{{Infobox racehorse , horsename = Wilko , image = , caption = , sire =

Awesome Again Awesome Again (March 29, 1994December 15, 2020) was a Canadian Thoroughbred horse racing, racehorse and stallion. As a three-year-old, he won the Queen's Plate in Canada and the Jim Dandy Stakes in the United States. He was undefeated at age four ...

, grandsire = Deputy Minister , dam = Native Roots , damsire =

Indian Ridge Indian Ridge (22 March 1985 – 17 October 2006) was an Irish-bred British Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. He showed promising but unexceptional form as a two-year-old in 1987 when he won twice from four starts in minor races. He established ...

, sex = Stallion , foaled = 2002 , country =

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

, colour = Chestnut , breeder = Rosendo Parra , owner =

J. Paul Reddam John Paul Reddam Bachelor of Arts, B.A. Master of Arts, M.A. Doctor of Philosophy, Ph.D. (born July 28, 1955) is a Canadians, Canadian businessman, Thoroughbred horse racing, racehorse owner and a former professor of philosophy at California Stat ...

& Mrs. Susan Roy , trainer =

Jeremy Noseda Jeremy Noseda (born 17 September 1963) is a retired British racehorse trainer. After six years working for John Dunlop, and five years as assistant to John Gosden, he joined Sheikh Mohammed's Godolphin operation in late 1993, and played a s ...

, record = 29: 3-3-10 , earnings = $2,435,133 , race =

Breeders' Cup Juvenile The Breeders' Cup Juvenile is a Thoroughbred horse race for 2-year-old colts and geldings raced on dirt. It is held annually in late October or early November at a different racetrack in the United States or Canada as part of the Breeders' Cup W ...

(2004) , awards= , honours = , updated= September 9, 2007 Wilko (foaled January 13, 2002 in

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia ...

) is 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 ...

racehorse who competed in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

and in the

. He is one of four European-trained colts to have won the

Background

Wilko was a chestnut horse bred by Rosendo Parra. He was sired by

, winner of the 1998

Breeders' Cup Classic The Breeders' Cup Classic is a Grade I Weight for Age thoroughbred horse race for 3-year-olds and older run at a distance of on dirt. It is held annually at a different racetrack as part of the Breeders' Cup World Championships in late October ...

, he was out of the

mare 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 fo ...

, Native Roots. His damsire was the British horse

, a sire of

Breeders' Cup Mile The Breeders' Cup Mile is a Grade 1 Weight for Age stakes race for thoroughbred racehorses three years old and up, run on a grass course. It has been conducted annually as part of the Breeders' Cup World Championships since the event's incepti ...

winners

Domedriver {{Infobox racehorse , horsename = Domedriver , image = , caption = , sire = Indian Ridge , grandsire = Ahonoora , dam = Napoli , damsire = Baillamont , sex = Stallion , foaled = 1998 , country = Ireland , colour = Dark Bay/Brown ...

and

Ridgewood Pearl Ridgewood Pearl (1992–2003) was an Irish-based Thoroughbred racehorse who in 1995 won four Group/Grade 1 races in four countries including over male horses in the Breeders' Cup Mile at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York Elmont is an uninc ...

, the latter also voted the 1995

European Horse of the Year 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 ...

. Wilko was purchased by Mrs. Susan Roy at the September 2003 Keeneland Sales for $75,000. The colt was sent into training with

in the United Kingdom.

Racing career

2004: two-year-old season

Susan Roy raced Wilko as a two-year-old in the

, where he won two races and had his best result in a stakes race with a second-place finish in the

Vintage Stakes The Vintage Stakes is a Group 2 flat horse race in Great Britain open to two-year-old horses. It is run at Goodwood over a distance of 7 furlongs (1,408 metres), and it is scheduled to take place e ...

Shamardal Shamardal (27 March 2002 – 16 April 2020) was a Thoroughbred racehorse who competed in the United Kingdom and in France and was voted the 2004 European Champion Two-Year-Old. Background Bred at Watercress Farm in Paris, Kentucky, Shamardal w ...

who would become that year's European Two-Year-Old Champion. Wilko also ran third in the Superlative,

Royal Lodge The Royal Lodge is a Grade II listed house in Windsor Great Park in Berkshire, England, half a mile north of Cumberland Lodge and south of Windsor Castle. Part of the Crown Estate, it was the Windsor residence of Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mothe ...

and

Chesham Stakes The Chesham Stakes is a Listed flat horse race in Great Britain open to two-year-old horses. It is run at Ascot over a distance of 7 furlongs (1,408 metres), and it is scheduled to take plac ...

