Youth (foaled 1973 in

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...

) was an American-bred 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.

Background

Youth was a Brown horse, bred and owned by

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...

oilman,

Nelson Bunker Hunt Nelson Bunker Hunt (February 22, 1926 – October 21, 2014) was an American oil company executive. He was a billionaire whose fortune collapsed after he and his brothers William Herbert and Lamar tried to corner the world market in silver ...

. Youth was sired by U.S. Racing Hall of Fame inductee Ack Ack. His dam was Hunt's French-bred mare Gazala II, a daughter of the 1953 Kentucky Derby winner, Dark Star. Gazala II was a brilliant racehorse and champion filly of France winning the French 1,000 Guineas and Prix de Diane in 1967. She was broodmare of the year in 1976 having produced not only Youth but the colt Mississipian who won the

Grand Critérium Grand may refer to: People with the name * Grand (surname) * Grand L. Bush (born 1955), American actor * Grand Mixer DXT, American turntablist * Grand Puba (born 1966), American rapper Places * Grand, Oklahoma * Grand, Vosges, village and c ...

and Gonzales. Youth was sent to race in Europe where he was trained from a base 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 ...

Maurice Zilber Maurice Zilber (c. 1920 – 21 December 2008) was a French thoroughbred horse trainer born and raised in Cairo, Egypt to a Turkish mother and a French- Hungarian father. He trained horses in Egypt from 1946 to 1962, and then moved to France wher ...

Racing career

Youth's best result in a

conditions race Conditions races are horse races in which the weights carried by the runners are laid down by the conditions attached to the race. Weights are allocated according to the sex of the runners, with female runners carrying less weight than males; the ...

at age two was a runner up position in the 1975 Prix Saint-Roman 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 ...

in Paris. At age three, Youth developed into a major star on the

turf Sod, also known as turf, is the upper layer of soil with the grass growing on it that is often harvested into rolls. In Australian and British English, sod is more commonly known as ''turf'', and the word "sod" is limited mainly to agricult ...

both in France and in North America. In 1976, he won five important races in France including the Prix Lupin and the

French Derby 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 ...

. On October 3, he ran third 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 ...

to winner

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, after which he was shipped to

Woodbine Racetrack Woodbine Racetrack is a race track for Thoroughbred horse racing in the Etobicoke area of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Owned by Woodbine Entertainment Group, Woodbine Racetrack manages and hosts Canada's most famous race, the King's Plate. The tra ...

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...

, Canada, where under Hall of Fame jockey

Sandy Hawley Desmond Sandford "Sandy" Hawley, (born April 16, 1949 in Oshawa, Ontario) is a Canadian Hall of Fame jockey. Sandy Hawley decided to be a jockey when he was a 17-year-old boy, hotwalking, grooming and excise horses at a Woodbine racetrack in To ...

he won the October 23 Canadian International Championship Stakes. Youth then was sent to

Laurel Park Racecourse Laurel Park, formerly Laurel Race Course, is an American thoroughbred racing, thoroughbred racetrack located just outside Laurel, Maryland which opened in 1911. The track is miles in circumference. Its name was changed to "Laurel Race Course" fo ...

Laurel, Maryland Laurel is a city in Maryland, United States, located midway between Washington and Baltimore on the banks of the Patuxent River. While the city limits are entirely in northern Prince George's County, outlying developments extend into Anne Arunde ...

for the November 6 Washington, D.C. International Stakes. Again ridden by Sandy Hawley, the colt defeated Arc winner Ivanjica to take the prestigious event by ten lengths. Youth's performances earned him the

Eclipse Award The Eclipse Award is an American Thoroughbred horse racing award named after the 18th-century British racehorse and sire, Eclipse. An Eclipse Award Trophy is presented to the winner in each division that is made by a few small selected American ...

as the

American Champion Male Turf Horse The American Champion Male Turf Horse award is an American Thoroughbred horse racing honor. The award originated in 1953 when the '' Daily Racing Form'' (DRF) named Iceberg II their champion. The Thoroughbred Racing Association (TRA) added the ca ...

of 1976.

Stud record

Youth was retired to

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 ...

duty in 1977 at Gainesway Farm in Lexington, Kentucky where he most notably sired Teenoso, winner of England's Epsom Derby (1983), King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Diamond Stakes (1984), and France's

Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud The Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud is a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to thoroughbreds aged four years or older. It is run at Saint-Cloud over a distance of 2,400 metres (about 1½ miles), and it is ...

(1984). He also sired the Grade 1 winners Sharaya(1980) and Young Mother(1986) both winners of the Prix Vermeille, Longchamp. Youth sired the following graded stakes winners. * Rattling Wind (1978) Premio Mario Incisa (gr.3) Italy * Buchanette(1979) Prix de Flore (gr.3) France * Teenoso(1980) Epsom Derby, King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Stakes, Grand Prix de St Cloud, Ormonde Stakes England & France * Sharaya(1980) Prix Vermeille, Prix de la Nonette France * Seismic Wave (1981) Ormonde Stakes England * Young Mother (1986) Prix Vermeille, Prix de Malleret France In 1987 Youth was later sold for stud purposes to Brazil Where he sired the Brazilian Derby winner of 1992 Palemon and the graded stakes winner Luzette.

References

{{reflist 1973 racehorse births Racehorses bred in Maryland Racehorses trained in France French Thoroughbred Classic Race winners Eclipse Award winners Thoroughbred family 8-a