Bollin Eric (18 February 1999 – 18 January 2020), was a British
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
sire
Sire is an archaic respectful form of address to reigning kings in Europe. In French and other languages it is less archaic and relatively more current. In Belgium, the king is addressed as "Sire..." in both Dutch and French.
The words "sire" an ...
. In a career which lasted from July 2001 until October 2003, he ran eighteen times and won four races. He recorded his most important success when 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 ...
St. Leger Stakes
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 ...
as a three-year-old in 2002. He won the
Lonsdale Stakes in the following year and was placed in
important races including the
Dante Stakes
The Dante Stakes is a Group 2 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old horses. It is run over a distance of 1 mile, 2 furlongs and 56 yards () ...
,
King Edward VII Stakes
The King Edward VII Stakes is a Group 2 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old colts and geldings. It is run at Ascot over a distance of 1 mile 3 furlongs and 211 yards (2,406 m ...
,
Great Voltigeur Stakes
The Great Voltigeur Stakes is a Group 2 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old colts and geldings. It is run at York over a distance of 1 mile 3 furlongs and ...
,
Yorkshire Cup and
Hardwicke Stakes
The Hardwicke Stakes is a Group 2 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged four years or older. It is run at Ascot over a distance of 1 mile 3 furlongs and 211 yards (2,406 metres), an ...
.
Background
Bollin Eric, a bay horse standing 16.2
hands
A hand is a prehensile, multi-fingered appendage located at the end of the forearm or forelimb of primates such as humans, chimpanzees, monkeys, and lemurs. A few other vertebrates such as the koala (which has two opposable thumbs on each "han ...
high with a white
blaze and four white
socks
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. ...
,
was bred by his owner, Sir Neil Westbrook and his wife Mary Fraser, daughter of
Lord Strathalmond. He was by far the highest-rated horse sired by
The Derby winner
Shaamit
Shaamit (1993–2001) was an Irish-bred, British-trained Thoroughbred horse racing, race horse and sire (horse), sire. In a career which lasted from September 1995 to October 1996, he ran six times and won twice. He was the winner of the Eps ...
and was out of the mare Bollin Zola who won two races for the Westbrooks in the late 1980s. The Westbrooks bred their horse jointly, with the colts running under the ownership of Sir Neil, while the fillies raced in Lady Westbrook's colours. All their horses carried the "Bollin" prefix taken from the
River Bollin
The River Bollin is a major tributary of the River Mersey in the north-west of England.
It rises in Macclesfield Forest at the western end of the Peak District, from springs near the Buxton to Macclesfield road. The stream descends the throu ...
near their home in
Cheshire
Cheshire ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in North West England. It is bordered by Merseyside to the north-west, Greater Manchester to the north-east, Derbyshire to the east, Staffordshire to the south-east, and Shrop ...
.
At stud, Bollin Zola produced at least nine other "Bollin" racehorses, the best of which was the
Duke of York Stakes
Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and above sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they are ...
winner
Bollin Joanne. Bollin Eric was sent into training with
Tim Easterby at his Habton Grange Stable in
North Yorkshire
North Yorkshire is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in Northern England.The Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority areas of City of York, York and North Yorkshire (district), North Yorkshire are in Yorkshire and t ...
. He was ridden in twelve of his eighteen races by
Kevin Darley
Kevin Darley (born 5 August 1960, in Penn, Wolverhampton) is a retired jockey, and a co-president of the Jockeys' Association of Great Britain. He was British flat racing Champion Apprentice in 1978 with 70 wins and Champion Jockey in 2000 wi ...
.
