Rumplestiltskin (horse)

Rumplestiltskin is a retired Irish champion Thoroughbred racehorse. In 2005 she was named European Champion Two-Year-Old Filly at the Cartier Racing Awards and was the highest rated filly in the International Classification. In her championship season she won five of her six races including two Group One races, the Moyglare Stud Stakes in Ireland and the Prix Marcel Boussac France. She was retired after one unsuccessful start as a three-year-old.

Rumplestiltskin
Racing colours of Susan Magnier
SireDanehill
GrandsireDanzig
DamMonevassia
DamsireMr. Prospector
SexMare
Foaled17 February 2003
CountryIreland
ColourBay
BreederQuay Bloodstock and Niarchos Family
OwnerSue Magnier, Michael Tabor, Niarchos Family
TrainerAidan O'Brien
Record7:5-0-1
Earnings£350,807
Major wins
Debutante Stakes (2005)
Moyglare Stud Stakes (2005)
Prix Marcel Boussac (2005)
Awards
European Champion Two-Year-Old Filly (2005)
Last updated on 20 September 2006

Background

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Rumplestiltskin was sired by Danehill out of the mare Monevassia. She was bred in Ireland by the Niarchos Family, which owned her dam, and Quay Bloodstock, a division of the Coolmore Stud.[1] Rumplestiltskin was sent into training with Aidan O'Brien at Ballydoyle.

Rumplestilstkin's sire Danehill was one of the most successful stallions of the last twenty years, producing the winners of more than one thousand races including 156 at Group One/Grade I level. Among his best offspring are Dylan Thomas, Duke of Marmalade, Rock of Gibraltar George Washington and North Light.[2] Monevassia, Rumplestiltskin's dam failed to win a race. She was however, a daughter of the outstanding racemare Miesque and was thus a sister to the successful racehorse and sire Kingmambo and the multiple Group One winning filly East of the Moon.[3] Rumplestiltskin is inbred 3x4 to Northern Dancer and is separately inbred 4x4 to Northern Dancer's dam Natalma. (see below)

Racing career

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2005: two-year-old season

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Rumplestiltskin's first race was a maiden at Naas in May, for which she started the odds-on favourite. She tracked the leaders before finishing strongly to lead near the finish and win by half a length from Always A Star.[4] Three weeks later at the same venue she was stepped up to Listed class and won the Swordlestown Stud Sprint Stakes by a length and a half. In this race she was ridden for the first time by Kieren Fallon, who partnered her in all her subsequent starts.[5] O'Brien expressed his satisfaction that the filly had won despite her obvious lack of experience and his belief that she would make further progress.[6]

In 2005 Ascot was closed for renovations and the Royal meeting was moved to York. Rumplestiltskin was sent there for the Albany Stakes, her first race at Group Three level. She tracked the leaders but could make no progress in the closing stages and finished third, four and a half lengths behind the comfortable winner La Chunga. Despite her defeat, Rumplestiltskin was then moved up to Group Two level for the Debutante Stakes at the Curragh. Fallon settled the filly in fourth before moving her up to challenge in the final quarter of a mile. Rumplestiltskin quickened to settle the race "in a matter of strides"[7] and went clear to win "easily" by two lengths.[8]

A month later she returned to the Curragh for the Moyglare Stud Stakes, Ireland's only Group One race for two-year-old fillies, for which was made favourite at odds of 2/7. She broke slowly and was held up at the back of the field before being brought through by Fallon to lead a furlong out. She did not go clear, however and had to be driven out to win by a neck from Ugo Fire.[9] After the race O'Brien was reported to have explained that the filly tended to pull up when she hit the front and that "she only just does enough."[10] Fallon meanwhile claimed that the filly had been badly hampered and almost brought down in the early stages. The bookmakers were left undecided by her performance, offering odds of between 8/1 and 16/1 for the 1,000 Guineas.[11]

On her final start she was sent to Longchamp for the Prix Marcel Boussac. She was made favourite ahead of Prix du Calvados winner Confidential Lady, and Sirene Doloise, the winner of the Prix d'Aumale. Fallon settled the filly in the early stages but found himself boxed in and unable to find a clear run when he tried to make a challenge in the straight. Rumplestilstkin was switched to the outside and quickened well to take the lead inside the final furlong and record a "narrow but decisive" victory.[12] After the race the bookmakers cut her odds for the Guineas to 3/1.[13] O'Brien praised Fallon for extricating the winner from a difficult position and called Rumplestiltskin "a very special filly".[14]

2006: three-year-old season

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As a three-year-old, Rumplestiltskin was sent straight for the 1000 Guineas at Newmarket without a prep race, and started 3/1 favourite. This was despite speculation that she would miss the race in favour of the Poule d'Essai des Pouliches. After being hampered at the start she was never able to get into contention and finished seventh of the thirteen runners behind Speciosa.[15] Fallon felt that the filly had been unsuited by the soft ground.[16]

After the race O'Brien revealed that Rumplestiltskin had suffered an injury to "a ligament close to her pelvis" and would be unable to race for several weeks.[17] She never ran again and her retirement was confirmed in October.[18]

