Tobougg (1998–2018) was a
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 ...
, who was bred in Ireland, but trained in England and
Dubai
Dubai (, ; ar, دبي, translit=Dubayy, , ) is the most populous city in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the capital of the Emirate of Dubai, the most populated of the 7 emirates of the United Arab Emirates.The Government and Politics of ...
during a racing career which lasted from 2000 to 2002. He was named
European Champion Two-Year-Old Colt The Cartier Racing Awards are awards in European horse racing, founded in 1991, and sponsored by Cartier. The award winners are decided by points earned in group races (40%) plus the votes cast by British racing journalists (30%) and readers of the ...
for 2000 at the
Cartier Racing Awards The Cartier Racing Awards are awards in European horse racing, founded in 1991, and sponsored by Cartier. The award winners are decided by points earned in group races (40%) plus the votes cast by British racing journalists (30%) and readers of the ...
. He was unbeaten in three starts in his championship season including two
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 ...
races, the
Prix de la Salamandre in France and the
Dewhurst Stakes in England. He never won another race although he was placed in
The Derby, 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 ...
and the
Hong Kong Cup
The Hong Kong Cup is a Group 1 flat horse race in Hong Kong which is open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run over a distance of 2000 metres (about miles or 10 furlongs) at Sha Tin, and it is scheduled to take place each year in ...
. He had some success as a breeding stallion and broodmare sire although he sired few major race winners.
Background
Tobougg was bred in
County Limerick, Ireland by the Citadel Stud. He was sired by the
Sadler's Wells stallion
Barathea (horse) out of the mare Lacovia. Barathea was a specialist miler who was named
European Horse of the Year in 1994, a year in which he won the
Breeders' Cup Mile. He became a successful stallion, siring the winners of over seven hundred races, although only seven of these were at Group One level. Lacovia was a highly successful racehorse who won the
Prix Saint-Alary and the
Prix de Diane in 1986.
Tobougg was sent as a
yearling
Yearling may refer to:
*Yearling (horse), a horse between one and two years old
*''The Yearling
''The Yearling'' is a novel by American writer Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, published in March 1938. It was the main selection of the Book of the Mo ...
to the
Tattersalls sales in September 1999 where he was bought for 230,000
gns by John Ferguson Bloodstock on behalf of
Ahmed Al Maktoum. Tobougg was sent into training with
Mick Channon who handled him for his first season. He was then transferred to the
Godolphin Racing team and trained for the rest of his career by
Saeed bin Suroor.
Tobougg was reportedly named after a region in
Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in Western Asia. It covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and has a land area of about , making it the fifth-largest country in Asia, the second-largest in the A ...
.
Racing career
2000: two-year-old season
Tobougg made his debut in 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 ...
at
York
York is a cathedral city with Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. It is the historic county town of Yorkshire. The city has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a ...
in late August. He lost ground at the start and had trouble finding a clear run, but once switched to the outside he ran on strongly to win by a
length
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 Interna ...
and three quarters. Despite the unimportant status of the race his performance attracted attention, with press reports calling him "a future star" and bookmakers offering him at 25/1 for the following year's
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 ...
. Channon called him "a lovely horse" while his jockey
Craig Williams emphasised the ease of his win by claiming that "he hardly knew he had a race".
Tobougg was then immediately moved up to Group One level for the
Prix de la Salamandre at
Longchamp, for which the leading fancies were the
Prix Morny winner
Bad As I Wanna Be
''Bad As I Wanna Be'' is a 1996 book that is the first autobiography of NBA player Dennis Rodman and was written during the 1995-96 season when Rodman was a part of the Bulls team that went on to win three NBA Championships. Tim Keown was Rodma ...
and the
Railway Stakes winner Honours List. Settled in third by Craig Williams, Tobougg was moved up to take the lead a
furlong out and pulled clear to win by two lengths despite being eased down in the closing stages. Mick Channon, who watched the race on television from home after forgetting his passport called Tobougg a colt of the "highest quality" while adding that he had a "quirky temperament". After the race Tobougg's price for the Guineas contracted to 10/1, and speculation began that he would be removed from Channon's stable to join
Godolphin.
On his final start of the season, Tobougg was sent to
Newmarket for Britain's most prestigious two-year-old race, the
Dewhurst Stakes. Sent off the 7/4 favourite Tobougg raced prominently before moving into the lead two furlongs out and winning "comfortably" by one and a quarter lengths from
Noverre
Noverre (May 2, 1998 – 2012) was an American-bred, British-trained Thoroughbred racehorse and sire.
Background
Noverre was a bay horse bred by Darley Stud and raced by a sister operation, Godolphin Racing. He was sired by Rahy, out of the ...
.
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 ...
called it a "smooth performance" while pointing out that the field may have been below the usual standard. The bookmakers responded by cutting him to 8/1 for the Guineas.
Before the end of the season, Tobougg's ownership, as had been predicted, was transferred to the Maktoum family's
Godolphin Racing operation and he was moved to the stable of Saeed bin Suroor, spending the winters in Dubai before being moved back to Britain during the Summer.