Racing career
2001: two-year-old season
Bollin Eric began his racing career by finishing third in a 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 ...
maiden race at
Doncaster
Doncaster ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in South Yorkshire, England. Named after the River Don, Yorkshire, River Don, it is the administrative centre of the City of Doncaster metropolitan borough, and is the second largest se ...
in July and then finished second in a seven furlong race at
Haydock Park Racecourse
Haydock Park Racecourse is a racecourse in Merseyside, North West England. The racecourse is set in an area of parkland bounded by the towns of Haydock to the west, Ashton-in-Makerfield to the north, Golborne to the east and Newton-le-Willows ...
a month later. At the end of August, Bollin Eric started favourite for a maiden race and
Beverley
Beverley is a market town and civil parish in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It is located north-west of Hull city centre. At the 2021 census the built-up area of the town had a population of 30,930, and the smaller civil parish had ...
and recorded his first victory by taking the lead in the straight and drawing clear to win by four
lengths. At the Doncaster St Leger meeting in September, Bollin Eric carried a weight of 129
pounds in a Nursery
Handicap and won the one mile event by three quarters of a length. Although Bollin Eric had not raced in top class competition he was reportedly "highly thought of"
by Tim Easterby.
2002: three-year-old season
On his first start as a three-year-old, Bollin Eric was moved up in class for the Listed
Feilden Stakes
The Feilden Stakes is a Listed flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old horses. It is run over a distance of 1 mile and 1 furlong (1,811 metres) on the Rowley Mile a ...
at
Newmarket and finished third of the ten runners. Despite his defeat he was then promoted in class again to contest the Group Two
Dante Stakes
The Dante Stakes is a Group 2 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old horses. It is run over a distance of 1 mile, 2 furlongs and 56 yards () ...
at
York Racecourse
York Racecourse is a horse racing venue in York, North Yorkshire, England.
It is the third biggest racecourse in Britain in terms of total prize money offered, and second behind Ascot Racecourse, Ascot in prize money offered per meeting. It att ...
, an important trial race for the Epsom Derby. He started at odds of
15/2 and finished second to the future
Dubai World Cup
The Dubai World Cup (Arabic: كأس دبي العالمي) is a Thoroughbred horse race held annually since 1996 and contested at the Meydan Racecourse in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The race is operate ...
winner
Moon Ballad
{{Infobox racehorse
, horsename = Moon Ballad
, image =
, caption =
, sire = Singspiel (horse), Singspiel
, grandsire = In the Wings (horse), In The Wings
, dam = Velvet Moon
, damsire = Shaadi (horse), Shaadi
, sex = Stallion (horse), ...
.
Bollin Eric bypassed the Derby and made his next appearance in the King Edward VII Stakes in which he finished second to Balakheri. He was then dropped back in class and started 8/15 for a Listed race at Haydock Park, but struggled to obtain a clear run and was hampered in the closing stages before finishing third to Jelani. He then finished third to
Bandari in the Great Voltigeur Stakes in which the first five runners finished within a length and a half of each other.
Despite failing to win in his five previous starts, Bollin Eric's consistent performances
in high-quality races, saw him being regarded as a serious contender for the St Leger at Doncaster and he started joint third favourite at odds of 7/1. Ridden by
Kevin Darley
Kevin Darley (born 5 August 1960, in Penn, Wolverhampton) is a retired jockey, and a co-president of the Jockeys' Association of Great Britain. He was British flat racing Champion Apprentice in 1978 with 70 wins and Champion Jockey in 2000 wi ...
, Bollin Eric was restrained towards the back of the field before being switched to the outside to challenge in the straight. He took the lead two furlongs from the finish and "kept on well" to win by one and a quarter lengths and two lengths from Highest and Bandari in what the
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...
described as a "superb finish". The win provided a first
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 ...
winner for his owner, trainer and jockey. Darley later recalled that he had personally requested the ride on Bollin Eric and described the race by saying that "once I switched him out and let him use himself it was all over".
The win was warmly received by the Doncaster crowd who celebrated the first Yorkshire-trained winner of the race since
Peleid
Peleid (foaled 1970) was a British Thoroughbred racehorse and sire best known for winning the classic St Leger Stakes in 1973. After showing little promise in his early career he ran well in several important handicap races in 1973 before steppi ...
in 1973.
At the end of the season, Bollin Eric was rated the best three-year-old in the world in the Extended distance division by the International Classification Committee.
