Carrozza
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Carrozza (foaled 1954) was a British
Thoroughbred The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word ''thoroughbred'' is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed. Thoroughbreds are c ...
racehorse. In a racing career lasting from May 1956 until July 1957, the
filly A filly is a female horse that is too young to be called a mare. There are two specific definitions in use: *In most cases, a ''filly'' is a female horse under four years old. *In some nations, such as the United Kingdom and the United States, t ...
ran seven times and won three races for her owner
Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. She was queen ...
. As a three-year-old she finished fourth in the
1000 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 ...
at Newmarket before winning Oaks at
Epsom Epsom is the principal town of 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 Saxon landowner. The ...
. She was retired to stud after one further race and had some success as a
broodmare A mare is an adult female horse or other equine. In most cases, a mare is a female horse over the age of three, and a filly is a female horse three and younger. In Thoroughbred horse racing, a mare is defined as a female horse more than four ...
.


Background

Carrozza was a dark-coated bay or brown filly bred by the British
national Stud The National Stud is a United Kingdom Thoroughbred horse breeding farm located two miles from Newmarket. The Stud originated in 1916 as a result of a gift by William Hall Walker (later Lord Wavertree) of the entire bloodstock of his stud farm ...
and leased for racing purposes to the British monarch, Elizabeth II. The filly was sired by
Dante Dante Alighieri (; – 14 September 1321), probably baptized Durante di Alighiero degli Alighieri and often referred to as Dante (, ), was an Italian poet, writer and philosopher. His ''Divine Comedy'', originally called (modern Italian: '' ...
the winner of the 1945
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 Surrey o ...
out of the mare Calash, a daughter of Hyperion. Calash was a sister of the outstanding racemare
Sun Chariot A solar deity or sun deity is a deity who represents the Sun, or an aspect of it. Such deities are usually associated with power and strength. Solar deities and Sun worship can be found throughout most of recorded history in various forms. The ...
who won three
Classics Classics or classical studies is the study of classical antiquity. In the Western world, classics traditionally refers to the study of Classical Greek and Roman literature and their related original languages, Ancient Greek and Latin. Classics ...
for
King George VI George VI (Albert Frederick Arthur George; 14 December 1895 – 6 February 1952) was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 until his death in 1952. He was also the last Emperor of Ind ...
in 1942, and of Sister Sarah, the grandam of
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. The Queen sent her filly into training with
Noel Murless Sir Charles Francis Noel Murless (24 March 19109 May 1987) was an English racehorse trainer who one of the most successful of the twentieth century. Murless began his career as a trainer in 1935 at Hambleton Lodge in Yorkshire before moving to H ...
at his Warren Place stables in Newmarket.


Racing career

Carrozza began her racing career in May 1956 when she won the Rosemary Plate at
Hurst Park Racecourse Hurst Park Racecourse was a racecourse at Moulsey Hurst, West Molesey, Surrey, near the River Thames. It was first laid out in 1890 and held its last race in 1962. There was racing at nearby Hampton for many years until 1887. The first meeting a ...
. The filly missed most of the season after falling in a training accident and injuring her back so severely that she was confined to her box for six weeks. Carrozza did not reappear until October, when she finished fourth in the Prendergast Stakes and fourth again in the Criterion Stakes at the same course two weeks later. On her three-year-old debut, Carrozza contested the
Princess Elizabeth Stakes The Princess Elizabeth Stakes is a Group 3 flat horse race in Great Britain open to fillies and mares aged three years or older. It is run at Epsom Downs over a distance of 1 mile and 113 yards (1,713 m ...
at Epsom in April. She won the race, a trial for the fillies Classics, by defeating the highly regarded French filly Rose Royale by half a length. In the 1000 Guineas at Newmarket less than two weeks later, Carrozza started favourite at odds of 4/1 and finished fourth of the twenty runners behind Rose Royale, Sensualita and Angelet. In the Oaks at Epsom a month later, Carrozza, ridden by
Lester Piggott Lester Keith Piggott (5 November 1935 – 29 May 2022) was an English professional jockey and trainer. With 4,493 career flat racing wins in Britain, including a record nine Epsom Derby victories, he is widely regarded as one of the greatest f ...
, started at odds of 100/8 in a field of eleven runners, being less fancied than the Queen's other runner, Mulberry Harbour. Piggott sent Carrozza into the lead a furlong from the finish and looked set for a comfortable win until the Irish-trained grey Silken Glider emerged with a late challenge. In a "desperate finish" the royal filly prevailed by a short head after a photo-finish. The favourite Rose Royale, who appeared unsuited by the firm ground, finished three lengths further back in third. Carrozza was led into the winner's circle by her owner: the filly was initially reluctant but acquiesced after the Queen gave the lead strap a "mighty jerk". Later in the year, Silken Glider was successful in the
Irish Oaks The Irish Oaks is a Group 1 flat horse race in Ireland open to three-year-old thoroughbred fillies. It is run at the Curragh over a distance of 1 mile and 4 furlongs (2,414 metres), and it is s ...
, while Rose Royale won the
Prix du Moulin The Prix du Moulin de Longchamp is a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to horses aged three years or older. It is run at Longchamp over a distance of 1,600 metres (about 1 mile), and it is sch ...
and the
Champion Stakes The Champion Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run at Ascot over a distance of 1 mile and 2 furlong ...
. In July, Carrozza started odds-on favourite for the
Nassau Stakes The Nassau Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to fillies and mares aged three years or older. It is run at Goodwood over a distance of 1 mile, 1 furlong a ...
at Goodwood, but finished fourth behind Swallowswift. Carrozza returned from the race lame and was retired to stud. Carrozza's prize of £16,101 for winning the Oaks, enabled the Queen to be the leading owner in Britain in 1957.


Retirement

Carrozza began her breeding career at the National stud, before being sold for 20,000
guineas The guinea (; commonly abbreviated gn., or gns. in plural) was a coin, minted in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, Great Britain between 1663 and 1814, that contained approximately one-quarter of an ounce of gold. The name came from t ...
to the British Bloodstock Agency in 1964. She produced three minor winners including Battle Wagon, who was exported to New Zealand where he sired the
Wellington Cup The Wellington Cup is a Group 3 Thoroughbred horse race in New Zealand held annually in late January at Trentham Racecourse in Trentham by the Wellington Racing Club. History Inaugurated in 1874, the Wellington Cup has been raced over various ...
winner Battle Heights. Carrozza's daughter, Caromata, produced the
Grand Prix de Paris The Grand Prix de Paris is a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run at Longchamp over a distance of 2,400 metres (about 1½ miles), and it ...
winner Matahawk. Carrozza was exported to the United States in 1966 and to Argentina in 1975.


Assessment and honours

In their book, ''A Century of Champions'', based on the Timeform rating system, John Randall and Tony Morris rated Carrozza an "inferior" winner of the Oaks.


Pedigree


References

{{Epsom Oaks Winners 1954 racehorse births Racehorses bred in the United Kingdom Racehorses trained in the United Kingdom Thoroughbred family 3-o Epsom Oaks winners