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Encke (24 February 2009 – 14 October 2014) was an American-bred, British-trained
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, 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 ...
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 ...
at
Doncaster Racecourse Doncaster Racecourse (also known as the Town Moor course) is a racecourse in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England. It hosts two of Great Britain's List of British flat horse races#Group 1, 36 annual Group One, Group 1 flat races, the St Leger ...
on 15 September 2012 when he defeated the Triple Crown bid of
Camelot Camelot is a legendary castle and Royal court, court associated with King Arthur. Absent in the early Arthurian material, Camelot first appeared in 12th-century French romances and, since the Lancelot-Grail cycle, eventually came to be described ...
. In spring of 2013 Encke was banned from racing after failing a drug test. He returned to racing in 2014 and was placed in three races including the Irish St. Leger. He sustained a fatal injury in training in October 2014.


Background

Encke, named after Encke's Comet, was a bay horse with a narrow white stripe bred in
Kentucky Kentucky (, ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north, West Virginia to the ...
by the
Darley Stud Darley Stud is located at Dalham Hall, the global breeding operation owned by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum, the ruler of Dubai and vice-president of the United Arab Emirates. It is on the outskirts of Newmarket, Suffolk, the internati ...
. He was sired by
Kingmambo Kingmambo (February 19, 1990 – January 20, 2016) was an American-bred, French-trained thoroughbred horse racing, racehorse and sire (horse), sire. Background He was sired by the leading stallion, Mr. Prospector, who in turn was a son of Raise ...
, whose other progeny include the British Classic winners Russian Rhythm,
King's Best Kings Best (24 January 1997 – 16 April 2019) was an American-bred Thoroughbred racehorse best known for winning the 2000 Guineas Stakes. He was described by his trainer Michael Stoute as the best miler he'd ever trained. Background King's Best ...
,
Henrythenavigator Henrythenavigator (foaled February 28, 2005) is an American-bred and Irish-trained Thoroughbred racehorse. He won the 2000 Guineas, the Irish 2,000 Guineas, the St. James's Palace Stakes and the Sussex Stakes in 2008. After he finished second i ...
Virginia Waters and
Rule of Law The essence of the rule of law is that all people and institutions within a Body politic, political body are subject to the same laws. This concept is sometimes stated simply as "no one is above the law" or "all are equal before the law". Acco ...
as well as major winners in Japan ( El Condor Pasa), France (
Divine Proportions Divine Proportions (born 13 March 2002 in Kentucky) is a champion Thoroughbred race horse and winner of two French classics. Background Divine Proportions was bred by the Niarchos family. She was sired by the American-bred stallion Kingmamb ...
) and the United States (
Lemon Drop Kid Lemon Drop Kid (May 26, 1996 – December 13, 2024) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. Best known for winning the 1999 Belmont Stakes, he was also the champion older horse of 2000 after winning the Brooklyn, Suburban, Whitney H ...
). Encke was the second foal of his dam, Shawanda, a top class racemare who won 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 ...
and the
Prix Vermeille The Prix Vermeille is a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to thoroughbred fillies and mares aged three years or older. It is run at Longchamp over a distance of 2,400 metres (about 1½ miles) ...
for her owner the
Aga Khan Aga Khan (; ; also transliterated as ''Aqa Khan'' and ''Agha Khan'') is a title held by the Imamate in Nizari doctrine, Imām of the Nizari Isma'ilism, Nizari Isma'ilism, Ismāʿīli Shia Islam, Shias. The current holder of the title is the ...
in 2005. At the end of her racing career she was bought by Sheikh Mohammed to become a broodmare for his Darley Stud. Her first foal was Encke's full brother Genius Beast, who won the
Sandown Classic Trial The Sandown Classic Trial is a Group 3 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old horses. It is run over a distance of 1 mile, 1 furlong and 209 yard ...
in 2011. Encke raced in the colours of the Maktoum family's Godolphin Racing organisation and was trained by Mahmood Al Zarooni.


Racing career


2011: two-year-old season

Encke began his racing career at the 2011 St Leger meeting at Doncaster where he finished second by half a length to Perennial in a one-mile
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 ...
. On 1 October Encke started 8/13 favourite for a similar race at Newmarket. Ridden by Richard Hughes, he took the lead a
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 ...
from the finish and pulled clear to win easily by four and a half lengths. The colt's owners then paid a supplementary entry fee to run Encke in the Racing Post Trophy, but he was forced to miss the race through injury.


