Caucasus (14 May 1972 – after 1991) was an American-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

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 ...

who won major races on both sides of the Atlantic. As a young horse he was sent to race in Ireland where he won four of his five races as a three-year-old in 1975 including the Ulster Derby and Irish St. Leger. He then returned to America where he had considerable success in the next two years, winning five races including the

Sunset Handicap The Sunset Handicap was an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually during the third week of July at Hollywood Park Racetrack in inglewood, California. The Grade III event is open to horses, age three and up, willing to race one and one-half ...

Manhattan Handicap The Manhattan Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race raced annually at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. It is named for Manhattan, the principal borough of the City of New York. Currently offering a purse of $1,000,000, the Grade I Manhatt ...

, Arcadia Handicap and

San Luis Rey Handicap The San Luis Rey Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California. Held during the third week of March, the Grade III event is open to horses of either gender, age four and up, willing to race ...

. He had some success as a breeding stallion.

Background

Caucasus was a bay horse with a white

star A star is a luminous spheroid of plasma (physics), plasma held together by Self-gravitation, self-gravity. The List of nearest stars and brown dwarfs, nearest star to Earth is the Sun. Many other stars are visible to the naked eye at night sk ...

and 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 his right hind leg bred in Kentucky by his owner Jane Engelhard's Cragwood Estates. He was sent to race in Europe and entered training with

Vincent O'Brien Michael Vincent O'Brien (9 April 1917 – 1 June 2009) was an Irish race horse trainer from Churchtown, County Cork, Ireland. In 2003 he was voted the greatest influence in horse racing history in a worldwide poll hosted by the ''Racing Pos ...

Ballydoyle Ballydoyle is a racehorse training facility located in County Tipperary in Ireland. It is a sister thoroughbred facility to Coolmore Stud, and both are owned by John Magnier, son in law to the racehorse trainer Vincent O'Brien. The current trai ...

. He was from the first crop of foals sired by Nijinsky, a Canadian horse who won the Triple Crown in 1970. During his racing career Nijinsky had been trained by O'Brien and owned by Jane Engelhard's husband

Charles Charles is a masculine given name predominantly found in English language, English and French language, French speaking countries. It is from the French form ''Charles'' of the Proto-Germanic, Proto-Germanic name (in runic alphabet) or ''* ...

(1917–1971). Caucasus's dam Quill was a top-class racehorse who was named

American Champion two-year-old filly The American Champion Two-Year-Old Filly is an American Thoroughbred horse racing honor awarded annually to a female horse in Thoroughbred flat racing Horse racing is an equestrianism, equestrian performance activity, typically involving ...

in 1958 before going on to win the

Acorn Stakes The Acorn Stakes is an American Grade I race at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York for three-year-old Thoroughbred fillies. It is raced on dirt over a distance of one mile and a sixteenth with a current purse of $500,000. It is the first leg of the ...

and

Mother Goose Stakes The Mother Goose Stakes is an American thoroughbred horse race for three-year-old fillies held at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. Raced on dirt in late October, the race currently offers a purse of $250,000. Inaugurated in 1957 at a mile and a s ...

in the following year. As a broodmare, her other descendants have included

Run the Gantlet Run the Gantlet (1968–1986) was an American Champion Thoroughbred racehorse and noted sire. Background He was out of the mare First Feather, whom owner Paul Mellon had purchased as a yearling at a then record price of $90,000 for a filly. ...

and

Awesome Feather Awesome Feather (March 15, 20082 March 2023) was an American Champion Thoroughbred racehorse who won the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies. She was bred and raced by Fred and Jane Brei's Jacks Or Better Farm Inc. and trained by Stanley Gold. Her jo ...

Racing career

1975: three-year-old season

Caucasus made a successful racecourse debut 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 ...

over ten

furlongs 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 feet, 220 yards, 40 rods, 10 chains, or approximately 201 metres. It is no ...

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 ...

and followed up in a handicap over one and a half miles 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 ...

. In June he was sent to Northern Ireland for the Ulster Derby at Down Royal and won his third consecutive start. In August he was sent to England for the March Stakes (a trial for the

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 ...

) over fourteen furlongs at

Goodwood Racecourse Goodwood Racecourse is a horse-racing track five miles north of Chichester, West Sussex, in England controlled by the family of the Duke of Richmond, whose seat is nearby Goodwood House. It hosts the annual Glorious Goodwood meeting in l ...

. He started odds-on favourite but after being retrained towards the rear of the field he failed to overhaul Whip It Quick and finished second, beaten half a

length Length is a measure of distance. In the International System of Quantities, length is a quantity with Dimension (physical quantity), dimension distance. In most systems of measurement a Base unit (measurement), base unit for length is chosen, ...

by the winner. On 20 September Caucasus equipped with blinkers when he was moved up in class for the

Group 1 Group 1 may refer to: * Alkali metal, a chemical element classification for Alkali metal * Group 1 (motorsport), a regulation set of the FIA for series-production touring cars used in motorsport. * Group One Thoroughbred horse races, the leading e ...