2001: three-year-old season
On returning from Dubai, Tobougg was sent straight to the 2000 Guineas without running in a trial race. He was the chosen ride of Godolphin's stable jockey
Frankie Dettori despite the fact that he had been beaten by his stable companion Rumpold in a private trial race in Dubai. Dettori rode the colt in all but one of his subsequent races. He was made 4/1 favourite in a field of eighteen, but after racing prominently he made little impact in the closing stages and lost his unbeaten record, finishing eighth behind
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 ...
. The Godolphin team were unable to explain his "dismal" performance.
A month later, Tobougg was moved up to a mile and a half for
The Derby and ran creditably, finishing strongly to take third place behind
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 ...
and Golan. At
Sandown in July he finished fourth as 9/4 favourite for 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 ...
, beaten less than a length behind
Medicean
The House of Medici ( , ) was an Italian banking family and political dynasty that first began to gather prominence under Cosimo de' Medici, in the Republic of Florence during the first half of the 15th century. The family originated in the Mu ...
. Dettori reported that the colt "hated" the firm ground.
Tobougg was then off the course for three months before returning in 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 ...
at Newmarket. Ridden by
Kevin Darley
Kevin Darley (born 5 August 1960, in Penn, Wolverhampton) is a retired jockey, and a co-president of the Jockeys' Association of Great Britain. He was British flat racing Champion Apprentice in 1978 with 70 wins and Champion Jockey in 2000 wi ...
he tracked the leaders before moving into the lead a quarter of a mile from the finish. he ran on well but was headed inside the final furlong and beaten three quarters of a length by
Nayef
Nayef ( ar, نايف) is both a given name and a surname. Notable people with the name include:
Given name
* Nayef Aguerd (born 1996), Moroccan football player
* Nayef Hawatmeh, founder of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine
* Na ...
. On his final start of the year he traveled to Hong Kong where he faced an international field in the
Hong Kong Cup
The Hong Kong Cup is a Group 1 flat horse race in Hong Kong which is open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run over a distance of 2000 metres (about miles or 10 furlongs) at Sha Tin, and it is scheduled to take place each year in ...
. Dettori sent the colt into the lead from the start, and after being headed a furlong out, Tobougg rallied strongly but was beaten a head by the Japanese runner
Agnes Digital. Saeed bin Suroor was pleased with the colt's effort and said that he would be "a serious horse next season."
2002: four-year-old season
Tobougg failed to live up to his trainer's prediction in four starts in 2002. He finished last of the fifteen runners behind Nayef in the
Dubai Sheema Classic, and on his return to Europe, ran fifth behind Rebellline in the
Tattersalls Gold Cup.
Having run in nine consecutive Group One races, Tobougg was dropped in class for the
Listed Steventon Stakes at
Newbury in July. He started Evens favourite, but could finish only third to Highdown. For his final race he was sent to
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 ...
where he finished last of the eight runners in the
Man o' War Stakes.
Assessment
Tobougg was named
European Champion Two-Year-Old Colt The Cartier Racing Awards are awards in European horse racing, founded in 1991, and sponsored by Cartier. The award winners are decided by points earned in group races (40%) plus the votes cast by British racing journalists (30%) and readers of the ...
at the
Cartier Racing Awards The Cartier Racing Awards are awards in European horse racing, founded in 1991, and sponsored by Cartier. The award winners are decided by points earned in group races (40%) plus the votes cast by British racing journalists (30%) and readers of the ...
in 2000. In the official International Classification for 2000, released in January 2001, Tobougg was ranked equal third on 120, behind the colts Minardi (
Phoenix Stakes) and Okawango (
Prix Jean-Luc Lagardère) and equal with the filly
Superstar Leo.
In 2001, Tobougg was rated the eleventh best three-year-old colt in Europe, with a rating of 119.
Stud career
Tobougg began his stud career at the
Darley Stud
Darley Stud is located at Dalham Hall, the global breeding operation owned by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum, the Ruler of Dubai and vice-president of the United Arab Emirates. It is on the outskirts of Newmarket, Suffolk, the internati ...
, being shuttled between its bases in England and Australia. Prior to his new home he stood alongside the
champion stayer Double Trigger
Double Trigger (24 March 1991 – 23 February 2020) was a Thoroughbred racehorse and active sire. He was bred in Ireland, but trained in the United Kingdom throughout his racing career, which lasted from 1993 to 1998. A specialist stayer, ...
at the Clarendon Farm stud in Wiltshire, England at a fee of £2,500. He sired the winners of more than two hundred races, but few at a high level, His only Group One winner was the Australian-bred
The Pooka who won the
New Zealand 2000 Guineas
The 2000 Guineas is a Group One set-weight Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-old horses run over a distance of 1600 metres at Riccarton Park in Christchurch, New Zealand.
Christchurch New Zealand cup week
The New Zealand 2000 Guineas is hel ...
in 2007. He stood at Anngrove Stud Farm,
Mountmellick,
County Laois
County Laois ( ; gle, Contae Laoise) is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Eastern and Midland Region and in the province of Leinster. It was known as Queen's County from 1556 to 1922. The modern county takes its name from Loígis, a medie ...
from 2012 until his death from suspected
laminitis in December 2018.
Pedigree
References
{{reflist, 2
Cartier Award winners
1998 racehorse births
Thoroughbred family 16-g
2018 racehorse deaths