| Swain | |
|---|---|
| Sire | Nashwan |
| Grandsire | Blushing Groom |
| Dam | Love Smitten |
| Damsire | Key To The Mint |
| Sex | Stallion |
| Foaled | 12 February 1992 [1] |
| Country | Ireland |
| Colour | Bay |
| Breeder | Sheikh Mohammed |
| Owner | Sheikh Mohammed Godolphin Stables (1997-) |
| Trainer | André Fabre Saeed bin Suroor (1997-) |
| Record | 22: 10-4-6 |
| Earnings | $3,797,566 |
| Major wins | |
| Prix du Lys (1995) Prix de Reux (1995) Grand Prix de Deauville (1995) Coronation Cup (1996) Prix Foy (1996) K. George VI & Q. Elizabeth Stakes (1997, 1998) Irish Champion Stakes (1998) | |
| Awards | |
| European Top Older Horse (1998) | |
| Last updated on May 9, 2012 | |
Swain (12 February 1992 – 27 July 2022) was an Irish-bred Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. He is one of only three horses to win two editions of Britain's premier weight-for-age race, the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes.
Swain was a bay horse with a white star and snip and white socks on his hind legs bred in Ireland by his owner Sheikh Mohammed. He was one of the best horses sired by Nashwan, the 1989 Epsom Derby winner. [2] Swain's dam, Love Smitten was a successful Canadian-bred racemare whose wins included the Grade I Apple Blossom Handicap. The colt was originally sent into training in France with André Fabre.
Swain began his racing career in France in 1995 when he won his first five races including the Group Three Prix du Lys, the Listed Prix Reux and the Grand Prix de Deauville. On his final race of the season he started 11/5 second favourite as part of Sheikh Mohammed's entry for the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe. He finished third of the sixteen runners, beaten three-quarters of a length and two lengths behind Lammtarra and Freedom Cry.
At four, he was finished third in the Prix Ganay before being sent to England where he recorded his first success at Group One level when beating Singspiel by a neck in the Coronation Cup. He then finished second to Helissio in the 1996 Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud, and defeated Pentire in the Prix Foy. He finished fourth in his second attempt at the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe before being shipped to North America for the 1996 Breeders' Cup Turf at Woodbine Racetrack: Swain finished third behind Pilsudski and Singspiel. At the end of the 1996 season, Swain was transferred to his owners Godolphin organisation and entered the stable of Saeed bin Suroor.
At age five in 1997, Swain defeated both Pilsudski and Helissio to win the 1997 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes. He returned in 1998 to repeat as the winner, making him (at age six) the oldest horse to win the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes and the first back-to-back winner since Dahlia in 1973–74. He also won the 1998 Irish Champion Stakes, but finished second in that year's Coronation Cup and second to Silver Charm in the Dubai World Cup. Sent to Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky for the 1998 Breeders' Cup Classic, Swain wound up his racing career with a third-place finish to Awesome Again and Silver Charm.
After earning $3,797,566 in racing, Swain was retired to stud duty.
Swain retired to stand stud at Shadwell's Kentucky farm in 1999 before being relocated to Ascot Stud, Ontario in 2013. Swain was not a success as a stallion: during his time at stud in Canada his stud fee fell from $35,000 to $4,000. He sired 13 stakes winners including:
Swain was pensioned from stud duty in October 2011 and was returned to Shadwell in Kentucky. [3] Swain's last standing fee was CA$3,500. In 2022, he was relocated to Old Friends Equine as part of a downsizing program following the death of Shadwell owner Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum.
He was euthanized on 27 July 2022 due to the infirmities of old age. [4]
| Sire Nashwan (USA) 1986 | Blushing Groom (FR) 1974 | Red God | Nasrullah |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring Run | |||
| Runaway Bride | Wild Risk | ||
| Aimée | |||
| Height of Fashion (GB) 1979 | Bustino | Busted | |
| Ship Yard | |||
| Highclere | Queen's Hussar | ||
| Highlight | |||
| Dam Love Smitten (CAN) 1981 | Key to the Mint (USA) 1969 | Graustark | Ribot |
| Flower Bowl | |||
| Key Bridge | Princequillo | ||
| Blue Banner | |||
| Square Angel (CAN) 1970 | Quadrangle | Cohoes | |
| Tap Day | |||
| Nangela | Nearctic | ||
| Angela's Niece |
Daylami was a Thoroughbred Champion racehorse and sire who was bred in Ireland, but trained in France, Dubai and the United Kingdom. In a career which lasted from 1996 until 1999, he raced in five different countries and won seven Group 1/Grade I races. His 1999 performances earned him the United States' Eclipse Award for Outstanding Male Turf Horse and the Cartier Racing Award for European Horse of the Year.
