Phoenix Tower (horse)

Last updated
Phoenix Tower
Sire Chester House
Grandsire Mr Prospector
DamBionic
Damsire Zafonic
Sex Stallion
Foaled8 April 2004 [1]
CountryUnited States
Colour Bay
Breeder Juddmonte Farms
Owner Khalid Abdullah
Trainer Henry Cecil
Record8: 4-4-0
Earnings£334,812
Major wins
Earl of Sefton Stakes (2008)

Phoenix Tower (foaled 8 April 2004) is an American-bred, British-trained Thoroughbred racehorse and sire who despite never winning above Group 3 level, was rated one of the twenty best racehorses in the world at his peak. In an early career disrupted by training problem he won his only race as a two-year-old in 2005 and both of his starts in the following year. He won the Earl of Sefton Stakes on his debut as a four-year-old and then ran second in four consecutive Group 1 races, namely the Lockinge Stakes, Prince of Wales's Stakes, Eclipse Stakes and International Stakes. He was retired from racing at the end of the year and exported to become a breeding stallion in India.

Thoroughbred Horse breed developed for racing

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.

Group races, also known as Pattern races, or Graded races in some jurisdictions, are the highest level of races in Thoroughbred horse racing. They include most of the world's iconic races, such as, in Europe, The Derby, Irish Derby and Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, in Australia, the Melbourne Cup and in the United States, the Kentucky Derby and Breeders' Cup races. Victory in these races marks a horse as being particularly talented, if not exceptional, and they are extremely important in determining stud values. They are also sometimes referred to as Black type races, since any horse that has won one of these races is printed in bold type in sales catalogues.

The Earl of Sefton Stakes is a Group 3 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged four years or older. It is run over a distance of 1 mile and 1 furlong (1,811 metres) on the Rowley Mile at Newmarket in mid-April.

Contents

Background

Phoenix Tower was a dark bay horse bred in Kentucky by his owner, Khalid Abdullah's Juddmonte Farms. The colt was sent to Europe where he entered training with Henry Cecil at the Warren Place stable in Newmarket, Suffolk.

Khalid ibn Abdullah Saudi businessman and royal

Khalid bin Abdullah Al Saud is a member of the House of Saud. He has extensive business interests, run through Mawarid Holding, but is probably better-known as the owner of Juddmonte Farms. As such, he is one of the leading figures in the world of thoroughbred horseracing and the list of outstanding horses to have competed in Prince Khalid's racing-colours includes the greats: Dancing Brave, Enable, Frankel and Arrogate.

Juddmonte Farms is a horse breeding farm, owned by Prince Khalid bin Abdullah of Saudi Arabia. A member of the Saudi Arabian royal family the successful businessman presides over the massive conglomerate Mawarid Holding. While he is in semi-retirement, his four sons are involved in managing business interests that include insurance, catering, cement, cleaning, foodstuffs and electronics.

Sir Henry Richard Amherst Cecil was a British flat racing horse trainer. He was widely regarded as one of the greatest trainers in history. Cecil was Champion Trainer 10 times and trained 25 domestic Classic winners, comprising four winners of The Derby, eight winners of The Oaks, six winners of the 1,000 Guineas, three of the 2,000 Guineas and four winners of the St. Leger Stakes. His success in The Oaks and the 1,000 Guineas made him particularly renowned for his success with fillies. He was the master trainer at Royal Ascot, where he successfully trained 75 winners.

He was the best European-raced horse produced by his sire Chester House, who won the Arlington Million but died in 2003 after only three seasons at stud. [2] Phoenix Tower's dam Bionic won her only race, a maiden race at Goodwood Racecourse in 1998. [3] Her dam Bonash, who won the Prix de Malleret, also produced the John Porter Stakes winner Day Flight and was closely related to the Prix de Diane winner Nebraska Tornado. [4]

Arlington Million American Thoroughbred horse race

The Arlington Million is a Grade 1 flat horse race in the United States for thoroughbred horses aged three years and upward. It is raced annually in August over a distance of ​1 14 miles on the turf at Arlington Park in Arlington Heights, Illinois.

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 sex or age of the horse. Races may be handicaps, set weights, or weight for age. In many countries, maiden races are the lowest level of class and represent an entry point into a racing career. In countries such as the United States, maiden special weight races rank above claiming races, while maiden claiming races allow the horse to be claimed (bought) by another owner.