. At the beginning of October 2004, American businessman

purchased a 75% interest in the colt. Wilko was then sent to the

to run in the

, held that year at

Lone Star Park Lone Star Park is a horse racing track and entertainment destination located mile north of Interstate 30 on Belt Line Road in Grand Prairie, Texas. Lone Star Park has two live racing seasons every year; the spring Thoroughbred season generally ...

Grand Prairie, Texas Grand Prairie is a city in Dallas, Tarrant, and Ellis counties of Texas, in the United States. It is part of the Mid-Cities region in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. It had a population of 175,396 according to the 2010 census, making it ...

. Racing on dirt for the first time in his career, Wilko was ridden by British-based jockey

Frankie Dettori Lanfranco Dettori (; born 15 December 1970), better known as Frankie Dettori, is an Italian horse racing jockey based in the United Kingdom. Dettori has been British flat racing Champion Jockey three times and has ...

. The field included the

betting Gambling (also known as betting or gaming) is the wagering of something of value ("the stakes") on a random event with the intent of winning something else of value, where instances of strategy are discounted. Gambling thus requires three elem ...

favorite Roman Ruler who had won the Best Pal and Norfolk Stakes, plus Afleet Alex who had won the

Sanford Stakes The Sanford Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually during the third week of July at the Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York. A six furlong sprint race, the Grade III event is open to two-year-old horses. Inaug ...

and the Grade I

Hopeful Stakes The Hopeful Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York. Open to two-year-old horses, the Hopeful is the first Grade I stakes for two-year-olds each season and historically has ...

. Given little consideration by bettors, Wilko was sent off as a 28-1 long shot but won by a length over Afleet Alex. He was the first British-trained colt to win the race, and the third European after Arazi and

Johannesburg Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu and xh, eGoli ), colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, or "The City of Gold", is the largest city in South Africa, classified as a megacity, and is one of the 100 largest urban areas in the world. According to Dem ...

. On his next start, and the last of 2004, he ran third in the

Hollywood Futurity The Los Alamitos Futurity is a Grade II American Thoroughbred horse race for two-year-olds run over a distance distance of one and one sixteenth miles ( furlongs) on the dirt held annually in early December at Los Alamitos Race Course in Cypress, ...

behind runner-up Giacomo and winner

Declan's Moon Declan's Moon (foaled 2002 in Maryland) is a retired American Champion Thoroughbred racehorse. He was the leading American two-year-old of 2004, a year in which he was undefeated. His subsequent career was restricted by injuries. Background Foal ...

who would be voted that year's

American Champion Two-Year-Old Colt The American Champion Two-Year-Old Male Horse is an American Thoroughbred horse racing honor awarded annually in Thoroughbred flat racing. It became part of the Eclipse Awards program in 1971. The award originated in 1936 when the '' Daily Racing F ...

Later career

In 2005, Wilko made six starts without a win then in 2006 went winless again but finished a solid second to Electrocutionist in the

Dubai World Cup The Dubai World Cup (Arabic: كأس دبي العالمي) is a Thoroughbred horse race held annually since 1996 and contested at the Meydan Racecourse (Arabic: ميدان) which in Arabic suggests a place wh ...

. He returned to racing in 2007 but fared poorly and was retired in August. In September, Wilko was acquired by Frank Stronach's Adena Springs breeding operation and will stand at

stud Stud may refer to the following terms: Animals * Stud (animal), an animal retained for breeding ** Stud farm, a property where livestock are bred Arts and entertainment * Stud (band), a British progressive rock group * The Stud (bar), a gay ba ...

at their Ocala, Florida facility where his sire Awesome Again is also located.

References

Video at YouTube of Wilko's win in the 2004 Breeders' Cup Juvenile
2002 racehorse births Racehorses bred in Kentucky Racehorses trained in the United Kingdom Racehorses trained in the United States Breeders' Cup Juvenile winners Thoroughbred family 4-d