Turtle Island (16 March 1991 – 4 July 2014) 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 ...

. He was one of the leading British two-year-olds of 1993 when he won four of his seven races including the Norfolk Stakes,

Phoenix Stakes The Phoenix Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Ireland open to two-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run at the Curragh over a distance of 6 furlongs (1,207 metres), and it is sch ...

and

Gimcrack Stakes The Gimcrack Stakes is a Group 2 flat horse race in Great Britain open to two-year-old colts and geldings. It is run at York over a distance of 6 furlongs (1,207 metres), and it is scheduled to t ...

. In the following year he won the

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 ...

before winning the

Irish 2,000 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 s ...

by fifteen lengths. He was beaten in his three remaining races and was retired to stud, where he had some success as a sire of winners.

Background

Turtle Island was a bay colt with a small 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 ...

bred in Ireland by Ron Con Ltd and

Robert Sangster Robert Edmund Sangster (23 May 1936 – 7 April 2004)

's Swettenham Stud. Turtle Island's sire, Fairy King, who was full-brother to

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 ...

, failed to win a race after being injured on his debut, but sired the winners of over five-hundred races, including

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 ...

and

Oath Traditionally an oath (from Anglo-Saxon ', also called plight) is either a statement of fact or a promise taken by a sacrality as a sign of verity. A common legal substitute for those who conscientiously object to making sacred oaths is to ...

. His dam, Sisania, was descendant of the French mare Batika, making her a distant relative of the three-time

Grand National The Grand National is a National Hunt horse race held annually at Aintree Racecourse in Liverpool, England. First run in 1839, it is a handicap ...

winner

Red Rum Red Rum (3 May 1965 – 18 October 1995) was a champion Thoroughbred steeplechaser. He achieved an unmatched historic treble when he won the Grand National in 1973, 1974 and 1977, and also came second in the two intervening years, 1975 and ...

. In September 1992 the

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 ...

colt was sent to the sales at Doncaster where he was bought for 23,000

guineas The guinea (; commonly abbreviated gn., or gns. in plural) was a coin, minted in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, Great Britain between 1663 and 1814, that contained approximately one-quarter of an ounce of gold. The name came from t ...

by Frank Barry. During his racing career, Turtle Island raced in the green and blue silks of Robert Sangster and 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 ...

at Manton in

Wiltshire Wiltshire (; abbreviated Wilts) is a historic and ceremonial county in South West England with an area of . It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset to the southwest, Somerset to the west, Hampshire to the southeast, Gloucestershire ...

. He was ridden in all of his races by John Reid.

Racing career

1993: two-year-old season

Turtle Island made his racecourse debut in a five

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 ...

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 ...

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 17 April in which he started the 13/8 favourite in a field of eight runners. He took the lead approaching the final furlong and drew clear of the field 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 ...

. The colt was then moved up in class for 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 ...

Norfolk Stakes at

Royal Ascot Ascot Racecourse ("ascot" pronounced , often pronounced ) is a dual-purpose British racecourse, located in Ascot, Berkshire, England, which is used for thoroughbred horse racing. It hosts 13 of Britain's 36 annual Flat Group 1 horse races and ...

in June. Starting the 3/1 second favourite he raced just behind the leaders before taking the lead a furlong out and winning by three and a half lengths from Gold Land. Turtle Island started odds-on favourite for the

July Stakes The July Stakes is a Group 2 flat horse race in Great Britain open to two-year-old colts and geldings. It is run on the July Course at Newmarket over a distance of 6 furlongs (1,207 metres), and it ...

over six furlong 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 ...

but was never able to challenge for the lead and finished fourth of the six runners behind

First Trump First Trump (1991–2015) was a British Thoroughbred racehorse. In 1993 he has named Cartier Champion Two-year-old Colt, European Champion Two-Year-Old Colt at the Cartier Racing Awards. In his championship season he won five of his six races in ...

