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| Celtic Arms | |
|---|---|
| Sire | Comrade In Arms |
| Grandsire | Brigadier Gerard |
| Dam | Amour Celtique |
| Damsire | Northfields |
| Sex | Stallion |
| Foaled | 1991 |
| Country | France |
| Colour | Bay |
| Breeder | Georges Wegliszewski |
| Owner | Jean-Louis Bouchard Gary A. Tanaka (in USA) |
| Trainer | Pascal Bary (France) Rodney Rash (1995, 2/1996) Ben D. A. Cecil (3/1996) |
| Record | 21: 5-2-3 |
| Earnings | $1,097,995 |
| Major wins | |
| Prix de Condé (1993) Prix Lupin (1994) Prix du Jockey Club (1994) Gulfstream Park Breeders' Cup Turf Stakes (1996) Pan American Handicap (1996) | |
Celtic Arms (20 January 1991 – 1998) was a French Thoroughbred racehorse who competed successfully in both France and the United States. Bred by Georges Wegliszewski, he was out of the mare Amour Celtique, a daughter of American horse Northfields, winner of the Hawthorne and Louisiana Derbys. His sire was multiple French stakes winner, Comrade In Arms, a son of one of Britain's great runners, Brigadier Gerard.
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 considered "hot-blooded" horses that are known for their agility, speed, and spirit.
Horse racing is an equestrian performance sport, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its basic premise – to identify which of two or more horses is the fastest over a set course or distance – has been unchanged since at least classical antiquity.
The Hawthorne Derby is an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually since 1965 at Hawthorne Race Course in Stickney/Cicero, Illinois, near Chicago. Raced in October, it is open to three-year-old horses. It is contested for a purse of $250,000 over a distance of 1 1⁄8 miles on turf.
Purchased by Jean-Louis Bouchard, Celtic Arms was trained in France by Pascal Bary. He made his racing debut as a juvenile with a third-place finish in the Prix Yacowlef at Deauville-La Touques Racecourse. Jockey Dominique Boeuf then rode him to victory in the Prix de Condé, his most important performance of 1993.
Pascal Bary is a French racehorse trainer.
The Prix Yacowlef is a Listed flat horse race in France open to two-year-old thoroughbreds. It is run at Chantilly Racecourse over a distance of 1,000 metres, and it is scheduled to take place each year in November.
Hippodrome Deauville-La Touques is a race track for thoroughbred horse racing located in Deauville in the Calvados département, in the Normandy région of France. Originally called Hippodrome de la Touques, it was named for the Touques River that separates the city of Deauville from Trouville-sur-Mer. It was constructed in 1862 by Charles Auguste Louis Joseph, duc de Morny, the half brother of Louis Napoleon Bonaparte.
As a three-year-old, under jockey Gerald Mosse, Celtic Arms finished third in the 1994 Group One Grand Prix de Paris and won the Group One Prix Lupin at Longchamp Racecourse. Mosse was the jockey for another of the colt's Group One wins in the Prix du Jockey Club at Chantilly Racecourse. Sent to Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky for the 1994 Breeders' Cup Turf, Celtic Arms was part of one of the strongest international fields in the 1½ mile event's history. In a race run in track-record time, he was ridden by Kent Desormeaux and up against winner Tikkanen plus other notable runners such as Fraise, Hatoof, Paradise Creek, Volochine, and Raintrap. Celtic Arms was in the thick of things after a mile and a quarter but then faded from third to finish in tenth place.
Group One, Group 1Grade I or G1 is the term used for the highest level of Thoroughbred and Standardbred stakes races in many countries. In Europe, the level of races for Thoroughbred racing is determined using the Pattern race system introduced in 1971 and monitored by the European Pattern Committee. To attain or maintain a Group One status, the average rating for the first four finishers in the race must be 115 or higher over a three year period. The International Federation of Horseracing Authorities works to ensure consistent international standards. Group One races may only be restricted to age groups or a stipulated sex: they should not be restricted to horses bred in a certain country. Group One (G1) races may be run under handicap conditions in Australia, but in Europe weight-for-age conditions always apply.
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, and it is scheduled to take place each year in July.
The Prix Lupin was a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It was run at Longchamp over a distance of 2,100 metres, and it was scheduled to take place each year in May.
After being purchased by Gary A. Tanaka, in 1995 Celtic Arms raced exclusively in the United States. Rodney Rash handled Celtic Arms's conditioning duties with his best results that year a second in the Grade I Caesars International Handicap at Monmouth Park and a third in the Grade 1 Turf Classic Invitational at Belmont Park. Making his second appearance in that year's Breeders Cup Turf, held in 1995 at Belmont Park, under jockey Gary Stevens Celtic Arms started from the far outside in post position thirteen. He was never in contention and finished tenth behind winner, Northern Spur.
Gary A. Tanaka is a Japanese-American businessman, sportsman and philanthropist who co-founded the investment company Amerindo Investment Advisors in 1979 along with Alberto Vilar.
Rodney R. Rash was an American trainer of Thoroughbred racehorses.
The United Nations Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually in July at Monmouth Park in Oceanport, New Jersey. The race is open to horses, age three and up, going one and three-eighths miles on the turf. A Grade I event, it currently offers a purse of $300,000, plus entry and starter fees. Prior to 2004, it was run as a handicap with weights by the track handicapper; it is now run under allowance conditions.
In 1996, Celtic Arms won the G-1 Gulfstream Park Breeders' Cup Turf Stakes for what would turn out to be the last win for 36-year-old trainer Rodney Rash, who died from a rare blood disorder a few days later on March 1, 1996. The colt's training was then assumed by Rash's 27-year-old assistant, Ben Cecil, who won the first-ever race of his training career when Celtic Arms captured the G-2 Pan American Handicap in March.
Retired to stud duty, Celtic Arms sired several foals born in 1997 and 1998. He died in an accident in 1998.
A stud animal is a registered animal retained for breeding. The terms for the male of a given animal species usually imply that the animal is intact—that is, not castrated—and therefore capable of siring offspring. A specialized vocabulary exists for de-sexed animals and those animals used in grading up to a purebred status.
