Mark of Esteem (26 March 1993 – 21 May 2014) was an Irish bred

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. In his two years of racing, he won four races and placed once from seven runs, with earnings of £365,139.

Background

Mark of Esteem was a bay horse with a white blaze bred at the

Dalham Hall Dalham Hall is a country house and estate, located in the village of Dalham, Suffolk, near Newmarket, and west of Bury St Edmunds. Owners of the Dalham estate have included: *c.1050-1240 Peche Family *1240-1320 English Crown Estate (from 1 ...

Stud by

Sheikh Mohammed Sheikh Muhammad (1560–1650) was a Muslim saint-poet who is venerated by Hindus. Sheikh Muhammad or alternatively Sheikh Muhammed, Sheikh Mohammad, Sheikh Mohammed may also refer to (in chronological birth order): * Sheikh Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wah ...

. He was sired by 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 a ...

winner Darshaan. His dam Homage was a daughter of the

July Cup The July Cup is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged three years or older. It is run on the July Course at Newmarket over a distance of 6 furlongs (1,207 metres ...

winner Ajdal.

Racing career

1995: two-year-old season

As a juvenile, Mark of Esteem finished second on his first start before winning a

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 ...

at Goodwood by three

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 horse was subsequently the subject of a disagreement between its trainer, Henry Cecil and its owner, Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum. Cecil wanted to run Mark of Esteem in the Royal Lodge Stakes at Ascot, but Maktoum believed him to be lame and unfit to run. When Cecil took the disagreement public, Maktoum removed all of his 40 horses from Cecil's Warren Place stables. Mark of Esteem was subsequently trained by Saeed bin Suroor for Godolphin.

1996: three-year-old season

His first three-year-old start came in the first Classic of the 1996 season following a winter in Dubai: the 2000 Guineas Stakes at Newmarket Racecourse, Newmarket. Mark of Esteem won by a short head in a photo finish from Even Top and Bijou d'Inde. His next start in the St. James's Palace Stakes was a loss to Bijou d'Inde. Mark of Esteem then won the Group Two Celebration Mile at Goodwood by three and a half lengths and the Group One Queen Elizabeth II Stakes at Ascot, where he scored by over a length from Classic-winning Henry Cecil filly Bosra Sham. This was the third win of the day for jockey Frankie Dettori at a major meeting when he famously went on to win all seven races. Official handicappers hailed it as the best performance of his generation over a mile for a decade. Mark of Esteem's final start was in America, but he failed to show the same acceleration from mid-division in the Breeders' Cup Mile at Woodbine.

Assessment

Mark of Esteem was retired with a Timeform rating of 137.

Stud career & After retirement from stud duty

Mark of Esteem stood at a stud under the Darley banner where he had much success including his siring of Derby winner Sir Percy and the 1000 Guineas winner Ameerat. His progeny also includes group winners High Accolade, Reverence (horse), Reverence and Ordnance Row.Racing Post
/ref> In 2007, he retired from stud duty due to declining fertility. on 21 May 2014, he was euthanized following a short illness.Champion Mark of Esteem Dies at 21
Retrieved 2019-03-09

Pedigree

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mark Of Esteem 1993 racehorse births 2014 racehorse deaths Racehorses bred in Ireland Racehorses trained in the United Kingdom Thoroughbred family 17-b 2000 Guineas winners