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Commander in Chief (1990–2007) was a British
thoroughbred The Thoroughbred is a list of horse breeds, horse breed developed for Thoroughbred racing, horse racing. Although the word ''thoroughbred'' is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thorough ...
racehorse Horse racing is an equestrian performance activity, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its bas ...
and
sire Sire is an archaic respectful form of address to reigning kings in Europe. In French and other languages it is less archaic and relatively more current. In Belgium, the king is addressed as "Sire..." in both Dutch and French. The words "sire" an ...
. In a career that lasted just over three months in the spring and summer of 1993 he won five of his six races, most notably the
Derby Derby ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area on the River Derwent, Derbyshire, River Derwent in Derbyshire, England. Derbyshire is named after Derby, which was its original co ...
at
Epsom Epsom is a town in the borough of Epsom and Ewell in Surrey, England, about south of central London. The town is first recorded as ''Ebesham'' in the 10th century and its name probably derives from that of a Anglo-Saxon settlement of Britain ...
and the
Irish Derby The Irish Derby ( Irish: Dearbaí na hÉireann) is a Group 1 flat horse race in Ireland open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run at the Curragh over a dista ...
at
the Curragh The Curragh ( ; ) is a flat open plain in County Kildare, Ireland. This area is well known for horse breeding and training. The Irish National Stud is on the edge of Kildare town, beside the Irish National Stud#The Japanese Gardens, Japane ...
. He was the first Derby winner since Morston in 1973 not to have raced as a two-year-old. Furthermore, the
Racing Post ''Racing Post'' is a British daily horse racing, greyhound racing, and sports betting publisher published in print and digital formats. It is printed in tabloid format from Monday to Sunday. , it has an average daily circulation of 60,629 ...
had not even included him in their list of horses for the 1993 Ten-to-Follow on the flat competition. Commander in Chief was voted the 1993 Cartier Champion Three-year-old Colt.


Background

Commander in Chief was a dark bay colt (officially "bay or brown") with a white snip, bred by his owner's Juddmonte Farms breeding organisation. He was sired by
Dancing Brave Dancing Brave (11 May 1983 – 2 August 1999) was an American-bred, British-trained Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. In a racing career which lasted from the autumn of 1985 until October 1986, he ran ten times and won eight races. Dancing Brave ...
out of Slightly Dangerous. Dancing Brave was the most highly rated British racehorse of the 1980s winning a series of major races culminating in the
Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe The Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe () is a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run at Longchamp Racecourse in Paris over a distance ...
. At stud, he was a modest success, siring the
Group One Group One, Group 1, Grade I or G1 is the term used for the highest level of Thoroughbred and Standardbred stakes races in many countries. In Europe, the level of races for Thoroughbred racing is determined using the Pattern races, Pattern race sys ...
winners White Muzzle, Wemyss Bight and Cherokee Rose before being sold and exported to Japan in 1991. Slightly Dangerous finished second in the 1982
Epsom Oaks The Oaks Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old fillies. It is run at Epsom Downs over a distance of 1 mile, 4 furlongs and 6 ya ...
and went on to be an outstanding broodmare, producing the Group One/Grade I winners Warning and Yashmak as well as the Epsom Derby runner-up Dushyantor. Commander in Chief was trained for all his starts by
Henry Cecil Sir Henry Richard Amherst Cecil (11 January 1943 – 11 June 2013) was a British flat racing horse trainer. Cecil was very successful, becoming Champion Trainer ten times and training 25 domestic Classic winners. These comprised four winners o ...
at his Warren Place stable at
Newmarket, Suffolk Newmarket is a market town and civil parish in the West Suffolk (district), West Suffolk district of Suffolk, England, 14 miles west of Bury St Edmunds and 14 miles northeast of Cambridge. In 2021, it had a population of 16,772. It is a global ...
. He was ridden in all of his races other than the Derby by the eleven times Champion Jockey
Pat Eddery Patrick James John Eddery (18 March 1952 – 10 November 2015) was an Irish flat racing jockey and trainer. He rode three winners of the Derby and was Champion Jockey on eleven occasions. He rode the winners of 4,632 British flat races, a f ...
.


Racing career


Early races

Commander in Chief did not run as a two-year-old and made his debut in April 1993 in a ten
furlong A furlong is a measure of distance in imperial units and United States customary units equal to one-eighth of a mile, equivalent to any of 660 foot (unit), feet, 220 yards, 40 rod (unit), rods, 10 chain (unit), chains, or a ...
maiden race at the Newmarket Craven meeting. Starting the even money favourite he took the lead a furlong from the finish and drew away from the rest of the field, winning by six lengths despite being eased down in the closing stages. Eighteen days late he returned to Newmarket for the twelve furlong Culford Stakes. On this occasion he started 2/5 favourite and won by three and a half lengths from Oakmead and Blue Judge. On the 13 May he completed his
hat-trick A hat-trick or hat trick is the achievement of a generally positive feat three times in a match, or another achievement based on the number three. Origin The term first appeared in 1858 in cricket, to describe H. H. Stephenson taking three Wick ...
in the Glasgow Stakes at
York York is a cathedral city in North Yorkshire, England, with Roman Britain, Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers River Ouse, Yorkshire, Ouse and River Foss, Foss. It has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a Yor ...
, but in this race he was less impressive: Eddery attempted to make all the running on the 2/9 favourite, and he had to be pushed out in the closing stages to win by a neck from Needle Gun.


