Richard Michael Hannon, known as Richard Hannon Sr. to distinguish him from his son, is a former British horse trainer. He was British flat racing Champion Trainer four times, achieved more than a century of victories in a season 20 times, a double century five times, and turned out 32 Royal Ascot winners. He operated out of Herridge Racing Stables, near Marlborough, Wiltshire, with a smaller yard at Everleigh on the edge of Salisbury Plain. He retired after winning a final trainers' championship at the end of 2013, when the training operation was taken over by his son, Richard Hannon, Jr.
Goldikova was a champion French Thoroughbred racehorse who won the Breeders' Cup Mile three times and was the 2010 European Horse of the Year.
St Nicholas Abbey was an Irish thoroughbred racehorse. He was the leading European two-year-old of 2009 and recovered from a disappointing three-year-old season to win the Coronation Cup and the Breeders' Cup Turf in 2011. He won the Coronation Cup for a second time in 2012 and the Dubai Sheema Classic in 2013. In June 2013 he won the Coronation Cup for an unprecedented third time. He was briefly the biggest money-winning racehorse trained in Europe. His career was ended prematurely due to injury in July 2013, and he was euthanized on 14 January 2014 while undergoing colic surgery.
Makfi is a British-bred, French-trained Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. In 2010 he won the 2000 Guineas and Prix Jacques Le Marois.
Frankel is a retired champion British Thoroughbred racehorse and current sire. He was unbeaten in his fourteen-race career and was the highest-rated racehorse in the world from May 2011. In 2010 he defeated a field including subsequent Group 1 winners Nathaniel and Colour Vision on his debut before winning the Royal Lodge Stakes by ten lengths and the Dewhurst Stakes in which he defeated the Middle Park Stakes winner Dream Ahead. As a three-year-old, he won the Classic 2000 Guineas by six lengths, the St James's Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot, defeated the outstanding older miler Canford Cliffs in the much-anticipated Sussex Stakes at Goodwood and won the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes at Ascot. Frankel extended his unbeaten record in 2012 by winning the Lockinge Stakes, the Queen Anne Stakes and then the Sussex Stakes for a second time. In August he was moved up to a mile and a quarter for the first time and won the International Stakes at York. In October he won the Champion Stakes at Ascot, again over a mile and a quarter, following which his retirement from racing was announced.
Paco Boy is a retired Irish thoroughbred racehorse who was trained by Richard Hannon Sr. He won three Group 1 races including Prix de la Forêt, Queen Anne Stakes and Lockinge Stakes. Paco Boy was known as a hold up horse, usually coming from behind with a devastating turn of foot.
Dream Ahead is a retired thoroughbred racehorse, who was bred in Kentucky and based in England during a nine race career which lasted from July 2010 to October 2011. As a two-year-old he was officially rated the equal of Frankel after winning the Prix Morny and the Middle Park Stakes. As a three-year-old he was successfully campaigned at sprint distances, winning the July Cup at Newmarket and defeating Goldikova in the Prix de la Forêt. He was named Europe's Champion Sprinter at the 2011 Cartier Racing Awards.
Excelebration is an Irish-bred Thoroughbred racehorse. As a three-year-old he recorded wins in the Mehl-Mülhens-Rennen and Hungerford Stakes, before winning his first Group 1 in the Prix du Moulin de Longchamp. After finishing second to the unbeaten Frankel in his first two starts of 2012 he recorded successive victories in the Prix Jacques Le Marois and Queen Elizabeth II Stakes. These were followed by a fourth-place finish in the Breeders' Cup Mile, after which he was retired to stud. He was trained by Marco Botti until being transferred to Aidan O'Brien at the end of the 2011 flat season.
Dawn Approach is an Irish Thoroughbred racehorse. In a racing career which began in March 2012 the colt has won all seven of his races including the Coventry Stakes at Royal Ascot, the National Stakes at the Curragh and the Dewhurst Stakes at Newmarket. He ended the 2012 European season as the year's most highly rated two-year-old colt and was regarded as a leading contender for the 2013 classics. As a three-year-old, Dawn Approach won the classic 2000 Guineas on his first appearance, going on to win the St James Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot.
Toronado is an Irish-bred, British-trained Thoroughbred racehorse. He was one of the leading British two-year-olds of 2012 when he was undefeated in three races including the Champagne Stakes at Doncaster. After winning the Craven Stakes on his three-year-old debut he came to be regarded as a leading contender for the 2000 Guineas and Epsom Derby. In the summer of 2013 he developed a rivalry with Dawn Approach and defeated the Irish colt to record his most important win in the Sussex Stakes. In 2014 he won the Queen Anne Stakes but was beaten by Kingman in the Sussex Stakes and by Charm Spirit in the Prix du Moulin and finished unplaced when favourite for the Breeders' Cup Mile.
