older. It is run over a distance of 1 mile (1,609 metres) at Newbur ...

over one mile at Newbury but was beaten into third place by

Soviet Line Soviet Line (foaled 18 March 1990) was an Irish-bred, British-trained Thoroughbred racehorse. He was a durable gelding who raced for seven seasons between 1993 and 1999, showing his best form over the one mile distance, and winning sixteen of h ...

and Charnwood Forest. After a three-month break he returned in

Juddmonte International Stakes The International Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged three years or older. It is run at York over a distance of 1 mile, 2 furlongs and 56 yards (2, ...

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 made no impression, finishing fifth of the six runners behind Halling

Stud record

Spectrum was retired from racing to become a breeding stallion and stood in Europe, Australia and South Africa. He had some success as a sire of winners, including

Golan Golan ( he, גּוֹלָן ''Gōlān''; ar, جولان ' or ') is the name of a biblical town later known from the works of Josephus (first century CE) and Eusebius (''Onomasticon'', early 4th century CE). Archaeologists localize the biblical ci ...

(

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 ...

), Tartan Bearer (

Dante Stakes The Dante Stakes is a Group 2 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old horses. It is run over a distance of 1 mile, 2 furlongs and 56 yards () at Y ...

, second in the Derby), Gamut (

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 ...

), Racinger (

Prix du Muguet The Prix du Muguet is a Group 2 flat horse race in France open to thoroughbreds aged four years or older. It is run over a distance of 1,600 metres (about 1 mile) at Saint-Cloud in early May. Hi ...

) Just James (

Jersey Stakes The Jersey Stakes is a Group 3 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old horses. It is run at Ascot over a distance of 7 furlongs (1,408 metres), and it is scheduled to take place each ...

, Challenge Stakes) and Wild Iris (

AJC Oaks The Australian Oaks is an Australian Turf Club Group 1 Thoroughbred horse race for three year old fillies at set weights run over a distance of 2,400 metres at Randwick Racecourse, Sydney in the autumn during the ATC Championships series. The Aust ...

). He has also sired several good National Hunt horse including Glencove Marina, winner of the Champion Novice Hurdle. Died on 25 May 2020 in South Africa

Pedigree

References

{{reflist 1992 racehorse births 2020 racehorse deaths Racehorses bred in Ireland Racehorses trained in the United Kingdom Thoroughbred family 1-l