Epsom Derby

Commander in Chief went into the 1993 Epsom Derby on 2 June as an unbeaten horse, but one who had never contested a Group Race. He was the youngest of the sixteen runners in a race which attracted a crowd of 106,000. In the build-up to the race he had been overshadowed by his stable companion
Tenby Tenby () is a seaside town and community (Wales), community in the county of Pembrokeshire, Wales. It lies within Carmarthen Bay. Notable features include of sandy beaches and the Pembrokeshire Coast Path, the 13th-century Tenby Town Walls, me ...
. Owned like Commander in Chief by Khalid Abdullah and also unbeaten, Tenby's successes had come in more high-profile races such as the Grand Critérium and the
Dante Stakes The Dante Stakes is a Group 2 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old horses. It is run over a distance of 1 mile, 2 furlongs and 56 yards () ...
and he was made 4/5 favourite. He was the preferred ride of Pat Eddery, leaving the ride on Commander in Chief to
Mick Kinane Michael J. Kinane (born 22 June 1959) is an Irish former flat racing jockey. He had a 34-year career, retiring on 8 December 2009. A prolific winner of the Irish, English and French Classic races over two decades, Kinane h ...
. Commander in Chief who started 15/2 second favourite, was held up in the early stages and turned into the straight in sixth place. He then made rapid progress to take the lead two furlongs out and quickly went clear. He was never in any danger and won very easily by three and a half lengths from the 150/1 outsiders Blue Judge and Blues Traveller. Tenby, who had been in second place at one point, weakened badly in the straight and finished tenth.


After Epsom

On 27 June Commander in Chief traveled to the Curragh for the Irish Derby. The build-up and betting suggested that the race would effectively be a match between Commander in Chief (4/7 favourite) and the French-trained Hernando, the winner of the
Prix du Jockey Club The Prix du Jockey Club, sometimes referred to as the French Derby, is a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run at Chantilly ov ...
who started at 9/4. The two colts duly came to the front two furlongs out and raced together throughout the closing stages. The English colt however, proved the superior horse on the day and won by three quarters of a length. After the race Eddery said that the winner was comparable to "all the good ones I've ridden", while Cecil described him as "a late maturing sort" for whom "the best is yet to come". On 24 July, Commander in Chief, now undefeated in five races, started 7/4 favourite for the
King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes The King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged three years or older. It is run at Ascot ...
at
Ascot Ascot, Ascott or Askot may refer to: Places Australia * Ascot, Queensland, suburb of Brisbane * Ascot, Queensland (Toowoomba Region), a locality * Ascot Park, South Australia, suburb of Adelaide * Ascot (Ballarat), town near Ballarat in Victoria ...
, in which he took on older horses for the first time. His main rivals included the 1992
European Horse of the Year The Cartier Racing Awards are awards in European horse racing, founded in 1991, and sponsored by Cartier SA, Cartier. The award winners are decided by points earned in group races (40%) plus the votes cast by British racing journalists (30%) and re ...
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, the five-year-old
Opera House An opera house is a theater building used for performances of opera. Like many theaters, it usually includes a stage, an orchestra pit, audience seating, backstage facilities for costumes and building sets, as well as offices for the institut ...
who had recently won the
Eclipse Stakes The Eclipse Stakes is a Group races, Group 1 Flat racing, flat Horse racing, horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged three years or older. It is run at Sandown ...
and White Muzzle a three-year-old who had won his last five races including the
Derby Italiano The Derby Italiano is a Group 2 flat horse race in Italy open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run at Capannelle over a distance of 2,200 metres (about 1 mile and 3 furlongs), and it is scheduled to take place each year ...
. Commander in Chief raced prominently and took the lead in the straight, but in the closing stages he was overtaken and beaten one and a half lengths and a short head by Opera House and White Muzzle. Commander in Chief did not race again, and in October it was announced that he had been sold to stand as a stallion in Japan.


Assessment and honours

In the 1993
Cartier Racing Awards The Cartier Racing Awards are awards in European horse racing, founded in 1991, and sponsored by Cartier. The award winners are decided by points earned in group races (40%) plus the votes cast by British racing journalists (30%) and readers of th ...
, Commander in Chief was voted European Three-Year-Old Champion Colt. In the official International Classification for 1993 he was rated on 127, equal with White Muzzle and three pounds below the top-rated three-year-old
Zafonic Zafonic (1 April 1990 – 7 September 2002) was a European Thoroughbred racehorse bred in Kentucky. He was the 1992 European Champion Two-Year-Old Colt and won the following year's 2,000 Guineas. Background Zafonic was sired by the Mr. P ...
. Commander in Chief was rated at 130 for his Derby win by
Timeform Timeform is a sports data and content provider located in Halifax, West Yorkshire, England. Founded in 1948, it provides systematic information on form to punters and others involved in the horse racing industry. The company was purchased by th ...
. In their book ''A Century of Champions'', John Randall and Tony Morris rated Commander in Chief as an "inferior" Derby winner.


Stud career

Commander in Chief was the leading first-season sire in Japan in 1997. His best offspring included Rascal Suzuka, who finished second in the 2000 Spring
Tenno Sho The is a horse race held twice a year in Japan, once in the spring and once in the autumn. "Tenno" means "Emperor of Japan". The races are both International Grade 1 races. Prior to the 2007 races, both Tenno Sho races were Japanese domestic Gr ...
, and Ein Bride, the Japanese champion two-year-old filly. He died at the Yushun Stallion Station in Japan in 2007 after fracturing his leg in a paddock accident.


Pedigree


References

{{Cartier Champion Three-year-old Colt 1990 racehorse births 2007 racehorse deaths Racehorses trained in the United Kingdom Racehorses bred in the United Kingdom Cartier Award winners Irish Classic Race winners Thoroughbred family 14-f Epsom Derby winners