Tudenham (21 February 1970 – after 1991) 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 ...
racehorse and
sire. He showed his best form as a two-year-old in 1972 when he finished second in the
Mill Reef Stakes
The Mill Reef Stakes is a Group 2 flat horse race in Great Britain open to two-year-olds. It is run at Newbury over a distance of 6 furlongs (1,207 metres), and it is scheduled ...
before recording the only win of his career by taking the
Group One Middle Park Stakes
The Middle Park Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to two-year-old colts. It is run on the Rowley Mile at Newmarket over a distance of 6 furlongs (1,207 metres), and it is ...
. He remained in training for two more seasons but failed to win again. He was retired to become a breeding stallion in Japan and had some success as a sire of winners.
Background
Tudenham was a "strong, attractive"
bay horse bred by his owner Lionel Brook Holliday at his Cleaboy Stud, near
Mullingar
Mullingar ( ; ) is the county town of County Westmeath in Ireland. It is the third most populous town in the Midland Region, with a population of 20,928 in the 2016 census.
The Counties of Meath and Westmeath Act 1543 proclaimed Westmeath ...
in
County Westmeath. He was sent into training with
Denys Smith
Denys Smith (13 August 1924 – 13 November 2016) was a British racehorse trainer whose horses competed in both Flat racing and National Hunt racing. Smith's training stables were located at Bishop Auckland in County Durham. He trained the winn ...
at
Bishop Auckland in
County Durham. Smith was primarily known for his achievements in
National Hunt racing
In horse racing in the United Kingdom, France and Republic of Ireland, National Hunt racing requires horses to jump fences and ditches. National Hunt racing in the UK is informally known as "jumps" and is divided into two major distinct branches: ...
, having trained
Red Alligator
Red Alligator was a champion Thoroughbred racehorse who won the Grand National in 1968. He also came third the previous year and was favorite in 1969 but fell at the 19th fence. Red Alligator was the third horse in succession to carry exactly 1 ...
to win the
1968 Grand National. The horse may have been named after
Tudenham Park, a ruined
country house four miles away from the Cleaboy Stud.
His sire Tudor Melody was the top-rated two-year-old in Britain in 1958 after winning five of his six races and later had some success when campaigned in the United States. He returned to Europe and had considerable success as a breeding stallion, siring
Kashmir,
Welsh Pageant
Welsh may refer to:
Related to Wales
* Welsh, referring or related to Wales
* Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales
* Welsh people
People
* Welsh (surname)
* Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peop ...
(
Queen Anne Stakes
The Queen Anne Stakes 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 1 mile (1,609 metres), and is scheduled to take pl ...
), Tudor Music (
July Cup) and Magic Flute (
Coronation Stakes
The Coronation Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old fillies. It is run at Ascot over a distance of 7 furlong and 213 yards (1,603 metres), and it is schedul ...
).
Tudenham's dam Heath Rose was a high-class racemare who finished third in the
Prix Vermeille
The Prix Vermeille is a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to thoroughbred fillies and mares aged three years or older. It is run at Longchamp over a distance of 2,400 metres (about 1½ miles), a ...
and fifth in 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 ...
as a three-year-old in 1967. She was a granddaughter of the British broodmare Netherton Maid who was a full-sister to
Neasham Belle
Neasham Belle (1948 – November 1971) was a British Thoroughbred racehorse and broodmare best known for winning the classic Oaks Stakes in 1951. After winning one minor race as a two-year-old, she was well-beaten in her first two races in ...
and the female-line ancestor of many good winners including
Hethersett
Hethersett is a large village and electoral ward in the county of Norfolk, England, about south-west of Norwich. It covers an area of and had a population of 5,441 in 2,321 households at the 2001 census, increasing to 5,691 at the 2011 cen ...
,
Hittite Glory and
Harzand .
Racing career
1972: two-year-old season
Tudenham began his racing career in the Scarborough
Maiden Stakes over five
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 ho ...
at
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 in prize money offered per meeting. It attracts around 350 ...
in May and finished second to the
Mick Easterby
Michael William Easterby (born 30 March 1931) is a British racehorse trainer.
He is a dual-purpose trainer, saddling runners in both flat racing and National Hunt racing. He gained his only Classic winner with Mrs McArdy in the 1977 1,000 Guin ...
-trained Gypo, beaten a head by the winner. After a three-month absence the colt finished sixth on his reappearance before being stepped up in class for the inaugural running of the
Mill Reef Stakes
The Mill Reef Stakes is a Group 2 flat horse race in Great Britain open to two-year-olds. It is run at Newbury over a distance of 6 furlongs (1,207 metres), and it is scheduled ...
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 ...
in September. He took the lead from the start, maintained his advantage until well inside the final furlong but was then caught and beaten a head by
Mon Fils
Mon Fils (1970–1979) was a British Thoroughbred racehorse and sire, best known for winning the classic 2000 Guineas in 1973. As a two-year-old, Mon Fils won two of his seven races including the Mill Reef Stakes. In 1973 he won the 2000 G ...
. The pair finished ten
lengths clear of the other two starters.
