Trusted Partner (foaled 22 May 1985) was an American-bred, Irish-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 and

broodmare A mare is an adult female horse or other equine. In most cases, a mare is a female horse over the age of three, and a filly is a female horse three and younger. In Thoroughbred horse racing, a mare is defined as a female horse more than four ...

. She showed great promise as a two-year-old in 1987 when she won both of her races including the C L Weld Park Stakes and won the

Irish 1000 Guineas The Irish 1,000 Guineas is a Group 1 flat horse race in Ireland open to three-year-old thoroughbred fillies. It is run at the Curragh over a distance of 1 mile (1,609 metres), and it is scheduled to ...

on her three-year-old debut. She was beaten in her three remaining European starts and had no success when sent to race in America in 1989. After her retirement from racing she became a very successful broodmare.

Background

Trusted Partner was a light chestnut mare with a broad white blaze 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 her front legs bred in Kentucky by

Walter Haefner Walter Haefner (13 September 1910 – 19 June 2012) was a Swiss businessman and a thoroughbred racehorse owner and breeder in Ireland. As a young man Haefner went to work in the auto industry as an employee of the Swiss division of General Mo ...

's Moyglare Stud. The filly was sent to race in Europe where she was trained by

Dermot Weld Dermot K. Weld (born 29 July 1948), a former jockey is one of Ireland's most successful racehorse trainers. He holds the record for the most winners trained in Ireland (2,578 set in August 2000). Weld maintains his stable, Rosewell House, in C ...

in Ireland. She was officially described as being owned by Moyglare Stud when racing in Europe and by Haefner after her transfer to the United States. She was from the fifth crop of foals sired by the outstanding American racehorse

Affirmed Affirmed (February 21, 1975 – January 12, 2001) was a champion American Thoroughbred racehorse who is the eleventh winner of the American Triple Crown. Affirmed was well known for his famous rivalry with Alydar, whom he met ten times, includi ...

who won the

Triple Crown Triple Crown may refer to: Sports Horse racing * Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing * Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing (United States) ** Triple Crown Trophy ** Triple Crown Productions * Canadian Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing * Trip ...

in 1978. Her dam Talking Picture was a granddaughter of the American broodmare Banta, making her a close relative of

Big Spruce Big Spruce (1969–2001) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse. He was an outstanding middle to longer distance runner on both dirt and grass called "one of North America's leading runners in the early 1970s" by the ''Thoroughbred Times'' Back ...

Racing career

1987: two-year-old season

Trusted Partner began her racing career in a one-mile

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 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 ...

and won by five

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 ...

from twenty-five opponents. In October she was moved up in class for the C L Weld Park Stakes over seven

furlongs 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 ...

Phoenix Park Racecourse Phoenix Park Racecourse is a former horse racing venue in Ireland. It was located in the townlands of Ashtown and Castleknock in the civil parish of Castleknock on the northern edge of the Phoenix Park in Dublin. The course was founded by JHH ...

and won by four lengths from Impressive Lady. At the end of the year she was rated the fourth-best two-year-old filly in Ireland, four pounds behind Flutter Away, and was described as "very promising" by

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 ...

1988: three-year-old season

Trusted Partner was ridden in all of her races in 1988 by

Mick Kinane Michael J. Kinane (born 22 June 1959, Killenaule, County Tipperary) is an Irish former flat racing jockey. He had a 34-year career, retiring on 8 December 2009. A prolific winner of the Irish, English and French Classic race ...

. On her first appearance as a three-year-old she was stepped up in class to contest the Irish 1000 Guineas over one mile at the Curragh on 21 May and started at odds of 10/1 in a sixteen-runner field with the French-trained Bitooh (winner of the

Critérium de Maisons-Laffitte The Critérium de Maisons-Laffitte is a Group 2 flat horse race in France open to two-year-old thoroughbreds. It is run at Chantilly over a distance of 1,200 metres (about 6 furlongs), and it is sched ...

) started favorite. After being restrained towards the rear of the field Trusted Partner took the lead approaching the final furlong and won by two lengths from Dancing Goddess. In June the filly was stepped up in distance for the

Prix de Diane The Prix de Diane, sometimes referred to as the French Oaks, is a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to three-year-old thoroughbred fillies. It is run at Chantilly over a distance of 2,100 metre ...

over 2000 metres at

Chantilly Racecourse Chantilly Racecourse (In French: "Hippodrome de Chantilly") is a Thoroughbred turf racecourse for flat racing in Chantilly, Oise, France, about north of the centre of the city of Paris. Chantilly Racecourse is located in the country's main hors ...

and lost her unbeaten record as she finished unplaced behind the

François Boutin François Boutin (21 January 1937 – 1 February 1995) was a French Thoroughbred horse trainer. The son of a farmer, he was born in the village of Beaunay in the northerly Seine Maritime département. He began riding horses at a young age and ...

-trained Resless Kara. On 4 September she was matched against male opposition and older fillies and mares for the first time in the Phoenix Champion Stakes and finished seventh of the nine runners behind

Indian Skimmer The Indian skimmer or Indian scissors-bill (''Rynchops albicollis'') is one of the three species that belong to the skimmer genus ''Rynchops'' in the family Laridae. They are somewhat tern-like but like other skimmers, have a short upper mandibl ...