Kingman is a champion British Thoroughbred racehorse who was the 2014 European Horse of the Year after winning the Irish 2000 Guineas, St. James's Palace Stakes, Sussex Stakes, and Prix Jacques le Marois
Night of Thunder is an Irish-bred, British-trained Thoroughbred racehorse. In May 2014, he won the 2000 Guineas. He failed to win again as a three-year-old but finished second in both the St James's Palace Stakes and the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes and third in the Prix du Moulin. On his four-year-old debut, he won the Lockinge Stakes.
The Duel on the Downs was the name given to the 2011 running of the Sussex Stakes horse race. It took place at Goodwood Racecourse on 27 July 2011. The race featured a clash between the undefeated three-year-old Frankel and the leading older miler Canford Cliffs. The races nickname derived from the fact that the racecourse is situated on the South Downs.
Gleneagles is an Irish Thoroughbred racehorse. After finishing fourth on his debut, he finished first in his remaining five races as a two-year-old in 2014 and was named Cartier Champion Two-year-old Colt. He won the Tyros Stakes, Futurity Stakes and National Stakes in Ireland before being disqualified after crossing the line in first place in the Prix Jean-Luc Lagardère in France. On his three-year-old debut he won the 2000 Guineas and followed up in the Irish 2,000 Guineas three weeks later. In June he added a win in the St James's Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot.
Immortal Verse is an Irish-bred, French-trained Thoroughbred racehorse and broodmare. As a two-year-old she showed promise by winning on her debut and finishing second in the Prix d'Aumale. Her early form in 2011 was disappointing as she was beaten in her first two races and refused to enter the starting stalls in the 1000 Guineas. She then made rapid improvement, winning the Prix de Sandringham and the Coronation Stakes at Royal Ascot before defeating a strong international field in the Prix Jacques Le Marois. She went on to finish third to Frankel in the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes but failed to reproduce her best form in two races as a four-year-old. After her retirement from racing she was sold at auction for 4.7 million guineas setting a European record price for a broodmare.
Beethoven is an Irish-bred Thoroughbred racehorse best known for his upset victory in the 2009 Dewhurst Stakes. He was highly tried as a juvenile and ran prominently in several major races before winning the Dewhurst on his tenth appearance of the season at odds of 33/1. As a three-year-old he won the Desmond Stakes and ended his year with a success in the Qatar Derby. He was based in Qatar for the rest of his racing career, making his last appearance in 2015.
Poet's Voice was a British Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. He showed very good form as a two-year-old in 2009 when he won two races including the Champagne Stakes. He failed to live up to his promise in the first half of the following year but then returned to form to win the Celebration Mile and then defeated a very strong field to take the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes. He never won again and was retired at the end of 2011. He was a headstrong and unpredictable racehorse, breaking out of the starting stalls on one occasion and biting one of his rivals on another. He made a very promising start to his stallion career, siring the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes winner Poet's Word in his first season at stud.
Dick Turpin is an Irish-bred, British-trained Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. In three years of racing he won nine of his twenty races, showing consistent top-class form over distances of around one mile. As a two-year-old in 2009 he won the first four of his six races including the Richmond Stakes and the Tattersalls Ireland Sale Stakes. In the following year he won the Greenham Stakes and the Prix Jean Prat, finished second in the 2000 Guineas, Poule d'Essai des Poulains and St James's Palace Stakes and ran third in the Prix de la Forêt. As a four-year-old in 2011 he added victories in the Sandown Mile, Summer Mile Stakes and Premio Vittorio di Capua before being retired to stud at the end of the year.
Strong Suit is an American-bred, British-trained Thoroughbred racehorse. Although he never won a Group 1 race and was overshadowed by contemporaries such as Frankel and Dream Ahead he was a top-class performer over distances from six furlongs to one mile and was rated among the twenty best racehorses in the world at his peak. As a juvenile in 2010 he won the Coventry Stakes and was placed in both the Phoenix Stakes and the Middle Park Stakes. In the following year he took the Jersey Stakes, Lennox Stakes and Challenge Stakes as well as being narrowly beaten in the Prix Jean Prat. He failed to win as a four-year-old and made no impact when sent to race in the United States. After his retirement from racing he stood as a breeding stallion in India.
Cityscape is a British-bred Thoroughbred racehorse and sire, who raced in England, Ireland, Hong Kong, France, Dubai, Canada and Italy and was twice rated among the top 40 racehorses in the world.