2012: three-year-old season

On his three-year-old debut, Encke carried 126 pounds in a handicap race over ten furlongs at
Sandown Park Sandown Park is a horse racing course and leisure venue in Esher, Surrey, England, located in the outer suburbs of London. It hosts 5 Grade One National Hunt races and one Group 1 flat race, the Eclipse Stakes. It regularly has horse racin ...
in July. Ridden for the first time by Mickael Barzalona he took the lead two furlongs from the finish and held on to win by half a length and a neck from Ginger Jack and Tropical Beat. Later in the month, Encke was moved up in class for the Group Three Gordon Stakes 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 ...
. The race developed into a protracted struggle between Encke and Noble Mission, who raced together throughout the final furlong before the latter won by a nose. A month later, Encke ran in the Great Voltigeur Stakes at
York York is a cathedral city in North Yorkshire, England, with Roman Britain, Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers River Ouse, Yorkshire, Ouse and River Foss, Foss. It has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a Yor ...
and finished third to Thought Worthy. According to Zarooni there were excuses for both defeats: he said that Encke had been unsuited by the course at Goodwood and the slow pace at York. At Doncaster on 15 September Encke started a 25/1 outsider in a nine-runner field for the St Leger. The Irish colt Camelot started the 2/5 favourite to become the first British Triple Crown winner since Nijinsky after winning 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 ...
and
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 ...
. Barzalona restrained Encke in the early stages before moving up to dispute the lead in the straight. As Camelot's rider Joseph O'Brien was trying to obtain space for a clear run, Barzalona sent the Encke into a clear lead approaching the final furlong and he held the challenge of Camelot to win by three quarters of a length. After the race Zarooni, who was winning his second classic following the victory of Blue Bunting in the 2011
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 ...
admitted that he had not wanted to run the colt in the race, but had been persuaded to do so by Sheikh Mohammed.


2013: four-year-old season

In May 2013 Encke was one of twenty-two of Al-Zarooni's horses to test positive for
anabolic steroids Anabolic steroids, also known as anabolic-androgenic steroids (AAS), are a class of drugs that are structurally related to testosterone, the main male sex hormone, and produce effects by binding to the androgen receptor (AR). Anabolic steroids ...
in an out of competition test conducted by the
British Horseracing Authority The British Horseracing Authority, also known as the BHA, is the regulatory authority for horse racing in Great Britain. It was formed on 31 July 2007, after the merger of the British Horseracing Board (BHB) and the Horseracing Regulatory Au ...
. The horse was banned from racing for six months. The colt had previously passed drug tests before and after the St Leger and a BHA spokesman said that "we can be certain he was not under the benefits of substances" at the time of his classic victory. Charlie Appleby took over the training of most of the Zarooni-trained horses, including Encke.


2014: five-year-old season

Encke eventually returned to the racecourse on 1 August 2014, when he started the 6/1 third favourite for the Group Three Glorious Stakes at Goodwood. Ridden by
William Buick William Buick (born 22 July 1988) is a Norwegian-born British flat jockey. He shared the champion apprentice jockey title in 2008 with David Probert and won the Lester Award for Apprentice Jockey of the Year in 2007 and 2008. From 2010 to 2 ...
, he took the lead in the straight but was overtaken and beaten one and a quarter lengths into second place by the favourite Pether's Moon. In September he was sent to Ireland for the Irish St. Leger and finished third behind Brown Panther and Leading Light. On 4 October, Encke was again matched against Pether's Moon in the Cumberland Lodge Stakes at
Ascot Racecourse Ascot Racecourse is a dual-purpose British racecourse, located in Ascot, Berkshire, England, about 25 miles west of London. Ascot is used for thoroughbred horse racing, and it hosts 13 of Britain's 36 annual Flat Group 1 races and three Grade ...
. He led for most of the way but was overtaken in the straight and beaten into third place behind Pether's Moon and the Irish-trained Parish Hall. On the morning of 14 October, Encke was engaged in a routine training gallop when he sustained a serious injury to a hind leg. Complications ensued and the horse was
euthanised Animal euthanasia (euthanasia from ; "good death") is the act of killing an animal humanely, most commonly with injectable drugs. Reasons for euthanasia include incurable (and especially painful) conditions or diseases, lack of resources to con ...
on the same day. Appleby said that "Encke was a talented racehorse and will be sorely missed as he was one of the yard's favourites".


Pedigree


References

{{St Leger Winners 2009 racehorse births 2014 racehorse deaths Racehorses bred in Kentucky Racehorses trained in the United Kingdom Thoroughbred family 22-d St Leger winners