Race record

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Date Race Dist (f) Course Class Prize (£K) Odds Runners Placing Margin Time Jockey Trainer
14 May 2005 Windscreen Centre Maiden 6 Naas M 6 4/5 13 1 0.5 1:11.20 Seamie Heffernan Aidan O'Brien
6 June 2005 Swordlestown Stud Sprint Stakes 6 Naas Listed 36 8/11 8 1 1.5 1:10.20 Kieren Fallon Aidan O'Brien
17 June 2005 Albany Stakes 6 York 3 34 5/4 14 3 4.5 1:10.35 Kieren Fallon Aidan O'Brien
7 August 2005 Debutante Stakes 7 The Curragh 2 57 11/8 7 1 2 1:27.90 Kieren Fallon Aidan O'Brien
4 September 2005 Moyglare Stud Stakes 7 The Curragh 1 121 2/7 9 1 neck 1:25.80 Kieren Fallon Aidan O'Brien
2 October 2005 Prix Marcel Boussac 8 Longchamp 1 121 2/1 15 1 1 1:37.30 Kieren Fallon Aidan O'Brien
7 May 2006 1000 Guineas 8 Newmarket Rowley 1 187 3/1 13 7 11 1:40.53 Kieren Fallon Aidan O'Brien

Assessment

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In the International Classification of European two-year-old for 2005 Rumplestiltskin was assigned a rating of 116, making her officially the best juvenile filly, eight pounds behind the leading colt George Washington.[19]

She was also voted European Champion Two-Year-Old Filly at the Cartier Racing Award[20]

Stud career

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Rumplestiltskin's first foal, Why, a filly sired by Galileo won a maiden race at Leopardstown in 2010.[21] Her 2010 foal, a colt named Theatre, also by Galileo, won a Leopardstown maiden by six and a half lengths in June 2012. In 2014 her 2011 filly Tapestry finished 2nd in the Irish Oaks before winning the Yorkshire Oaks.[22] Rumplestiltkin's 2012 foal, John F Kennedy, won two of his three starts in 2014, including the Group Three Juvenile Turf Stakes.[23]

Pedigree

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Pedigree of Rumplestiltskin (IRE), bay mare, 2003[24]
Sire
Danehill (USA)
1986
Danzig
1977
Northern Dancer* Nearctic
Natalma*
Pas de Nom Admiral's Voyage
Petitioner
Rayzana
1981
His Majesty Ribot
Flower Bowl
Spring Adieu Buckpasser
Natalma*
Dam
Monevassia (USA)
1994
Mr. Prospector
1970 
Raise a Native Native Dancer
Raise You
Gold Digger Nashua
Sequence
Miesque
1984
Nureyev Northern Dancer*
Special
Pasadoble Prove Out
Santa Quilla (Family: 20)[25]
  • Runplestiltskin is inbred 3x4 to Northern Dancer. This means that the stallion appears in both the third and fourth generations of her pedigree. Northern Dancer's dam Natalma, also appears separately in the fourth generation of her pedigree as the dam of Spring Adieu.

References

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  1. ^ "Quay Bloodstock". Breederscup.com. Archived from the original on 15 March 2012. Retrieved 28 September 2011.
  2. ^ "Danehill Stud record". Racing Post. Retrieved 16 September 2011.
  3. ^ "Rumplestiltskin pedigree". Racing Post. Retrieved 28 September 2011.
  4. ^ "Naas maiden result". Racing Post. Retrieved 28 September 2011.
  5. ^ "Swordlestown Stakes result". Racing Post. Retrieved 28 September 2011.
  6. ^ "Rumplestiltskin will be name to remember". The Guardian. London. 7 June 2005. Retrieved 28 September 2011.
  7. ^ "Rumplestiltskin The Curragh Story". irishracing.com. 8 August 2005. Retrieved 28 September 2011.
  8. ^ "Debutante Stakes result". Racing Post. Retrieved 28 September 2011.
  9. ^ "Moyglare Stud Stakes result". Racing Post. Retrieved 28 September 2011.
  10. ^ "RUMPLESTILTSKIN'S MOYGLARE GLORY". Sporting Life. 12 March 2010. Archived from the original on 15 June 2007. Retrieved 28 September 2011.
  11. ^ "Rumplestiltskin has to prove she has the golden touch". Retrieved 28 September 2011 – via The Free Library.
  12. ^ "Prix Marcel Boussac result". Racing Post. Retrieved 28 September 2011.
  13. ^ "O'Brien's Classic team hit target". The Independent. London. 3 October 2005. Retrieved 28 September 2011.
  14. ^ "RUMPLESTILTSKIN TAKES BOUSSAC". Retrieved 28 September 2011.[permanent dead link]
  15. ^ "1,000 Guineas result". Racing Post. Retrieved 28 September 2011.
  16. ^ "Sly's filly sounds fanfare for the common people". The Independent. London. 8 May 2006. Retrieved 28 September 2011.
  17. ^ "Rumplestiltskin to miss Irish Guineas". The Irish Times. 20 May 2006. Retrieved 28 September 2011.
  18. ^ "Eagle Mountain leads O'Brien's Trophy challenge". 18 October 2006. Retrieved 28 September 2011 – via The Free Library.
  19. ^ "EUROPEAN THOROUGHBRED RACEHORSE RANKINGS — 2005 TWO-YEAR-OLDS" (PDF). The Jockey Club.
  20. ^ Armytage, Marcus (17 November 2005). "Hurricane Run is Horse of the Year". Telegraph. London. Retrieved 28 September 2011.
  21. ^ ""Why" wins Leopardstown race". Racing Post. Retrieved 28 September 2011.
  22. ^ "Results from the 5.20 race at LEOPARDSTOWN (IRE) – 14 June 2012". Racing Post. Retrieved 30 June 2012.
  23. ^ "John F Kennedy (IRE)". Racing Post. Retrieved 2 February 2015.
  24. ^ "Rumplestiltskin pedigree". Equineline. 8 May 2012. Retrieved 30 June 2012.
  25. ^ "Daffodil's Dam – Family 20". Bloodlines.net. Retrieved 30 June 2012.