Monksfield (1972–1989) was an entire horse Irish-trained

National Hunt In horse racing in the United Kingdom, France and Republic of Ireland, National Hunt racing requires horses to jump fences and ditches. National Hunt racing in the UK is informally known as "jumps" and is divided into two major distinct branches: ...

racehorse Horse racing is an equestrian performance sport, 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 basic ...

who won the

Champion Hurdle The Champion Hurdle is a Grade 1 National Hunt hurdle race in Great Britain which is open to horses aged four years or older. It is run on the Old Course at Cheltenham over a ...

in 1978 and 1979. He also won the

Aintree Hurdle The Aintree Hurdle is a Grade 1 National Hunt hurdle race in Great Britain which is open to horses aged four years or older. It is run at Aintree over a distance of about 2 miles and 4 furlongs (), ...

Aintree Racecourse Aintree Racecourse is a racecourse in Aintree, Metropolitan Borough of Sefton, Merseyside, England, bordering the city of Liverpool. The racecourse is the venue for the Grand National steeplechase, which takes place annually in April over ...

three times - including a dead-heat with Night Nurse, one of his two greatest rivals. Monksfield's dam, Regina, was bred by the Aga Khan. His granddam was Tambara who won the Coronation Stakes at Ascot. His dam sire was the 1952 Derby winner Tulyar.Timeform Chasers and Hurdlers 1975/76 Monksfield cost his Irish trainer Des McDonogh only 740 guineas as a yearling, but he won five times on the flat to add to his hurdling triumphs. He won four times in his first season hurdling, as well as finishing second in the

Triumph Hurdle The Triumph Hurdle is a Grade 1 National Hunt hurdle race in Great Britain which is open to horses aged four years. It is run on the New Course at Cheltenham over a distance of about 2 miles and 1 ...

at Cheltenham. He was runner-up in the 1977 Champion Hurdle behind Night Nurse, but triumphed in 1978, ahead of Sea Pigeon and Night Nurse. The rivalry between Monksfield and Sea Pigeon reached its peak in 1979 and 1980 with Monksfield winning the 1979 Champion Hurdle, and the latter reversing the decision - by seven lengths - a year later. Monksfield died in 1989 after nine years at stud: his best winners included Lakendara, Garrylough, Judge's Fancy and It's a Snip.

References

* The Complete Encyclopedia of Horse Racing - written by Bill Mooney and George Ennor 1972 racehorse births 1989 racehorse deaths Cheltenham Festival winners Champion Hurdle winners National Hunt racehorses Thoroughbred family 6-d Racehorses bred in Ireland Racehorses trained in Ireland {{racehorse-stub