On his final start of the year he was moved up to
Group One class for the
Middle Park Stakes
The Middle Park Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to two-year-old colts. It is run on the Rowley Mile at Newmarket over a distance of 6 furlongs (1,207 metres), and it is ...
over six furlongs at
Newmarket Racecourse
Newmarket Racecourse is a British Thoroughbred horse racing venue in Newmarket, Suffolk, comprising two individual racecourses: the Rowley Mile and the July Course. Newmarket is often referred to as the headquarters of British horserac ...
and started at odds of
4/1.
Of his six opponents, Quentilian, Wohurst and Mad Mahdi had won minor races whilst Golden Master,
Boldboy
Boldboy (1970 – September 1998) was an Irish-bred, British-trained Thoroughbred racehorse. He raced for eight seasons in the 1970s and was one of the most popular and successful racehorses of his era. As a two-year-old he showed ability, ...
and Loyal Manzer were maidens.
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 t ...
described the race as "the worst Middle Park Stakes in our experience". Boldboy set the pace with Tudenham being restrained at the rear of the field before moving up to take the lead a furlong out. He stayed on well and won by one and a half lengths and a short head from Quentilian and Wohurst.
1973: three-year-old season
Tudenham made no impact in his first two starts as a three-year-old finishing unplaced in both the
European Free Handicap (behind Pitskelly) and the
Irish 2000 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 ...
(won by
Sharp Edge). In the
Britannia Stakes
The Britannia Stakes is a flat handicap horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old colts and geldings. It is run at Ascot over a distance of 1 mile (1,609 metres) on the straight cou ...
at
Royal Ascot he produced a much better effort finishing a close fourth to Tudor Rhythm in a twenty-two runner field. He then ran sixth in a
handicap race at
Beverley Racecourse
Beverley Racecourse is a thoroughbred horse racing venue located in the town of Beverley in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England.
Racing in Beverley can be documented as far back as over 300 years ago, and the founding of The Jockey Club i ...
and then looked outclassed when finishing sixth to
Thatch
Thatching is the craft of building a roof with dry vegetation such as straw, water reed, sedge (''Cladium mariscus''), rushes, heather, or palm branches, layering the vegetation so as to shed water away from the inner roof. Since the bulk of ...
in the
Sussex Stakes
The Sussex Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged three years or older. It is run at Goodwood over a distance of 1 mile (1,609 metres), and ...
in August.
1974: four-year-old season
As a four-year-old Tudenham competed mainly in handicaps over sprint distance. He failed to win in nine attempts but produced some good efforts in defeat under big weights. His best performance came over seven furlongs at
Doncaster Racecourse in September when he was beaten a neck by the
gelding Hovis in the Mark Lane Handicap.
Assessment
In the 1972 Free Handicap, a rating of the best two-year-olds to race in Britain, Tudenham was given a rating of 117 pounds, sixteen pounds behind the filly
Jacinth and thirteen pounds behind the leading colt
Noble Decree
Noble Decree (foaled 6 March 1970) was an American-bred British-trained Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. As a two-year-old colt he won two of his first five races before ending his season with a win in the Observer Gold Cup. He was rated the be ...
. The independent
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 t ...
organisation gave him a rating of 118, fifteen pounds behind Jacinth.
He was given Timefform ratings of 107 in 1973
and 109 in 1974.
Stud record
After his retirement from racing Tudenham returned to his birthplace to become a breeding stallion at the Cleaboy Stud at an initial stud fee of £198. After one season in Ireland he was sold and exported to stand in Japan. The best of his offspring being the Japanese
graded stakes race
A graded stakes race is a thoroughbred horse race in the United States that meets the criteria of the American Graded Stakes Committee of the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association (TOBA). A specific grade level (I, II, III or listed) is the ...
winners Kyoei Bowgun (
Kobe Shimbun Hai
The Kobe Shimbun Hai (Japanese 神戸新聞杯) is a Japanese Grade 2 flat horse race in Japan for three-year-old Thoroughbreds. It is run over a distance of 2400 metres at Hanshin Racecourse in September, but was contested over 2000 metres unti ...
), Tudenham King (
Nakayama Kinen
The Nakayama Kinen is a Japanese Grade 2 flat horse race in Japan for Thoroughbreds aged four and older run over a distance of 1,800 metres at the Nakayama Racecourse
is located in Funabashi, Chiba, Japan. It is used for horse racing. It h ...
, second in the
Tenno Sho The is a horse race held twice a year in Japan, once in the spring and once in the autumn. "Tenno" means "Emperor of Japan". The races are both International Grade I races. Prior to the 2007 races, both Tenno Sho races were Japanese domestic Gra ...
) and Nihon Pillow Brave (
Epsom Cup,
Keihan Hai). He had fertility problems in his later stud career and covered his last mares in 1991.
Pedigree
* Tudenham was
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 ...
4 × 4 to Nearco, meaning that this stallion appears twice in the fourth generation of his pedigree.
References
{{Reflist
1970 racehorse births
Racehorses bred in Ireland
Racehorses trained in the United Kingdom
Thoroughbred family 21-a