Goodwood Racecourse horse racing venue in England

Goodwood Racecourse is a horse-racing track five miles north of Chichester, West Sussex, in England controlled by the family of the Duke of Richmond, whose seat is nearby Goodwood House. It hosts the annual Glorious Goodwood meeting in late July and early August, which is one of the highlights of the British flat racing calendar, and is home to three of the UK's 36 annual Group 1 flat races, the Sussex Stakes, the Goodwood Cup and the Nassau Stakes. Although the race meeting has become known as 'Glorious Goodwood', it is sponsored by Qatar and officially called the 'Qatar Goodwood Festival'.

Racing career

2006: two-year-old season

On his racecourse debut Phoenix Tower was ridden by Richard Hughes when he started at odds of 5/1 for a maiden race over seven furlongs on the polytrack surface at Wolverhampton Racecourse on 30 October 2006. He took the lead approaching the final furlong and won by one and a half lengths from the favourite Calabash Cove despite veering to the left in the closing stages. [5]

Richard Hughes (jockey) Irish jockey

Richard Hughes is a retired Irish jockey and current racehorse trainer who is based at Lambourn in Berkshire, England. Born in Dublin, he is the son of successful National Hunt trainer, Dessie Hughes. Hughes became British flat racing Champion Jockey in 2012 and retained that title in 2013, when he rode more than 200 winners in the season, and again in 2014.

Wolverhampton Racecourse is a thoroughbred horse racing venue located in Wolverhampton, West Midlands, England. The track was the first to be floodlit in Britain and often holds meetings in the evening.

A horse length, or simply length, is a unit of measurement for the length of a horse from nose to tail, approximately 8 feet (2.4 m).

2007: three-year-old season

Phoenix Tower began his second campaign in a handicap race over seven furlongs at Newbury Racecourse on 20 April in which he was assigned 123 pounds and started at odds of 9/2 in a fourteen-runner field. Ridden by Hughes he tracked the leaders before taking the lead a furlong out and drew away to win "easily" by four lengths. [6] Hughes was again in the saddle when the colt started 8/13 favourite for a minor event over one at Windsor Racecourse on 7 May and recorded another easy win, coming home two and a half lengths clear of his three opponents. [7] Phoenix Tower subsequently had injury problems and missed the rest of the season. [8]

Handicap (horse racing)

A handicap race in horse racing is a race in which horses carry different weights, allocated by the handicapper. A better horse will carry a heavier weight, to give it a disadvantage when racing against slower horses.

Newbury Racecourse Horse Racing, Conference and Events venue in England

Newbury Racecourse is a racecourse and events venue in the civil parish of Greenham, adjoining the town of Newbury in Berkshire, England. It has courses for flat races and over jumps. It hosts one of Great Britain's 36 annual Group 1 flat races, the Lockinge Stakes.

Windsor Racecourse, also known as Royal Windsor Racecourse, is a thoroughbred horse racing venue located in Windsor, Berkshire, England. It is one of only two figure-of-eight courses in the United Kingdom, the other being at Fontwell Park.

2008: four-year-old season

After an absence of eleven months Phoenix Tower returned to the track and was moved up in class and distance to contest the Group 3 Earl of Sefton Stakes over nine furlongs at Newmarket Racecourse on 17 April 2008. Ridden by Tom Queally he started the 8/1 third choice in the betting behind Pipedreamer (Cambridgeshire Handicap) and the Cecil's other entrant Multidimensional (Prix Guillaume d'Ornano). He tracked the front-running Kandidate and after briefly looking unlikely to get a clear run he produced a strong finish to gain the advantage in the final strides and win by a head and a neck from Traffic Guard and Pipedreamer. [9] After the race Henry Cecil said "he has always been a good horse but he has had his problems. He stays further and I think a mile and a quarter will suit him". [10]

Newmarket Racecourse horse racing venue in England

Newmarket Racecourse is a British Thoroughbred horse racing venue in the town of Newmarket, Suffolk, comprising two individual racecourses, the Rowley Mile and the July Course. Newmarket is often referred to as the headquarters of British horseracing and is home to the largest cluster of training yards in the country and many key horse racing organisations, including Tattersalls, the National Horseracing Museum and the National Stud. Newmarket hosts two of the country's five Classic Races - the 1,000 Guineas and 2,000 Guineas, and numerous other Group races. In total, it hosts 9 of British racing's 36 annual Group 1 races.

