Arctic Prince (1948–1969) was an Irish-bred

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 and

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who was trained in England during a brief racing career which lasted from 1950 to 1951 and consisted of only five races. Arctic Prince won two races including the 1951

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 ...

and was retired after breaking down at

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in July of the same year.

Background

Arctic Prince was a

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horse bred in Ireland by his owner Joseph McGrath. He was one of the first crop of foals sired by Prince Chevalier who won 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 ...

in 1946 before going on to a successful stud career. Apart from Arctic Prince, his most notable offspring was Charlotteville who won the Prix du Jockey Club and 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), an ...

and sired the 1966 Derby winner Charlottown. Arctic Prince's dam, Arctic Sun, was a successful racemare who won the

Anglesey Stakes The Anglesey Stakes is a Group 3 flat horse race in Ireland open to two-year-old thoroughbreds. It is run at the Curragh over a distance of 6 furlongs and 63 yards (1,265 metres), and it is sched ...

in 1943. Arctic Prince was sent into training with Willie Stephenson at

Royston, Hertfordshire Royston is a town and Civil parishes in England, civil parish in the North Hertfordshire, District of North Hertfordshire and county of Hertfordshire in England. It is situated on the Prime meridian (Greenwich), Greenwich Meridian, which brush ...

Racing career

1950: two-year-old season

Arctic Prince first appeared on the racecourse in a

maiden race In horse racing, a maiden race is an event for horses that have not won a race. Horses that have not won a race are referred to as maidens. Maiden horse races are held over a variety of distances and under conditions with eligibility based on the s ...

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in which he recorded a six

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victory. He was then moved up in class for the

Gimcrack Stakes The Gimcrack Stakes is a Group races, Group 2 Flat racing, flat Horse racing, horse race in Great Britain open to two-year-old Colt (horse), colts and geldings. It is run at York Racecourse, Yor ...

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in which he finished unplaced behind Cortil.

1951: three-year-old season

As a three-year-old, Arctic Prince was sent directly to the

2000 Guineas The 2000 Guineas Stakes is a Group 1 flat race in Great Britain open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run on the Rowley Mile at Newmarket over a distance of 1 mile (1.6 km) and scheduled to take place each yea ...

Newmarket Racecourse Newmarket Racecourse is a British Thoroughbred horse racing venue in Newmarket, Suffolk, Newmarket, Suffolk, comprising two individual racecourses: the Rowley Mile and the July Course. Newmarket is often referred to as the headquarters of ...

without a trial race. He ran on strongly in the closing stages of the one mile

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to finish seventh of the twenty-seven runners behind Ki Ming. A month later, Arctic Prince started at odds of 28/1 in a field of thirty-three for the Derby, which, with a total prize of £22,625 was the most valuable race ever run in England. He was ridden by Chuck Spares, a jockey who was best known for his successes in

National Hunt racing National Hunt Racing, also known as Jump Racing, is a form of horse racing particular to many European countries, including, but not limited to: France, horse racing in Great Britain, Great Britain and horse racing in Ireland, Ireland. Jump Racin ...

and was having his first ride in the Derby. The crowd was estimated at up to 1,000,000 and included the

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, and Princess Elizabeth, the

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being too ill to attend. Ki Ming who started favourite, disputed the lead with Mystery IX until the horses turned into the straight. Arctic Prince, who was always prominent, overtook Mystery IX to take the lead early in the straight and pulled clear of the field to win easily by six lengths from Sybil's Nephew. Spares explained that "I took the lead and then it was all over." Stephenson commented that Arctic Prince "was definitely unlucky to lose the 2000 Guineas and I thought that he would win today as I know that he stays." In July Arctic Prince was sent to Ascot for the inaugural running of 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 ...

. The colt finished unplaced behind Supreme Court, sustaining an injury which ended his racing career.

Assessment

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awarded Arctic Prince a rating of 135, the highest for a three-year-old in 1951. A rating of 130 is considered the mark of an above average European

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 ...

winner. In their book ''A Century of Champions'', John Randall and Tony Morris rated Arctic Prince an “average” Derby winner and the one hundred and ninth best British racehorse of the 20th Century .

Stud career

Arctic Prince stood as a stallion in Britain for four years before being sold for a reported $900,000 and exported to America in 1956. The best of his European progeny was 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 ...

winner Arctic Explorer. He was also the damsire of the 1964 Derby winner

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Pedigree

References

External links

Newsreel of the 1951 Derby from British Pathé
{{Epsom Derby Winners 1948 racehorse births 1969 racehorse deaths Racehorses bred in Ireland Epsom Derby winners Thoroughbred family 10-c Racehorses trained in the United Kingdom