Lady Capulet (horse)

Last updated
Lady Capulet
Sire Sir Ivor
Grandsire Sir Gaylord
DamCap and Bells
Damsire Tom Fool
Sex Mare
Foaled3 April 1974 [1]
CountryUnited States
Colour Grey
Breeder Claiborne Farm
Owner Robert Sangster
Trainer Vincent O'Brien
Record3: 1-1-1
Major wins
Irish 1000 Guineas (1977)
Awards
Timeform rating 116 (1977)

Lady Capulet (foaled 3 April 1974) was an American-bred, Irish-trained Thoroughbred racehorse and broodmare. Her brief track career consisted of only three races in May and June 1977. She won the Irish 1000 Guineas on her debut before finishing second in the Coronation Stakes and third in the Pretty Polly Stakes. She was retired from racing to become a broodmare and made a major impact as the dam of the leading stallion El Prado.

Template:Infobox horsed

The Coronation Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old fillies. It is run at Ascot over a distance of 7 furlong and 213 yards, and it is scheduled to take place each year in June.

The Pretty Polly Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Ireland open to thoroughbred fillies and mares aged three years or older. It is run at the Curragh over a distance of 1 mile and 2 furlongs, and it is scheduled to take place each year in late June or early July.

Contents

Background

Lady Capulet was a "lengthy, good-bodied, attractive" [2] grey mare (originally described as "roan"), bred in Kentucky by Claiborne Farm. As a yearling she was offered for sale at Keeneland and was bought for $70,000 [2] by representatives of the British owner Robert Sangster. She was sent to race in Europe where she was trained in Ireland by Vincent O'Brien at Ballydoyle.

Roan (horse) equine coat colour

Roan is a horse coat color pattern characterized by an even mixture of colored and white hairs on the body, while the head and "points"—lower legs, mane and tail—are mostly solid-colored. Horses with roan coats have white hairs evenly intermingled throughout any other color. The head, legs, mane and tail have fewer scattered white hairs or none at all. The roan pattern is dominantly-inherited, and is found in many horse breeds. While the specific mutation responsible for roan has not been exactly identified, a DNA test can determine zygosity for roan in several breeds. True roan is always present at birth, though it may be hard to see until after the foal coat sheds out. The coat may lighten or darken from winter to summer, but unlike the gray coat color, which also begins with intermixed white and colored hairs, roans do not become progressively lighter in color as they age. The silvering effect of mixed white and colored hairs can create coats that look bluish or pinkish.

Claiborne Farm is a thoroughbred horse breeding operation near Paris, Kentucky. It was established in 1910 by Arthur B. Hancock, owner of Ellerslie Farm in Albemarle County, Virginia, and has been operated by members of his family ever since.

Yearling (horse) A young horse of either sex that is between one and two years old

A yearling is a young horse either male or female that is between one and two years old. Yearlings are comparable in development to a very early adolescent and are not fully mature physically. While they may be in the earliest stages of sexual maturity, they are considered too young to be breeding stock.

Her sire, Sir Ivor was an American-bred colt who was trained in Europe and won The Derby and the Washington D C International in 1968 before standing as a breeding stallion in Kentucky. Sir Ivor's other major winners included Ivanjica, Cloonlara and Bates Motel. [3] Lady Capulet's dam Cap and Bells was a successful racehorse and broodmare. Her other foals included Drone, an undefeated racehorse and successful breeding stallion, and Sir Wimborne, winner of the National Stakes and Royal Lodge Stakes. She was descended from the influential British broodmare Mistrella (foaled 1907) whose descendants have included The Oaks winners Beam and Light Brocade. [4]

Sir Ivor American Thoroughbred racehorse

Sir Ivor was an American-bred Irish-trained Thoroughbred racehorse and sire, who competed from a base in Ireland. In a career which lasted from July 1967 to October 1968 he ran thirteen times and won eight races. He won major races in four countries: the National Stakes in Ireland, the Grand Criterium in France, the 2000 Guineas, Epsom Derby and Champion Stakes in England and the Washington, D.C. International in the United States.

Epsom Derby Flat horse race in Britain

The Derby Stakes, officially the Investec Derby, popularly known as the Derby is a Group 1 flat horse race in England open to three-year-old colts and fillies. It is run at Epsom Downs Racecourse in Surrey over a distance of one mile, four furlongs and 6 yards, on the first Saturday of June each year.

Kentucky State of the United States of America

Kentucky, officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state located in the east south-central region of the United States. Although styled as the "State of Kentucky" in the law creating it, (because in Kentucky's first constitution, the name state was used) Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth. Originally a part of Virginia, in 1792 Kentucky split from it and became the 15th state to join the Union. Kentucky is the 37th most extensive and the 26th most populous of the 50 United States.