Tom Queally Irish jockey

Thomas P. Queally is a Thoroughbred horse racing jockey. He is best known as the regular jockey of Frankel. He was first jockey to leading trainer Sir Henry Cecil. Queally is best known for his association with the Cecil-trained pair Midday and Frankel.

The Cambridgeshire Handicap is a flat handicap horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged three years or older. It is run on the Rowley Mile at Newmarket over a distance of 1 mile and 1 furlong, and it is scheduled to take place each year in late September.

In his four remaining races Phoenix Tower was ridden by Ted Durcan. In the Lockinge Stakes over mile at Newbury on 17 May he finished second, three quarters of a length behind the winner Creachadoir and ahead of several major winners including Haradasun and Majestic Roi. In the Prince of Wales's Stakes at Royal Ascot in June he stayed on in the straight to finish runner-up to Duke of Marmalade with Pipedreamer, Ask and Sixties Icon finishing behind. In the Eclipse Stakes over ten furlongs at Sandown Park on 5 July Phoenix Tower was made the 5/2 favourite against seven opponents headed by the Aidan O'Brien-trained Mount Nelson. After racing in fifth place he moved up to take the lead in the straight but although he stayed on "gamely" he was caught on the line by Mount Nelson and beaten a short head. [11] Following the colt's narrow defeat Cecil commented "I thought we had it won, but Mount Nelson's head went down at the crucial moment - that's racing. I have no excuses, and our fellow has run a blinder". [12]

The 2018 edition of the International Stakes was transferred from York Racecourse, where the ground was deemed unraceable to Newmarket on 23 August. Starting at odds of 12/1 he stayed on strongly to finish three quarters of a length second to Duke of Marmalade with the Epsom Derby winner New Approach two and a half lengths back in third. Phoenix Tower was being prepared for a run in the Champion Stakes when he sustained a tendon injury which ended his racing career. [13]

In the 2008 World Thoroughbred Rankings Phoenix Tower was given a rating of 123, making him the nineteenth-best racehorse in the world. [14]

Stud career

At the end of his racing career, Phoenix Tower was exported to India to become a breeding stallion at the Manjri Stud Farm near pune his son Rochester won the Indian derby in 2018 Pune. [15]

Pedigree

Pedigree of Phoenix Tower (USA), bay stallion, 2004 [1]
Sire
Chester House (USA)
1995
Mr Prospector
1970
Raise A Native Native Dancer
Raise You
Gold Digger Nashua
Sequence
Toussaud
1989 
El Gran Senor Northern Dancer (CAN)
Sex Appeal
Image of Reality In Reality
Edee's Image
Dam
Bionic (GB)
1996
Zafonic (USA)
1990 
Gone West Mr Prospector
Secrettame
Zaizafon The Minstrel (CAN)
Mofida (GB)
Bonash
1991
Rainbow Quest (USA) Blushing Groom (FR)
I Will Follow
Sky Love (USA) Nijinsky (CAN)
Gangster of Love (Family: 23-b) [4]

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References

  1. 1 2 "Phoenix Tower pedigree". Equineline.
  2. "Chester House - Progeny". Racing Post.
  3. "Bionic - Race Record & Form". Racing Post.
  4. 1 2 "Turk Mare - Family 23-b". Thoroughbred Bloodlines.
  5. "Enjoy Executive Hospitality At Wolverhampton Maiden Stakes result". Racing Post. 30 October 2006.
  6. "Dubai Duty Free Finest Surprise Handicap result". Racing Post. 20 April 2007.
  7. "Royal Windsor Racecourse Conference Centre Conditions Stakes result". Racing Post. 7 May 2007.
  8. Johnson, Rolf (18 April 2008). "Think Twice". Daily Express.
  9. "Earl of Sefton Stakes result". Racing Post. 17 April 2008.
  10. Wood, Greg (17 April 2008). "Horse racing: Newmarket thrilled as Cecil finds another star". The Guardian .
  11. "Eclipse Stakes Result". Racing Post. 5 July 2008.
  12. Lester, Geoff (5 July 2008). "Towering exhibition from Mount Nelson". Daily Telegraph.
  13. "Phoenix Tower is forced to retire". BBC. 13 October 2008.
  14. "2008 World Thoroughbred Rankings". International Federation of Horse Racing Authorities. 13 January 2009. Retrieved 6 March 2011.
  15. "Phoenix Tower - Progeny". Racing Post.