Pilsudski is an Irish-bred, British-trained Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. In a four-season career from 1994 to 1997, he progressed from winning modest group races to be regarded as one of the best racehorses in the world. He won eleven races in five different countries, six of them at Group One level. He also finished second in successive runnings of the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe.
Bago was the European Three-Year-Old Champion Thoroughbred race horse in 2004. Bred by the Niarchos family, Bago is best known for winning the 2004 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe amongst his five Group One successes.
Singspiel was an Irish-bred Thoroughbred racehorse and sire best known for a series of wins in major international races in 1996 and 1997. In a racing career which lasted from September 1994 until August 1997 he won nine of his twenty races and finished second on eight occasions. After showing good, but unexceptional form in his first two seasons he emerged as a world class performer in 1996 when he won the Canadian International Stakes and Japan Cup and was named U.S. Champion Male Turf Horse. In the following season he added victories in the Dubai World Cup, Coronation Cup and International Stakes before his career was ended by injury. After his retirement from racing he had considerable success as a sire of winners before his death in 2010.
El Gran Senor was a champion American-bred Thoroughbred race horse, foaled at Windfields Farm (Maryland). He was the best horse of his generation in Europe at both two and three years of age, ahead of an outstanding group of contemporaries which included Chief Singer, Darshaan, Rainbow Quest, Sadler's Wells, Lashkari, Pebbles, Commanche Run and Northern Trick. His only defeat in eight races came when he was beaten a short head by Secreto in the 1984 Epsom Derby. El Gran Senor received a Timeform rating of 136. He also enjoyed notable success at stud, before being pensioned at Ashford Stud in Kentucky in 2000.
Nashwan was an American-bred, British-trained Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. After winning both his starts as a two-year-old, he developed into an outstanding performer in the spring and summer of 1989, completing a unique four-timer when winning the 2000 Guineas, Epsom Derby, Eclipse Stakes, and King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes. After sustaining his only defeat in the Prix Niel in September, he was retired to stud where he was a successful sire of winners.
Theatrical was an Irish-bred Thoroughbred racehorse who won the 1987 Breeders' Cup Turf and was a successful sire.
Shadwell Racing is the Thoroughbred horse racing operations of Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
Lyphard was an American-bred, French-trained Thoroughbred racehorse and an important sire.
Blushing Groom was a French champion Thoroughbred racehorse and sire.
Riverman was a French Thoroughbred racehorse.
Sakhee was an American-bred, British-trained Thoroughbred racehorse. He won eight of his fourteen races and was most noted for his performances as a four-year-old in 2001 when his wins included the International Stakes and the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe.
Pentire was a British Thoroughbred racehorse and sire.
Shantou was a classic-winning Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. As a three-year old in 1996 he won the St. Leger and the Gran Premio del Jockey Club as well as finishing third in the Epsom Derby and fourth in the Breeders' Cup Turf. In the following year he won the Gran Premio di Milano and the Princess of Wales's Stakes. After his retirement from racing he had success as a sire of National Hunt horses.
Unfuwain was an American-bred, British-trained Thoroughbred racehorse bred and owned by Hamdan Al Maktoum. In a career of ten starts, lasting from 1987 to 1989, he won four Group races and was placed in the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes and the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe. He went on to become a successful sire.
Carnegie was a British-bred, French-trained Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. Unraced as a two-year-old he won four consecutive races as a three-year-old in 1994, culminating with a win in the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe. He remained in training as a four-year-old, winning the Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud and Prix Foy. He was then retired to stud and had some success as a sire of winners in Australia and New Zealand.
The 1997 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes was a horse race held at Ascot Racecourse on Saturday 26 July 1997. It was the 47th running of the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes.
Zagreb was an American-bred, Irish-trained Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. His racing career consisted of only four races as a three-year-old in 1996 and was highlighted by a six length win in the Irish Derby. After his retirement from racing he had some success as a sire of winners in Japan.
Strategic Choice was an American-bred, British-trained Thoroughbred racehorse and stallion. In a racing career which lasted from April 1994 until July 2000 he competed in nine different countries – Britain, France, Italy, Germany, Ireland, Japan, Turkey, Canada and Hong Kong – and won six of his thirty-four races. Unraced as a two-year-old he won the John Porter Stakes and Irish St. Leger at four, the Gran Premio di Milano and Grand Prix de Deauville at five and the Bosphorus Trophy at six. He was also placed in the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes, Gran Premio del Jockey Club, Yorkshire Cup and St Simon Stakes. After his retirement from racing he had some success as a sire of National Hunt racing.
Oscar Schindler was an Irish Thoroughbred racehorse and stallion best known for being the second horse to win two runnings of the Irish St. Leger. In a racing career which lasted from October 1994 until November 1997 he competed in five different countries and won five of his twenty starts.