Blue Wind (3 May 1978 – 21 June 1996) was 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 ...
and
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 ...
best known for winning the
classic
A classic is an outstanding example of a particular style; something of Masterpiece, lasting worth or with a timeless quality; of the first or Literary merit, highest quality, class, or rank – something that Exemplification, exemplifies its ...
Oaks Stakes
The Oaks Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old fillies. It is run at Epsom Downs over a distance of 1 mile, 4 furlongs and 6 y ...
in 1981. She showed promising form as a two-year-old in 1980 when she won two of her five races including the
Silken Glider Stakes. In the following year she finished second in the
Irish 1,000 Guineas
The Irish 1,000 Guineas 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 (1,609 metres), and it is sched ...
and then showed her best form when moved up in distance, winning the Oaks by seven
lengths and following up 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 ...
a month later. In 1982 she was campaigned in the United States without success. She made no impact as a broodmare.
Background
Blue Wind was a dark chestnut mare with a white
sock
A sock is a piece of clothing worn on the feet and often covering the ankle or some part of the Calf (leg), calf. Some types of shoes or boots are typically worn over socks. In ancient times, socks were made from leather or matted animal hair. ...
on her left hind leg bred in Ireland by Betty Laidlaw. She was sired by Lord Gayle, an American-bred stallion who won the
Prix Perth in 1970. Lord Gayle's other winning progeny included
Carroll House,
Desirable, Gay Lemur (
Jockey Club Stakes) and the leading
hurdler Pollardstown. Blue Wind's dam was a granddaughter of the broodmare Dunure, whose other descendants included the Irish Derby winner Dark Warrior and the
St Leger
The St Leger Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run at Doncaster over ...
winner
Bollin Eric.
As a yearling the filly was sold for 5,600
guineas
The guinea (; commonly abbreviated gn., or gns. in plural) was a coin, minted in Great Britain between 1663 and 1814, that contained approximately one-quarter of an ounce of gold. The name came from the Guinea region in West Africa, from where m ...
and sent into training with Paddy Prendergast.
Racing career
1980: two-year-old season
Blue Wind finished unplaced over six
furlong
A furlong is a measure of distance in imperial units and United States customary units equal to one-eighth of a mile, equivalent to any of 660 foot (unit), feet, 220 yards, 40 rod (unit), rods, 10 chain (unit), chains, or a ...
s on her racecourse debut, and then ran second over furlongs. In August she recorded her first victory when she won a seven furlong
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 ...
at Gowran Park by five
lengths. In September she was moved up in class and distance for the
Group Three Silken Glider Stakes over one mile at
Leopardstown Racecourse
Leopardstown Racecourse is a horse-racing course in Leopardstown, approximately south of Dublin city centre, in Ireland. Like the majority of Irish courses, it hosts both National Hunt and Flat racing.
Built by Captain George Quin and modell ...
and won by lengths from the
Dermot Weld-trained Overplay. Blue Wind was sent to France in October for the Group One
Prix Marcel Boussac
The Prix Marcel Boussac is a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to two-year-old thoroughbred fillies. It is run at Longchamp over a distance of 1,600 metres (about 1 mile), and it is s ...
. She
dead-heated for sixth place, lengths behind the winner Tropicaro. In November, the filly was sent to the Goffs Sales where she was bought for 180,000 guineas by representatives of the American owner and breeder Diana Firestone. Blue Wind was moved to the stable of Dermot Weld at the
Curragh
The Curragh ( ; ) is a flat open plain in County Kildare, Ireland. This area is well known for horse breeding and training. The Irish National Stud is on the edge of Kildare town, beside the Japanese Gardens. Pollardstown Fen, the larges ...
,
County Kildare
County Kildare () is a Counties of Ireland, county in Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster and is part of the Eastern and Midland Region. It is named after the town of Kildare. Kildare County Council is the Local gove ...
.
1981: three-year-old season
Blue Wind made her first appearance as a three-year-old at
Phoenix Park Racecourse
Phoenix Park Racecourse was a horse racing venue in Ireland. It was located in the townlands of Ashtown, Dublin, Ashtown and Castleknock in the civil parish of Castleknock on the northern edge of the Phoenix Park in Dublin. The course was foun ...
in April when she won the Edenderry Stakes over one mile. On 23 May, she was ridden by
Wally Swinburn in the
Irish 1,000 Guineas
The Irish 1,000 Guineas 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 (1,609 metres), and it is sched ...
over one mile at the
Curragh Racecourse
The Curragh Racecourse is a flat racecourse in County Kildare, Ireland. The racecourse is home to Ireland’s five most important flat races, known as the Irish Classic Races, Classics. Racing takes place 23 days each year from the end of March ...
. Racing on heavy ground, she started at odds of
6/1 and finished second of the fifteen runners, a length behind the winner Arctique Royale.
On 6 June, Blue Wind was one of twelve fillies to contest the 203rd running of the Oaks over miles at
Epsom Downs Racecourse
Epsom Downs is a Grade 1 racecourse in a hilly area near Epsom in Surrey, England which is used for thoroughbred horse racing. The "Downs" referred to in the name are part of the North Downs.
The course has a crowd capacity of 130,000 including ...
. Ridden by the veteran
Lester Piggott
Lester Keith Piggott (5 November 1935 – 29 May 2022) was an English professional jockey and horse 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 grea ...
she started 3/1 joint-favourite with Leap Lively, a filly who had won the
Fillies' Mile
The Fillies' Mile is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to two-year-old fillies. It is run on the Rowley Mile at Newmarket over a distance of 1 mile (1,609 metres), and it is sc ...
and the
Lingfield Oaks Trial. The other leading contenders were Go Leasing (third 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 ...