. A week after her defeat at Phoenix Park, Trusted Partner started 3/1 favourite for the Matron Stakes at the Curragh and finished second to the British-trained Llyn Gwynant.

1989: four-year-old season

In 1989 Trusted Partner was sent to race in California where she was trained by Victor J. Nickerson. She made only two appearances and made little impact, finishing fifth in the Buena Vista Handicap and eighth in the

Santa Ana Handicap The Santa Ana Handicap is a Thoroughbred horse race run at annually Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California during the third week of March. The race is open to fillies and mares, age four and up, willing to race one and one-eighth miles on the tu ...

, both races taking place at

Santa Anita Park Santa Anita Park is a Thoroughbred racetrack in Arcadia, California, United States. It offers some of the prominent horse racing events in the United States during early fall, winter and in spring. The track is home to numerous prestigious races ...

in April.

Breeding record

At the end of her racing career, Trusted Partner was retired to become a broodmare for the Moyglare Stud. She produced at least thirteen foals an eleven winners between 1990 and 2005. Her offspring included: *Brave Raider, a chestnut colt (later gelded), foaled in 1990, sired by

Dixieland Band Dixieland Band (1980 – April 7, 2010) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. Background Dixieland Band was bred by Bayard Sharp, a prominent and highly respected Delaware horseman and president of The Blood-Horse Inc. Out of th ...

. Won three races. *Tackling Reality, colt, 1991, by

Soviet Star Soviet Star (20 April 1984 – 7 October 2014) was an American-bred French-trained Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. He was bred in Kentucky, sold as a yearling for $310,000 and sent to race in Europe where he proved to be an outstanding sprinter ...

. Winner in Italy. *Archive Footage, bay colt (later gelded), 1992, by

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 ...

. Won eight races including the Ladbroke Hurdle. *Trust In Luck, chestnut filly, 1993, 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 ...

. Won one race. *Act of Defiance, colt, 1994,

Caerleon Caerleon (; cy, Caerllion) is a town and community in Newport, Wales. Situated on the River Usk, it lies northeast of Newport city centre, and southeast of Cwmbran. Caerleon is of archaeological importance, being the site of a notable Roman ...

. Won six races. *Blend of Pace, bay filly, 1996, by Sadler's Wells. Won one race. Dam of Indian Pace (

Galway Hurdle The Galway Hurdle is a National Hunt hurdle race in Ireland which is open to horses aged four years or older. It is run at Galway over a distance of about 2 miles (2 miles and 11 yards, or 3,229 metres), a ...

). *Dress to Thrill, bay filly, 1999, by Danehill. Won six races including

Sun Chariot Stakes The Sun Chariot Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to fillies and mares aged three years or older. It is run on the Rowley Mile at Newmarket over a distance of 1 mile (1,609 ...

and Matron Stakes. *Foolish Thought, bay colt (later gelded), 2000, by

Green Desert ''Green Desert'' is the twenty-seventh major release and the fifteenth studio album by Electronic music, electronic artists Tangerine Dream. The music was recorded in Berlin in 1973, during a period when Peter Baumann had temporarily left Germany ...

. Won one race. *Wow the Critics, bay filly, 2001, by Danehill. Failed to win in two races. *Striking Force, bay colt (later gelded), 2002, by Danehill. Won five races. *Polished Gem, bay filly, 2003, by Danehill. Won one race. Dam of

Free Eagle Free Eagle (foaled 4 May 2011) is an Irish Thoroughbred racehorse. He was very lightly campaigned in his early career, appearing four times in two years. As a juvenile he won impressively on his debut but was comprehensively beaten by Australia ...

, Custom Cut (

Sandown Mile The Sandown Mile is a Group 2 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 Sandown Park in late April. Histor ...

), Sapphire (

British Champions Fillies' and Mares' Stakes The British Champions Fillies & Mares Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to fillies and mares aged three years or older. It is run over a distance of 1 mile 3 fur ...

) and

Kyprios Kyprios is the stage name of David Coles, a Canadian hip hop musician. Career Formerly associated with the musical collective Sweatshop Union, he now records and performs exclusively as a solo artist. He appeared on all of Sweatshop Union's alb ...

(

Ascot Gold Cup The Gold Cup is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged four years or older. It is run at Ascot over a distance of 2 miles 3 furlongs and 210 yards (4,014 ...

) *Battle in Hand, bay colt, 2004, by

Rock of Gibraltar The Rock of Gibraltar (from the Arabic name Jabel-al-Tariq) is a monolithic limestone promontory located in the British territory of Gibraltar, near the southwestern tip of Europe on the Iberian Peninsula, and near the entrance to the Mediterr ...

. Won one race. *Myth and Magic, bay filly, 2005, by Namid. Unraced.

Pedigree

References

{{Reflist 1985 racehorse births Racehorses bred in Kentucky Racehorses trained in Ireland Racehorses trained in the United States Thoroughbred family 9-f Irish Classic Race winners