. Ten days later, Turtle Island contested the Super Sprint Trophy at Newbury in which he carried top weight of 133 pounds and finished third of the sixteen runners behind the

Queen Mary Stakes The Queen Mary Stakes is a Group races, Group 2 Flat racing, flat Horse racing, horse race in Great Britain open to two-year-old Filly, fillies. It is run at Ascot Racecourse, Ascot over a distance o ...

winner Risky. On 8 August, Turtle Island was sent to Ireland for the Group One Phoenix Stakes over six furlongs at

Leopardstown Racecourse Leopardstown Racecourse is an Ireland, Irish horse-racing venue, located in Leopardstown, Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown, 8 km south of the Dublin city centre. Like the majority of Irish courses, it hosts both National Hunt and Flat racing. Th ...

and started the 7/4 favourite. He was among the leaders from the start before establishing an advantage inside the last quarter mile and winning by half a length from

Las Meninas ''Las Meninas'' (; ) is a 1656 painting in the Museo del Prado in Madrid, by Diego Velázquez, the leading artist of the Spanish Golden Age. It has become one of the most widely analyzed works in Western painting, due to the way its complex an ...

, a

filly A filly is a female horse that is too young to be called a mare. There are two specific definitions in use: *In most cases, a ''filly'' is a female horse under four years old. *In some nations, such as the United Kingdom and the United States, t ...

who went on to win the

1000 Guineas The 1000 Guineas Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old fillies. It is run on the Rowley Mile at Newmarket over a distance of 1 mile (1,609 ...

. Ten days after his win in Ireland, Turtle Island was sent to

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 ...

for the Gimcrack Stakes in which he carried top weight of 131 pounds and started the 5/2 second favourite. He took the lead approaching the final furlong and stayed on "gamely" after being overtaken by the filly Unblest to regain the lead in the final strides and win by a head. The favourite

Mister Baileys Mister Baileys (1991–2009) was a British Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. In a career that lasted from June 1993 to July 1994 he ran nine times and won four races. After winning the Vintage Stakes and the Royal Lodge Stakes as a two-year-ol ...

, later to win 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 ...

finished sixth of the eight runners. On his final appearance of the season, Turtle Island started the 85/40 favourite for 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 s ...

over six furlongs at Newmarket. He took the lead at half way but was soon overtaken and finished fourth behind First Trump, Owington and Redoubtable.

1994: three-year-old season

Turtle Island began his second season at Newbury on 16 April, when he started 2/1 favourite for the Greenham Stakes, a trial race for the

. The colt pulled hard when Reid attempted to restrain him in the early stages before taking the lead in the final quarter mile and accelerating clear of the field to win in "impressive" style by eight lengths from Luhuk. Turtle Island bypassed the 2000 Guineas, which was run on firm ground, and instead contested the

Poule d'Essai des Poulains Molof (Ampas, Poule, Powle-Ma) is a poorly documented Papuan language spoken by about 200 people in Molof village, Senggi District, Keerom Regency. Classification Wurm (1975) placed it as an independent branch of Trans–New Guinea, but Ross ...

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 8 May. He was held up in the early stages and was last of the eight runners on the final turn. He made progress in the straight, but was beaten a "short neck" by the locally trained

Green Tune Green is the color between cyan and yellow on the visible spectrum. It is evoked by light which has a dominant wavelength of roughly 495570 nm. In subtractive color systems, used in painting and color printing, it is created by a combin ...

. A week after his defeat in France, the colt was sent to Ireland for the Irish 2000 Guineas 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 started 5/4 favourite against eight opponents. Racing on heavy ground, Turtle Island took the lead inside the last quarter mile and drew away from the field to win by fifteen lengths from Guided Tour.

Grand Lodge A Grand Lodge (or Grand Orient or other similar title) is the overarching governing body of a fraternal or other similarly organized group in a given area, usually a city, state, or country. In Freemasonry A Grand Lodge or Grand Orient is the us ...