, 11/2), Tropicaro (6/1) and
Madam Gay (10/1). Leap Lively went into the lead from the start and set such a strong pace that most of the other runners were struggling before half distance and with three furlongs left to run only Blue Wind and Madam Gay were still in touch with the leader. At this point, Leap Lively began to struggle and Piggott sent the Irish filly into the lead approaching the final quarter mile. Blue Wind quickly established a clear lead and drew away in the closing stages to win by seven lengths from Madam Gay, who was in turn ten lengths clear of the exhausted Leap Lively. With the rest of the field separated by similarly wide margins Timeform described the finish as bearing "some resemblance to that of a three-mile
steeplechase".
Blue Wind's winning time of 2:40.93 was more than three seconds faster than that set by
Shergar when winning the
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 ...
over the same course and distance three days earlier. Blue Wind returned to Ireland for the Irish Oaks at the Curragh on 18 July. Ridden by Wally Swinburn, snr, she was made 4/6 favourite against nine opponents headed by Arctique Royale and the
Musidora Stakes winner Condessa. Blue Wind took the lead on the turn into the straight, went clear of the field, and held off the challenge of Condessa to win by lengths. Blue Wind's form was boosted by the performances of Madam Gay who won the
Prix de Diane, and finished second to
Shergar (beaten four lengths) in the
King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes. In late summer, Weld described Blue Wind as "the best I've ever trained ... a really super filly".
Blue Wind was rested for two months before returning in the
Joe McGrath Memorial Stakes over ten furlongs at
Leopardstown Racecourse
Leopardstown Racecourse is a horse-racing course in Leopardstown, approximately south of Dublin city centre, in Ireland. Like the majority of Irish courses, it hosts both National Hunt and Flat racing.
Built by Captain George Quin and modell ...
in which she was matched against colts and older horses. She was made the 2/1 favourite but never looked likely to win and finished fourth of the twelve runners behind
Kings Lake. On her final European start Blue Wind ran in the
Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe
The Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe () is a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run at Longchamp Racecourse in Paris over a distance ...
at
Longchamp Racecourse
The Longchamp Racecourse (, ) is a 57 hectare horse-racing facility located on the Route des Tribunes at the Bois de Boulogne in the 16th arrondissement of Paris, 16th arrondissement of Paris, France. It is used for flat racing and is noted for ...
on 4 October. She started at odds of 13/2, being coupled in the betting with the other Firestone runner
April Run, but was nevercontention and finished fifteenth of the twenty-four runners behind
Gold River. Timeform's view was that the filly never fully recovered from her hard races in spring and summer.
1982: four-year-old season
In 1982, Blue Wind's owners brought her to race in the United States, where she was trained by Stanley M. Hough. She did not reproduce her European form, failing to win in seven races. Her best placings came when she finished third in
Allowance race
The following is a glossary of North American horse racing.
Additional glossaries at:
*Glossary of Australian and New Zealand punting
*Glossary of equestrian terms
This is a basic glossary of equestrian terms that includes both technical term ...
s at
Belmont Park
Belmont Park is a thoroughbred racing, thoroughbred horse racetrack in Elmont, New York, just east of New York City limits best known for hosting the Belmont Stakes, the final leg of the American Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing (United Stat ...
(twice) and Saratoga.
Assessment
In 1980, the independent Timeform origination gave Blue Wind a rating of 110, fourteen
pounds below their top-rated two-year-old filly Marwell.
In the following year she was given a peak annual timeform rating of 127, six pounds behind Marwell. In the official International Classification she was rated the third-best three-year-old filly in Europe behind Marwell and April Run.
In their book, ''A Century of Champions'', based on the Timeform rating system, John Randall and Tony Morris rated Blue Wind an "average" winner of the Oaks.
Stud career
Blue Wind was retired from racing to become a broodmare for her owner's stud in
Virginia
Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...
but her record was very disappointing. She was exported to Japan in 1991 and died at the Taiki Farm in
Hokkaido
is the list of islands of Japan by area, second-largest island of Japan and comprises the largest and northernmost prefectures of Japan, prefecture, making up its own list of regions of Japan, region. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaidō fr ...
on 21 June 1996.
She produced eight foals between 1984 and 1996, three that won minor races:
*Legal Circles (bay colt, foaled in 1984, sired by
Alleged
In law, an allegation is a claim of an unproven fact by a party in a pleading, charge, or defense. Until they can be proved, allegations remain merely assertions.
Types of allegations Marital allegations
There are also marital allegations: ma ...
) was unraced
*Carefree Dancer (chestnut colt, foaled in 1987, sired by
Nijinsky), won four races in Ireland
*Sapphire Breeze (bay filly, foaled in 1988, sired by
Lyphard
Lyphard (10 May 1969 – 10 June 2005) was an American-bred, French-trained Thoroughbred horse racing, racehorse and an important Horse breeding#Terminology, sire.
Background
American bred in Pennsylvania, Lyphard was a son of Northern Dancer ...
) failed to win in three races
*Coast Wind (brown filly, foaled in 1989, sired by
Chief's Crown) third in only race
*Shinko Easter (chestnut colt, foaled in 1992, sired by
Tony Bin) won one race in Japan
*Taiki Mistral (bay colt, foaled in 1995, sired by
Dancing Brave
Dancing Brave (11 May 1983 – 2 August 1999) was an American-bred, British-trained Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. In a racing career which lasted from the autumn of 1985 until October 1986, he ran ten times and won eight races. Dancing Brave ...
) raced in Japan and won one race
Pedigree
References
{{Epsom Oaks Winners
1978 racehorse births
1996 racehorse deaths
Racehorses bred in Ireland
Racehorses trained in Ireland
Thoroughbred family 4-d
Epsom Oaks winners