Irish St. Leger over fourteen furlongs at the Curragh. Ridden by

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 ...

he started the 3/1 second favourite behind Nuthatch (winner of the Nijinsky Stakes) while the other eleven runners included Shantallah ( Chester Vase), Music Ville (fourth 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 ...

), Sir Daniel and Quiet Fling. Caucasus took the lead soon after the start and maintained his advantage into the straight where Quiet Fling emerged as his only serious challenger. Quiet Fling went to the front approaching the final furlong but Caucasus rallied to regain the lead and drew away in the closing stages to win by two lengths. At the end of the season the independent

Timeform Timeform is a sports data and content provider located in Halifax, West Yorkshire, England. Founded in 1948, it provides systematic information on form to punters and others involved in the horse racing industry. The company was purchased by th ...

organisation gave Caucasus a rating of 127, making him ten pounds inferior to their Horse of the Year Grundy.

1976: four-year-old season

Before the start of the 1976 season Caucasus was sold and returned to the United States to be trained by

Charles E. Whittingham Charles Edward Whittingham (April 13, 1913 – April 20, 1999) was an American Thoroughbred race horse trainer who is one of the most acclaimed trainers in U.S. racing history. Early career Born in Chula Vista, California, Whittingham began wor ...

. He was mainly campaigned in California, with six of his eight races taking place at

Hollywood Park Racetrack Hollywood Park was a thoroughbred horse racing, race course located in Inglewood, California, about 3 miles (5 km) from Los Angeles International Airport and adjacent to The Forum (Inglewood, California), the Forum indoor arena. In 1994, t ...

. In May he was beaten in two

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 but then won the South Bay Handicap and finished second to

Dahlia ''Dahlia'' ( , ) is a genus of bushy, tuberous, herbaceous perennial plants native to Mexico and Central America. Dahlias are members of the Asteraceae (synonym name: Compositae) family of dicotyledonous plants, its relatives include the sun ...

in the

Grade I In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, H ...

Hollywood Invitational Handicap. He returned to the track in July to finish third to King Pellinore the Grade I

American Handicap The American Stakes is a Grade III American thoroughbred horse race for horses age four and older over a distance of one mile on the turf track held at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California in April. The race currently offers a purse of $100, ...

and then won the Grade I

, reversing the form with King Pellinore. After a two-month break he was shipped to the East coast for two races 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 ...

. He won the Grade II

but then ran unplaced in the

Man o' War Stakes The Man o' War Stakes is a Graded stakes race, Grade II American thoroughbred horse race for horses aged four-years-old and older. It is run over a distance of one and three-eighth miles on grass, turf and is scheduled annually for early May at Be ...

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' described Caucasus as "Hollywood Park's best grass horse in 1976".

1977: five-year-old season

Caucasus showed his best form of 1977 at

Santa Anita Park Santa Anita Park is a Thoroughbred racetrack in Arcadia, California, United States. It offers some of the prominent horse racing events in the United States during early fall, winter and in spring. The track is home to numerous prestigious race ...

in March when he followed up a win in the Grade III Arcadia Handicap with a victory in the Grade I

eleven days later. He failed to win again that year but posted some solid efforts in defeat, finishing second in the Hollywood Invitational and third in both the San Juan Capistrano Handicap and the

Hollywood Gold Cup The Hollywood Gold Cup Stakes is a Grade II American thoroughbred horse race for horses age three and older over a distance of miles on the dirt held at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California in May. The race currently offers a purse of $200,000 ...

Stud record

At the end of his racing career Caucasus was retired to become a breeding stallion at

Windfields Farm Windfields Farm was a six square kilometre (1,500 acre) Thoroughbred Stud farm, horse breeding farm that was founded by businessman E. P. Taylor in Oshawa, Ontario, Canada. Origin The first stable and breeding operation of E. P. Taylor o ...

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It borders the states of Virginia to its south, West Virginia to its west, Pennsylvania to its north, and Delaware to its east ...

. The best of his offspring were probably the fillies Videogenic winner of the 1986 Santa Ana Handicap and Lake Country who was named

Canadian Champion Older Female Horse The Canadian Champion Older Female Horse is a Canadian Thoroughbred horse racing honour created in 1975 by the Jockey Club of Canada. It is part of the Sovereign Awards program and is awarded annually to the top Thoroughbred Filly four years of ag ...

in 1985.

Pedigree

References

{{Reflist 1972 racehorse births Racehorses bred in Kentucky Racehorses trained in Ireland Racehorses trained in the United States Thoroughbred family 5-g Irish Classic Race winners