Aces Four, foaled on 30 March 1999 in

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

, is an Irish

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 ...

Background

Aces Four was sired by Fourstars Allstar out of the mare Special Trix. He was owned by the DPRP Aces Partnership, trained by Ferdy Murphy, and his primary

jockey A jockey is someone who rides horses in horse racing or steeplechase (horse racing), steeplechase racing, primarily as a profession. The word also applies to camel riders in camel racing. The word "jockey" originated from England and was used ...

was Graham Lee.Aces Four Profile
racingpost.com.

Racing career

Aces Four started racing as a four-year-old in January 2004. In his early years, he was trained by Billy McKeown. In 2005, Ferdy Murphy took over duties and trained Aces Four to six wins in their first 10 races together.Mildmay winner Aces Four retired after injury
racingpost.com, 9 December 2009, accessed 1 April 2010. He won his first race, the Lugg Maiden Hurdle in February 2006 at

Ludlow Racecourse Ludlow Racecourse is a thoroughbred horse racing venue located in Bromfield near Ludlow, Shropshire, England. One of the oldest courses in the country Ludlow stages National Hunt racing however originally flat racing was held there. The Hurdl ...

located near

Ludlow Ludlow ( ) is a market town and civil parish in Shropshire (district), Shropshire, England. It is located south of Shrewsbury and north of Hereford, on the A49 road (Great Britain), A49 road which bypasses the town. The town is near the conf ...

Shropshire Shropshire (; abbreviated SalopAlso used officially as the name of the county from 1974–1980. The demonym for inhabitants of the county "Salopian" derives from this name.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the West M ...

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

by 7 lengths. He went on to win a number of other novice races, including the Cleanevent Novices' Chase, EBF Future Champions "National Hunt" Novices' Hurdle and the Now Live At WBX Novices' Chase. The final win in Aces Four’s career was arguably his most significant. At the 2007

Grand National The Grand National is a National Hunt horse race held annually at Aintree Racecourse in Aintree, Merseyside, England. First run in 1839, it ...

meeting, Aces Four won the Mildmay Novices' Chase at

Aintree Racecourse Aintree Racecourse is a horse racing, racecourse in Aintree, Merseyside, England, near to Liverpool. The racecourse is the venue for the Grand National steeplechase (horse racing), steeplechase, which takes place annually in April over three da ...

. Entering the race as a 5-2 favourite, he beat Fassel by a remarkable 8 lengths despite a mistake made by Graham Lee’s mount at the onset of the race. After the win at Aintree, Aces Four was on his way to a win in the Punchestown Champion Novice Chase in

Punchestown Punchestown Racecourse is located in the parish of Eadestown, between the R410 and R411 regional roads near Naas, County Kildare, in Ireland. It is known as the home of Irish Jumps Racing and plays host to the annual Punchestown Irish Nationa ...

, but crashed at the last hurdle, ending hopes for his first Grade 1 race win. While Aces Four was slightly concussed, jockey Graham Lee suffered a broken elbow from the fall.Murphy’s fortunes turn as Aces Four is last-fence faller
timesonline.co.uk, 25 April 2007, accessed 1 April 2010. Afterward, Aces Four was never the same, missing a number of races and disappointing in those he did compete. Although a star novice horse, he failed to reach the lofty expectations placed on him after his win in at Aintree. Murphy once said of his prized horse: ''"He is a horse that I thought could go right to the top."''
telegraph.co.uk, 10 December 2008 accessed 1 April 2010.

Retirement

Aces Four was officially retired in December 2009 as a result of lingering injuries. Speaking on the retirement of his horse, Murphy said: ''"He was a grand horse and the day he won at Aintree he looked very good. I spoke to the owners earlier this month and we agreed it was better to send him to a quiet retirement than possibly break him down trying to bring him back."'' His career record finished with 6 wins, 4 places and 3 show. His wins were split with three each coming in hurdling and flat races. In total, he accumulated £89,190 in lifetime earnings.

References

{{reflist 1999 racehorse births Thoroughbred family 2-a Racehorses bred in Ireland Racehorses trained in the United Kingdom ja:ウェルアームド