Racing career

1977: three-year-old season

A lack of physical maturity, coupled with the effects of a viral infection, meant that Lady Capulet did not race as a two-year-old. Poor ground conditions hampered her training in the spring of 1977 and it was not until 13 May that she made her first racecourse appearance in the Irish 1000 Guineas over one mile at the Curragh Racecourse. With the stable's first-choice jockey Lester Piggott opting to ride the Princess Elizabeth Stakes winner Lady Mere she was partnered by Tommy Murphy. The Athasi Stakes winner Orchestration started favourite ahead of Bold Fantasy, Lady Mere and Lady North with Lady Capulet starting a 16/1 outsider in a fourteen-runner field. After being restrained in the early stages Lady Capulet moved up on the outside a quarter of a mile from the finish to dispute the lead with Bold Fantasy and Nanticious before accelerating away from her rivals. She won by three lengths and a head from Bold Fantasy and Lay Mere with Nanticious (later to win the Ribblesdale Stakes) taking fourth place. [2]

Curragh Racecourse horse racing venue in the Republic of Ireland

The Curragh Racecourse, usually referred to as simply The Curragh, is one of Ireland's most important Thoroughbred racecourses. It is situated on the Curragh plain in County Kildare, between the towns of Newbridge and Kildare.

Lester Keith Piggott is a retired English professional jockey. With 4,493 career wins, including nine Epsom Derby victories, he is widely regarded as one of the greatest flat racing jockeys of all time and the originator of a much imitated style. Popularly known as "The Long Fellow" he was known for his competitive personality, keeping himself thirty pounds under his natural weight, and on occasion not sparing the whip on horses such as Nijinsky. Piggott regarded Sir Ivor as the easiest to ride of the great winners.

The Princess Elizabeth Stakes is a Group 3 flat horse race in Great Britain open to fillies and mares aged three years or older. It is run at Epsom Downs over a distance of 1 mile and 113 yards, and it is scheduled to take place each year in early June.

In June the filly was sent to England and was made odds-on favourite for the Coronation Stakes in which she was ridden by Piggott. On this occasion, however, her lack of experience seemed to tell as she was beaten a head into second by Orchestration. Piggott was again in the saddle later that month when Lady Capulet started odds-on favourite for the Pretty Polly Stakes over ten furlongs at the Curragh. She failed to reproduce her best form and finished third, five lengths behind the winner Claire's Slipper, appearing to be unsuited by the distance and the good-to-firm ground. She was later found to have been suffering from a "blood disorder". [2]

Going (horse racing)

Going (UK), track condition (US) or track rating (AUS) are the track surface of a horse racing track prior to a horse race or race meet. The going is determined by the amount of moisture in the ground and is assessed by an official steward on the day of the race.

Assessment

In 1977, the independent Timeform organisation gave Lady Capulet a rating of 116, seventeen pounds behind their top three-year-old filly Dunfermline. In the Irish Free Handicap for three-year-olds, she was rated the second best filly, one pound behind Orchestration. [2]

Timeform publishing company in Halifax, West Yorkshire, England founded in 1948

Timeform is a sports data and content provider located in Halifax, West Yorkshire, England founded in 1948 to provide information to fans, bettors, and others involved in the horse racing industry. The company was purchased by the sports betting exchange Betfair in December 2006. Since 2 February 2016, it has been owned by Paddy Power Betfair.

Dunfermline (horse) British-bred Thoroughbred racehorse

Dunfermline (1974–1989), was a British Thoroughbred racehorse and Broodmare. In a career which lasted from July 1976 until August 1978, she ran twelve times and won three races. In 1977, the year of her owner, Queen Elizabeth II's Silver Jubilee, she won two of the five British Classic Races. She won The Oaks against other fillies in June and in September added St. Leger Stakes, beating the double Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe winner Alleged. She raced without winning in 1978 before she was retired to stud.

Breeding record

Lady Capulet never raced again after her defeat in the Pretty Polly and was retired from racing at the end of 1977 to become a broodmare. She produced at least thirteen foals and four winner between 1980 and 1996:

Pedigree

Pedigree of Lady Capulet (USA), grey mare, 1974 [1]
Sire
Sir Ivor (USA)
1965
Sir Gaylord (USA)
1959
Turn-To Royal Charger
Source Sucree
Somethingroyal Princequillo
Imperatrice
Attica (USA)
1953
Mr. TroubleMahmoud
Motto
Athenia Pharamond
Salaminia
Dam
Cap and Bells (USA)
1958
Tom Fool (USA)
1949
Menow Pharamond
Alcibiades
Gaga Bull Dog
Alpoise
Ghazni (USA)
1942
Mahmoud Blenheim
Mah Mahal
Sun Miss Sun Briar
Missinaibi (Family:1-l) [4]

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References

  1. 1 2 "Lady Capulet pedigree". Equineline.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Timeform staff (1978). Racehorses of 1977. Timeform. ISBN   0-900599-25-1.
  3. "Sir Ivor profile". Claiborne Farm.
  4. 1 2 "Paraffin - Family 1-L". Thoroughbred Bloodlinest. Retrieved 2013-11-23.
  5. Timeform staff (1988). Racehorses of 1987. Timeform. ISBN   0-900599-46-4.
  6. "Portrait Gallery - Race Record & Form". Racing Post.
  7. "Pia Tiara (IRE)". Japan Bloodhorse Breeders' Association.