2003: four-year-old season
At four, Bollin Eric finished fourth to
Warrsan
{{Infobox racehorse
, horsename = Warrsan
, image_name =
, caption = Racing silks of Saeed Manana
, sire = Caerleon
, grandsire = Nijinsky
, dam = Lucayan Princess
, damsire = High Line
, sex = Stallion
, foaled = 1998
, country = Ir ...
in the
John Porter Stakes
The John Porter Stakes is a Group 3 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged four years or older. It is run over a distance of 1 mile, 4 furlongs ( ...
at
Newbury and second when favourite for the Yorkshire Cup. He was beaten a neck in the Hardwicke Stakes at Royal Ascot and then finished fourth to
Millenary
Millenary is a retired British Thoroughbred racehorse and active sire. He won the St. Leger Stakes in 2000, and, unusually for a Classic winner, stayed in training until the age of eight, winning many important races over middle and long dist ...
in the
Princess of Wales's Stakes
The Princess of Wales's Stakes is a Group races, Group 2 Flat racing, flat Horse racing, horse race in Great Britain open to Thoroughbred horses aged three years or older. It is run on the July Cour ...
at Newmarket. After this race, Bollin Eric was purchased privately by
Saeed Suhail. In July, Bollin Eric contested Britain's most prestigious all-aged race, the
at Ascot in which he finished fourth of the twelve runners to
Alamshar
Alamshar (foaled 18 April 2000) is a retired Irish Thoroughbred racehorse and active sire. He won five of his nine races in a career which lasted from September 2002 to September 2003. He is best known for his performances as a three-year-old wh ...
.
After five successive defeats, Bollin Eric was stepped up in distance for the two mile Lonsdale Stakes at York in which he was matched against specialist stayers including
Persian Punch
Persian Punch (1993–2004) was a Thoroughbred racehorse trained in the United Kingdom. He was frequently heralded by the Racing Post and his fans as the most popular horse in training during the final years of his career and had his own fan c ...
and Jardine's Lookout. He recorded his first win for eleven months as he took the lead a furlong from the finish and won by two lengths from Cover Up. After the race a delighted Easterby revealed that he had been "dying to run" the colt over the distance.
Darley also paid tribute to the horse's consistency and said that he had been in a "different class" from the opposition. In September, Bollin Eric raced outside the United Kingdom for the first time as he was sent to 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 ...
for the
Irish St. Leger. He started favourite at odds of 15/8 and finished fourth to
Vinnie Roe
Vinnie Roe is a retired Ireland, Irish Thoroughbred racehorse and active sire (horse), sire. He won the Irish St. Leger for four years in succession (2001–2004) and was named Cartier Champion Stayer, European Champion Stayer in the Cartier Ra ...
, who was recording his third consecutive win in the race. On his final start, Bollin Eric started a 33/1 outsider for 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 ...
and finished eighth to
Dalakhani
Dalakhani (16 February 2000 – 15 January 2021) was an Irish thoroughbred race horse owned and bred by Aga Khan IV and trained by Alain de Royer-Dupré. therefore half-brother to Daylami.
Racing career
Dalakhani won four Group One races: Crité ...
. It was the only time in his career that he finished worse than fourth.
Stud career
Bollin Eric began his breeding career at the British
National Stud
The National Stud is a Thoroughbred stud farm in Newmarket which is owned by the Jockey Club. As well as commercial breeding services, it undertakes education and training activities and allows the public to visit the working stud on organised ...
and was later based at the Wood Farm Stud in
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 ...
. In 2012 he was moved to stand at the Colmer Stud in
Dorset
Dorset ( ; Archaism, archaically: Dorsetshire , ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by Somerset to the north-west, Wiltshire to the north and the north-east, Hampshire to the east, t ...
and was marketed primarily as a
National Hunt
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, Great Britain and Ireland. Jump Racing requires horses to jump over fences and ditches.
In ...
stallion. He died in January 2020 at the age of 21.
Pedigree
References
{{St Leger Winners
Racehorses bred in the United Kingdom
Racehorses trained in the United Kingdom
1999 racehorse births
Thoroughbred family 4-d
St Leger winners
2020 racehorse deaths