Vimy (1952 – 11 August 1980) was a French

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 best known for winning the 1955

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 ...

. Racing in France, Vimy won three of his five races including the

Prix Noailles The Prix Noailles is a Group 3 flat horse race in France open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run over a distance of 2,100 metres (about 1 mile and 2½ furlon ...

as well as finishing second in the

Prix du Jockey Club The Prix du Jockey Club, sometimes referred to as the French Derby, is a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run at Chantilly over ...

. In July he became the first French horse to win the King George on his first and only race in Britain. He was retired from racing after his win at Ascot and stood as a stallion in Ireland before being exported to Japan in 1964.

Background

Vimy was a bay horse with a narrow white stripe bred in France by this owner,

Pierre Wertheimer Pierre Wertheimer (8 January 1888 – 24 April 1965) was a French businessman, who co-founded Chanel with Coco Chanel. Family business Wertheimer was born to a Jewish family,Group One including the

Prix de la Forêt The Prix de la Forêt is a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run at Longchamp over a distance of 1,400 metres (about 7 furlongs), and it i ...

and 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 ...

and was the grand-dam of 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 (1,60 ...

winner

Ma Biche Ma Biche (foaled 1980) was an American-bred, French-trained Thoroughbred racehorse and broodmare who won the classic 1000 Guineas at Newmarket Racecourse in 1983. The filly was the best racehorse of her age and sex in Europe in 1982 when she ...

. His sire Wild Risk, a male-line descendant of St. Simon had his greatest success over hurdles, being a dual winner of the Grande Course de Haies d'Auteuil. He became a successful stallion, siring Le Fabuleux (

), Balto ( Ascot Gold Cup,

Grand Prix de Paris The Grand Prix de Paris is a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run at Longchamp over a distance of 2,400 metres (about 1½ miles), and i ...

) and Worden ( Washington, D.C. International Stakes). Wertheimer sent Vimy into training with Alec Head at Chantilly.

Racing career

Vimy ran twice as a two-year-old in 1954. He won one race over 1300 metres and was reportedly unlucky in the other, having been left behind at the start., On his three-year-old debut in April 1955 he was sent to Maisons-Laffitte Racecourse for the Prix Lagrange over 2000m. He ran a dead-heat for first place with Nordic ahead of Zinosca in third. His next race was the

over 2200m at

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 ...

. Ridden by Jean Massard, Vimy won the race, a trial for the Prix du Jockey Club, beating Zinosca. 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 ...

in June, Vimy was narrowly defeated in the Prix du Jockey Club, beaten a short head by Rapace: Wertheimer claimed that his colt was an unlucky loser, and he was reported to be unsuited by the heavy ground. In July, the colt was sent to England to contest Britain's most prestigious all-aged race, the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes at

Ascot Racecourse 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 a ...

. The prize money of over £23,000 made it the most valuable race run in Britain in 1955: that year's Epsom Derby was worth £18,702. Ridden by

Roger Poincelet Roger Poincelet (3 March 1921 - 1 November 1977) was a French jockey who rode a total of over 3,000 winners in a long career on both the flat and, initially, jumps. He is regarded as one of the finest French jockeys ever. His first win came o ...

, the French colt started at odds of 10/1 in a field of ten runners, with the Derby winner

Phil Drake Phil Drake (1952–1964) was a French Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. In a brief racing career which lasted from May to July 1955, Phil Drake ran five times and won three races, becoming the fifth and last horse to win both The Derby and ...

starting the odds-on favourite. Doug Smith attempted to make all the running on the British three-year-old Acropolis, and held a clear lead early in the straight, whilst Poincelet appeared to be in a hopeless position on Vimy. Once Vimy obtained a clear run, however, he made rapid progress to catch the leader inside the final furlong, and although Acropolis rallied, the French challenger prevailed by a head, and became the first foreign entry to win the King George. Future targets mentioned for Vimy after his success at Ascot included the St Leger and the Washington D. C. International but he never raced after Ascot and was retired to stud.

Assessment

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 Vimy a rating of 132 in 1955, seven pounds below the top-rated

Pappa Fourway Pappa Fourway (1952–1978) was an Irish-bred, British-trained Thoroughbred racehorse. He was one of the outstanding specialist sprinters of the twentieth century and one of the best horses trained in the North of England. After winning four ...

. In their book, ''A Century of Champions'', based on the Timeform rating system, John Randall and Tony Morris rated Vimy an "inferior" winner of the King George.

Stud record

Vimy began his career as a stallion at the

Irish National Stud The Irish National Stud (official name: ''Comhlacht Graí Náisiúnta na hÉireann Teo.'') is a Thoroughbred horse breeding facility in Tully, Kildare, County Kildare, Ireland. It was formally established by incorporation on 11 April 1946 ...

. The best of his European offspring was Khalkis, who won the Eclipse Stakes in 1963 and was narrowly beaten by

Relko Relko (1960–1982) was a French Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. In a racing career which lasted from 1962 until 1964 he ran thirteen times and won nine races. His most notable win came in the 1963 Derby. Background Relko was a "strong, c ...

in the following year's

Coronation Cup The Coronation Cup is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged four years or older. It is run at Epsom Downs over a distance of 1 mile, 4 furlongs and 6 yards (2 ...

. His daughters included some good broodmares, and he was the damsire of the British Horse of the Year Busted and 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 ...

winner

High Top The high-top is a shoe that extends slightly over the wearer's ankle. It is commonly an athletic shoe, particularly for basketball. It is sometimes confused with the slightly shorter mid-top, which typically extends no higher than the wearer's a ...

. In 1964 Vimy was sold and exported to Japan. He died on 11 August 1980.

Pedigree

References

{{King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes Winners 1952 racehorse births 1980 racehorse deaths Racehorses bred in France Racehorses trained in France Thoroughbred family 1-u King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes winners