The Minstrel
| The Minstrel | |
|---|---|
|
|
| Sire | Northern Dancer (CAN) |
| Grandsire | Nearctic |
| Dam | Fleur (USA) |
| Damsire | Victoria Park |
| Sex | Stallion |
| Foaled | 1974 |
| Country | Canada |
| Colour | Chestnut |
| Breeder | Windfields Farm |
| Owner | Robert Sangster |
| Trainer | Vincent O'Brien |
| Record | 9: 7-1-1 |
| Earnings | ₤333,197[1] ($570,605) |
| Major wins | |
| Dewhurst Stakes (1976) 2,000 Guineas Trial Stakes (1977) Epsom Derby (1977) Irish Derby (1977) K. George VI & Q. Elizabeth Stakes (1977) |
|
| Awards | |
| Horse of the Year in the United Kingdom (1977) Horse of the Year in Ireland (1977) |
|
| Honours | |
| Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame (1979) Minstrel Stakes at the Curragh |
|
| Horse (Equus ferus caballus) | |
| Last updated on February 18, 2011 | |
The Minstrel (1974-1990) was a champion Thoroughbred racehorse in Great Britain and Ireland. His performances led to him becoming the Horse of the Year in the United Kingdom, Horse of the Year in Ireland and being inducted into the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame.
Foaled at E.P. Taylor's Windfields Farm in Oshawa, Ontario, Canada, The Minstrel was the son of legendary sire Northern Dancer out of Fleur, a daughter of Victoria Park. He was a three-quarter-brother to the 1970 English Triple Crown champion Nijinsky II (who was by Northern Dancer out of Flaming Page, the dam of Fleur).
Contents |
[edit] Racing career
A powerfully built, handsome chestnut colt with a white blaze, four white stockings and a gentle disposition, The Minstrel was purchased at the 1975 Keeneland Sales yearling auction by a group headed by the flamboyant British racing enthusiast Robert Sangster (1936-2004). [2] Shipped to Ireland under trainer Vincent O'Brien and ridden by champion jockey Lester Piggott, the horse entered only three races as a two-year-old but won them all, including the Dewhurst Stakes at Newmarket.
In 1977, The Minstrel won major races at racetracks in England and Ireland. His win in the Epsom Derby, the most prestigious race in the United Kingdom, brought Sangster and his partners into the racing limelight and he soon became one of the world's leading racehorse owners.[3] In addition to the Epsom Derby, The Minstrel won the Irish Derby and the 2,000 Guineas Trial Stakes; in his most impressive race against the country's best horses, he won the gruelling 1½-mile King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes. His performances earned him England's Horse of the Year honours for 1977.
By the end of his brilliant career, out of his nine starts The Minstrel won seven races, finishing second and third once each.[4]
[edit] Stud record
The Minstrel was re-acquired by Windfields Farm and syndicated for $9 million to stand at stud in Maryland. After the sale of Windfields Farm's Maryland division in 1988, The Minstrel was sent to Overbrook Farm in Lexington, Kentucky.
Among his offspring, The Minstrel's son Palace Music was a Grade 1 stakes winner who sired the U.S. Racing Hall of Fame inductee Cigar. Other Group one winners sired by The Minstrel included:
- L'Emigrant (won 1983 Fench Two Thousand Guineas)
- Melodist (Premio Oaks d'Italia (Italian Oaks)
- Musical Bliss (1989 GB One Thousand Guineas)
- Opening Verse (1991 USA Breeders' Cup Mile)
[edit] Tabulated pedigree
| Sire Northern Dancer (CAN) B. 1961 |
Nearctic | Nearco | Pharos |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nogara | |||
| Lady Angela | Hyperion | ||
| Sister Sarah | |||
| Natalma | Native Dancer | Polynesian | |
| Geisha | |||
| Almahmoud | Mahmoud | ||
| Arbitrator | |||
| Dam Fleur (USA) 1964 |
Victoria Park | Chop Chop | Flares |
| Sceptical | |||
| Victoriana | Windfields | ||
| Iribelle | |||
| Flaming Page | Bull Page | Bull Lea | |
| Our Page | |||
| Flaring Top | Menow | ||
| Flaming Top |
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Pickering, Martin (1981). Pedigrees of Leading Winners 1960-1980. London: J.A. Allen & Co. Ltd.. pp. 184. ISBN 0 85131 372 8.
- ^ Lexington Herald-Leader - September 5, 1990
- ^ New York Times - June 2, 1977 article titled "Piggott Pilots The Minstrel To Victory in English Derby"
- ^ [1] The Minstrel's five-generation pedigree and race record. Retrieved February 18, 2011.
