Busted (horse)
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Busted (16 March 1963–11 March 1988) 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 ...
. He was trained at first in Ireland but was moved to England, where his form improved enormously. In 1967, he was undefeated in four races, winning 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 ...
and the King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Stakes and being voted horse of the year. After his racing career was ended by injury, he was retired to stud, where he proved to be a highly successful sire of winners.


Background

Busted was a "big, handsome" bay horse bred by his owner, Stanhope Joel's Snailwell Stud. He was sired by the 1957
Epsom Derby The Derby Stakes, more commonly known as the Derby and sometimes referred to as the Epsom Derby, is a Group races, Group 1 flat Horse racing, horse race in England open to three-year-old Colt (horse), colts and Filly, fillies. It is run at Ep ...
winner Crepello out of the mare Sans le Sou. Joel bought Sans le Sou for 750
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 ...
after an undistinguished racing career which was hampered by a tendency to break blood-vessels. Joel sent the colt to be trained in Ireland by R.N. "Brud" Fetherstonhaugh.


Racing career


1965: two-year-old season

Busted was an immature two-year-old and showed little ability. He finished unplaced in both his races.


1966: three-year-old season

As a three-year-old, Busted showed some improvement, but appeared to be well below top class. He won the Gallinule Stakes 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 ...
by a head from Pieces of Eight who was carrying ten pounds more than the winner (Pieces of Eight did go on to win that year's
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 ...
). When tried at the highest level he finished unplaced behind the English-trained
Sodium Sodium is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol Na (from Neo-Latin ) and atomic number 11. It is a soft, silvery-white, highly reactive metal. Sodium is an alkali metal, being in group 1 element, group 1 of the peri ...
in the
Irish Derby The Irish Derby ( Irish: Dearbaí na hÉireann) is a Group 1 flat horse race in Ireland open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run at the Curragh over a dista ...
. Busted finished second to White Gloves in the Desmond Stakes and then ran unplaced in the Irish Cambridgeshire Handicap. At the end of the year it seemed likely that Busted would be gelded and prepared for a career 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 ...
horse. Stanhope Joel's cousin, Jim Joel however, needed a lead horse for his
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 ...
contender Royal Palace, and Busted was selected for the role. He was sent to England where he joined the stable of
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 ...
. Murless told the story that he saw Busted's effort in the Irish Derby and considered him suitable to be Royal Palace's lead horse. However he felt the situation could be difficult if he bought the colt for Jim Joel and then improved him. At the end of the season Murless asked Stanhope Joel what he was doing with Busted. When Stanhope replied that he was having the horse gelded, Murless said "Christ, you'd better not do that".


1967: four-year-old season

In England, Busted showed remarkable improvement, and soon demonstrated that he was far too good for his intended role of exercise companion. He instead came to be aimed at the major middle-distance events in which he was to be ridden by the Australian jockey George Moore. He did lead Royal Palace in his work up to his first start for Murless. At
Sandown Sandown is a seaside resort and civil parishes in England, civil parish on the south-east coast of the Isle of Wight, England. The neighbouring resort of Shanklin and the settlement of Lake, Isle of Wight, Lake are sited just to the south of t ...
in April he won the Coronation Stakes over ten
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. He returned from this race with a slight injury which curtailed his lead work and it was decided to aim him at the King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Stakes. Because of this injury Busted did not return to the track until July when he went back to Sandown for 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 ...
over the same course and distance: to "tune him up" according to his trainer for his Ascot target. Stable jockey Moore rode Murless's, much more fancied Fleet, who had won the One Thousand Guineas and Busted was ridden by Bill Rickaby. Busted, who started at 8/1, produced a strong finish to take the lead fifty yards from the finish and won easily by two lengths from Great Nephew. A week later he was aimed at Britain's most prestigious
weight-for-age {{use dmy dates, date=October 2022 Weight for Age (WFA) is a term in thoroughbred horse racing which is one of the conditions for a race. History The principle of WFA was developed by Admiral Rous, a handicapper with the English Jockey Club. Rou ...
race, the King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Ascot on 15 July. Starting at odds of 4/1 he was restrained in last place in the early stages before being produced by Moore in the straight. He passed the entire field and pulled away to win very comfortably by three lengths from Salvo and
Ribocco Ribocco (foaled 1964 in Kentucky) was an American-bred British-trained Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. He is best known for his performances in 1967 when he won two of the most important European races for three-year-olds; the Irish Derby and ...
. Busted was then trained 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 ...
. In September he won the Prix Foy over the Arc course and distance. Shortly afterwards he sustained an injury to the tendons in his leg during exercise which forced his retirement.


Honours and assessment

In an official poll organised by the Racecourse Association, Busted received 18 of the 40 votes to be elected 1967 British Horse of the Year ahead of his stable companion Royal Palace. He was given a Timeform rating of 134 in 1967, the second highest of the year behind the two-year-old Petingo (135). In their book ''A Century of Champions'', John Randall and Tony Morris rated Busted at #80 in their global list of the 20th Century's best horses. Randall has also described Busted as "arguably a great champion, the best Flat horse trained in Britain in the 1960s".


Stud career

Busted began his stud career at his owner's Snailwell Stud at a fee of £1,500. He was a successful stallion, with the best of his progeny being the middle distance champions Bustino and
Mtoto Mtoto (1 April 1983 – 24 May 2011) was a British Thoroughbred racehorse. In a career which lasted from 1985 until 1988, he ran ten times and won seven races. He showed some promise as three-year-old in 1986, but emerged as a top-class horse in ...
. He was represented in the United States by the multiple Grade I winner Erins Isle. Busted died at the age of twenty-five after suffering a heart attack on 11 March 1988 at the Snailwell Stud.


Pedigree


References

{{King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes Winners 1963 racehorse births 1988 racehorse deaths Racehorses bred in the United Kingdom Racehorses trained in the United Kingdom Thoroughbred family 2-s Chefs-de-Race King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes winners