Lyphard (10 May 1969 – 10 June 2005) was an American-bred, French-trained
Thoroughbred racehorse and an important
sire.
Background
American bred in
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...
, Lyphard was a son of
Northern Dancer out of the mare Goofed. He was auctioned as a weanling at November's
Keeneland Sales to Tim Rogers, a horseman from
Ireland
Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel, the Irish Sea, and St George's Channel. Ireland is the s ...
, who then put him up for sale at
Newmarket in
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...
. There, renowned French trainer and breeder
Alec Head
Alec Head (31 July 1924 – 22 June 2022) was a French horse trainer and breeder.
Biography
Head was the owner of Haras du Quesnay, located near Deauville. A descendant of the trainers who founded the English Racing Colony in Chantilly, Oise, H ...
purchased him on behalf of Madame Germaine Wertheimer, widow of the prominent French horseman and owner of the famous
House of Chanel,
Pierre Wertheimer
Pierre Wertheimer (8 January 1888 – 24 April 1965) was a French businessman, who co-founded Chanel with Coco Chanel.
Family business
Wertheimer was born to a Jewish family,[Ukrainian
Ukrainian may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to Ukraine
* Something relating to Ukrainians, an East Slavic people from Eastern Europe
* Something relating to demographics of Ukraine in terms of demography and population of Ukraine
* So ...]
-born French
ballet
Ballet () is a type of performance dance that originated during the Italian Renaissance in the fifteenth century and later developed into a concert dance form in France and Russia. It has since become a widespread and highly technical form ...
dancer and
choreographer Serge Lifar.
Racing career
On the track, Lyphard competed in France, Ireland, and England, winning six of his twelve starts, including the
Group One Prix Jacques Le Marois and
Prix de la Forêt.
Stud record
Retired after the end of the 1972 racing season, Lyphard was sent to stand at stud at the
Haras d'Etreham near
Bayeux in
Normandy
Normandy (; french: link=no, Normandie ; nrf, Normaundie, Nouormandie ; from Old French , plural of ''Normant'', originally from the word for "northman" in several Scandinavian languages) is a geographical and cultural region in Northwestern ...
. There, his offspring included the filly
Durtal
Durtal is a commune in the Maine-et-Loire department in western France. It is around 32 km north-east of Angers the department capital.
See also
*Communes of the Maine-et-Loire department
The following is a list of the 177 communes of ...
(foaled 1974), who won the
Cheveley Park Stakes, plus the colt
Pharly (1974), who won several important races in France, including the Group One
Prix de la Forêt,
Prix Lupin and
Prix du Moulin de Longchamp.
Madame Wertheimer died in 1974. In 1978, Lyphard was sent to stand at
Gainsway Farm in
Lexington, Kentucky
Lexington is a city in Kentucky, United States that is the county seat of Fayette County. By population, it is the second-largest city in Kentucky and 57th-largest city in the United States. By land area, it is the country's 28th-largest ...
, where he became famous as the sire of a number of important horses. In all, he produced 115
graded stakes race
A graded stakes race is a thoroughbred horse race in the United States that meets the criteria of the American Graded Stakes Committee of the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association (TOBA). A specific grade level (I, II, III or listed) is th ...
winners, including:
*
Dancing Maid (foaled 1975), won
Poule d'Essai des Pouliches
The Poule d'Essai des Pouliches is a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to three-year-old thoroughbred fillies. It is run over a distance of 1,600 metres (about 1 mile) at ...
,
Prix Vermeille
*
Three Troikas
Three Troikas (foaled 1976) was a French Thoroughbred champion racehorse who was owned, trained, and raced by three members of the famous Head family. The highlight of her career came in an impressive victory in the 1979 Prix de l'Arc de Triomp ...
(1976) – won the 1979
Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe
*
Lichine (1979) – sold for record-setting $1.7 million at
Keeneland Sales in July 1980
*
Dancing Brave (1983) – won the 1986 2000 Guineas, King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes, Coral Eclipse Stakes and Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe.
*
Top-rated European horse (International Classification) (1986) Top-rated European horse (
Timeform) (1986) Dancing Brave was syndicated with an estimated value of £14m.
*
Manila
Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is highly urbanized and, as of 2019, was the world's most densely populated ...
(1983) – won the 1986
Breeders' Cup Turf, was voted
U.S. Champion Male Turf Horse, and was ranked the best long-distance
turf horse in American racing history by
Steve Davidowitz of
Daily Racing Form
*
Rainbows For Life (1988) – Multiple stakes winner, three-time
Sovereign Award {{refimprove, date=October 2021
The Sovereign Award is given annually since 1975 by the Jockey Club of Canada to the outstanding horses and people in Canadian Thoroughbred racing.
The most prestigious award for horses is Sovereign Horse of the Y ...
winner, holds course record for 1⅛ miles on turf at
Hawthorne Race Course set in 1991, champion sire in Czech Republic in 1999, 2004, 2005 and 2006, champion sire in Slovakian Republic in 1999
*
Jolypha (1989) –
Champion 3-Year-Old Filly in France, who won the 1992
Prix de Diane and
Prix Vermeille and was a strong third in that year's
Breeders' Cup Classic
The Breeders' Cup Classic is a Grade I Weight for Age thoroughbred horse race for 3-year-olds and older run at a distance of on dirt. It is held annually at a different racetrack as part of the Breeders' Cup World Championships in late October ...
behind
Eclipse Award Champion Pleasant Tap and the race winner, the future
U.S. Hall of Fame colt
A.P. Indy
A.P. Indy (March 31, 1989 – February 21, 2020) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse who won the Belmont Stakes and Breeders' Cup Classic on his way to American Horse of the Year honors in 1992. His time in the Belmont Stakes tied Easy Goer fo ...
Lyphard was the damsire of
Hatoof
Hatoof (born January 26, 1989 in Versailles, Kentucky) is a Thoroughbred Champion racehorse who competed internationally out of a base in Chantilly, France under trainer Criquette Head for owner Sheikh Maktoum bin Rashid Al Maktoum. Racing at ...
, winner of the 1992
1,000 Guineas
The 1000 Guineas Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old fillies. It is run on the Rowley Mile at Newmarket over a distance of 1 mile (1,609 ...
and the 1994
U.S. Champion Female Turf Horse. Lyphard was also the grandsire of 1993
Epsom Derby
The Derby Stakes, also known as the Epsom Derby or the Derby, and as the Cazoo Derby for sponsorship reasons, is a Group 1 flat horse race in England open to three-year-old colts and fillies. It is run at Epsom Downs Racecourse in Surre ...
winner
Commander in Chief. Among his other descendants are
Deep Impact,
Japan's Horse of the Year in 2005 & 2006, and the
No.1 ranked horse in the world in 2006,
Invasor.
At maturity, he reached high.
[http://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/articles/90474/pedigree-analysis-is-bigger-always-better ]
Retirement and Death
In 1996, Lyphard was pensioned from stallion duty at age 27 and lived another nine years. He was one of the oldest Thoroughbred horses in the world by the time he was humanely
euthanised
Animal euthanasia (euthanasia from el, εὐθανασία; "good death") is the act of killing an animal or allowing it to die by withholding extreme medical measures. Reasons for euthanasia include incurable (and especially painful) conditio ...
on 10 June 2005, as a result of the infirmities of very old age.
Pedigree
References
{{reflist
1969 racehorse births
2005 racehorse deaths
Racehorses bred in Pennsylvania
Racehorses trained in France
United States Champion Thoroughbred Sires
Champion Thoroughbred Sires of France
Thoroughbred family 17-b
Chefs-de-Race