, who had been beaten a short head by Mister Baileys in the 2000 Guineas, finished fourth. After the race, Chapple-Hyam described the winner as "some horse, as good as I have ever trained". John Reid said "When he gets cut in the ground he is different class. I have a very soft spot for

Dr Devious Dr Devious (10 March 1989 – 7 March 2018) was an Irish-bred and British-trained Thoroughbred race horse. In a career which lasted from May 1991 until November 1992, he ran fifteen times and won six races. He is most notable as the winner of th ...

but he could not have produced a performance like this". On 14 June, Turtle Island started 15/8 favourite for the

St James's Palace Stakes The St James's Palace Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old colts. It is run at Ascot over a distance of 7 furlongs and 213 yards (1,603 metres). It is schedu ...

on firm ground at Royal Ascot, but after briefly taking the lead in the straight he finished third behind Grand Lodge and Distant View. After a break two and a half months he returned in

Celebration Mile The Celebration Mile is a Group 2 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 it is scheduled to t ...

Goodwood Racecourse Goodwood Racecourse is a horse-racing track five miles north of Chichester, West Sussex, in England controlled by the family of the Duke of Richmond, whose seat is nearby Goodwood House. It hosts the annual Glorious Goodwood meeting in lat ...

. He was made the 11/10 favourite but finished third of six runners behind the filly

Mehthaaf Mehthaaf (foaled 3 February 1991) was an American-bred, British-trained Thoroughbred racehorse and broodmare. She showed great promise as a two-year-old in 1993, winning on her second racecourse appearance and going on to finish third in both t ...

. Turtle Island's last race was the

Queen Elizabeth II Stakes The Queen Elizabeth II Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged three years or older. It is run at Ascot over a distance of 1 mile (1,609 metres), and it is s ...

at Ascot in September, when he finished sixth of the nine runners behind the 66/1 outsider Maroof.

Stud record

Turtle Island was retired from racing to become a breeding stallion Entered stud in 1995-2001 at

Coolmore Stud Coolmore Stud, in Fethard, County Tipperary, Ireland, is headquarters of the world's largest breeding operation of thoroughbred racehorses. Through its racing arm, Ballydoyle, Coolmore also has raced many classic winners and champions. The operat ...

Ireland Shuttled in 1995-97 to Australia Shuttled in 1999 to New Zealand and made a very impressive start to his stud career, siring the 2000 Guineas winner Island Sands in his first crop of foals. His other offspring included the

Prix d'Astarte The Prix Rothschild is a Group races, Group 1 Flat racing, flat Horse racing, horse race in France open to thoroughbred Filly, fillies and mares aged three years or older. It is run at Deauville-La Touques Racecours ...

winner Turtle Bow. He later established himself as a sire of

National Hunt 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: ...

horses including Seabass, Bensalem (

December Gold Cup The December Gold Cup (run since 2022 as the Ais December Gold Cup) is a Premier Handicap National Hunt racing, National Hunt Steeplechase (horse racing), steeplechase in Great Britain which is open to ho ...

) Scolardy (

Triumph Hurdle The Triumph Hurdle is a Grade 1 National Hunt hurdle race in Great Britain which is open to horses aged four years. It is run on the New Course at Cheltenham over a distance of about 2 miles and 1 f ...

) and An Cathaoir Mor (

Arkle Novice Chase The Arkle Novice Chase is a Grade 1 National Hunt steeplechase in Ireland which is open to horses aged five years or older. It is run at Leopardstown over a distance of about 2 miles and 1 furlong (3 ...

)At stud in 2002-04 at Castlehyde Stud Ireland At stud in 2005-09 at Coolmore's Beeches Stud Ireland.At stud in 2010-14 at the Allevamento Torre di Canicarao Italy.He died on 4 July 2014.

Pedigree

References

{{reflist, 2 1991 racehorse births 2014 racehorse deaths Racehorses bred in Ireland Racehorses trained in the United Kingdom Irish Classic Race winners Thoroughbred family 25