Grandera
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Grandera (foaled 21 April 1998) is a retired
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 active
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 was bred in Ireland and trained in the United Kingdom and
Dubai Dubai (Help:IPA/English, /duːˈbaɪ/ Help:Pronunciation respelling key, ''doo-BYE''; Modern Standard Arabic, Modern Standard Arabic: ; Emirati Arabic, Emirati Arabic: , Romanization of Arabic, romanized: Help:IPA/English, /diˈbej/) is the Lis ...
during a racing career which lasted from 2000 to 2003. He is best known for his 2002 campaign, in which he won the World Series Racing Championship and the
Cartier Racing Award The Cartier Racing Awards are awards in European horse racing, founded in 1991, and sponsored by Cartier. The award winners are decided by points earned in group races (40%) plus the votes cast by British racing journalists (30%) and readers of th ...
for European Champion Older Horse.


Background

Grandera, described by the ''New Zealand Herald'' as "a stunning individual", is a bright chestnut horse with a white blaze and white socks on his three of his feet. He was bred in
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 ...
, Ireland by Stan Cosgrove, the manager of the Moyglare Stud. Grandera was sired by
Grand Lodge A Grand Lodge, also called Grand Orient, Obedience, or by another similar title, is a name for the overarching governing body of a fraternal or other similarly organized group in a given area, usually a city, state, or country. In Freemasonry A ...
and was the second foal of the
Alysheba Alysheba (March 3, 1984 – March 27, 2009) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse that won two legs of the Triple Crown in 1987. A successful sire, he produced 11 stakes winners. A bay colt, Alysheba was sired by Alydar out of the mare Bel S ...
mare Bordighera, making him a half-brother to
George Washington George Washington (, 1799) was a Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father and the first president of the United States, serving from 1789 to 1797. As commander of the Continental Army, Washington led Patriot (American Revoluti ...
. Grand Lodge, a winner of the
Dewhurst Stakes The Dewhurst Stakes is a Group races, Group 1 Flat racing, flat Horse racing, horse race in Great Britain open to two-year-old Colt (horse), colts and Filly, fillies. It is run on the Rowley Mi ...
and
St James's Palace Stakes The St James's Palace Stakes is a Group races, Group 1 Flat racing, flat Horse racing, horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old Colt (horse), colts. It is run at Ascot Racecourse, Ascot ...
, sired the winners of almost seven hundred races before his death in 2003, including 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 ...
and Arc winner Sinndar. Sold as a yearling to Roger Shelton for Ir£30,000, Grandera was sent into training with
James Fanshawe James Fanshawe is a British racehorse trainer. Based at Pegasus Stables in Newmarket, he has saddled 26 Group 1 winners. Although training horses mainly on the flat, he holds a dual licence and trained two winners of the Champion Hurdle. Back ...
, but transferred to
Saeed bin Suroor Saeed bin Suroor (; born 16 November 1968 in Dubai) is a horse racing horse trainer, trainer in Great Britain. Formerly a policeman, he took out his training licence in 1995 and the following year was appointed as the trainer for Mohammed bin Ra ...
at the end of his three-year-old season, having been purchased by Godolphin. Apart from his racing ability, Grandera was known for his difficult temperament, being described by Godolphin's racing manager Simon Crisford as "a thoroughly unpleasant beast" and "a bit nasty", whilst
Frankie Dettori Lanfranco "Frankie" Dettori (; born 15 December 1970), is an Italian jockey who was based in England for a career spanning over 35 years. He was British flat racing Champion Jockey three times (1994, 1995 and 2004) and rode the winners of 287 ...
is reported to have referred to him as "a lunatic" and "a nightmare".


Racing career


2000: two-year-old season

Grandera began his career with a fifth place in a maiden race at Doncaster in July 2000, before claiming his first win in a similar event at Warwick. He was then moved up to Group company, finishing second in the Somerville Tattersall Stakes, with future Group One winners
Imperial Dancer Imperial is that which relates to an empire, emperor/empress, or imperialism. Imperial or The Imperial may also refer to: Places United States * Imperial, California * Imperial, Missouri * Imperial, Nebraska * Imperial, Pennsylvania * Im ...
and
Storming Home Storming Home is a retired, British-bred Thoroughbred racehorse and active sire (horse), sire who was trained in the United Kingdom and the United States during a racing career which ran from 2000 to 2003. He won five Conditions races, important ...
amongst the beaten horses. On his final start of the year he finished seventh behind Dilshaan in the Group One
Racing Post Trophy The Futurity Trophy is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to two-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run at Doncaster over a distance of 1 mile (1,609 metres), and ...
. Commenting on the colt's first season, James Fanshawe later said, "He was rather weak as a two-year-old and anything he did then... was going to be a bonus".


2001: three-year-old season

Grandera proved himself to be a colt of the highest class in 2001 with a series of placed efforts. He began with a second place in the
Dee Stakes The Dee Stakes is a Listed flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old colts and geldings. It is run over a distance of 1 mile, 2 furlongs and 70 yards () at Chester ...
at Chester, before running third, beaten less than 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, ...
, in the
Prix du Jockey-Club The Prix du Jockey Club, sometimes referred to as the French Derby, is a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run at Chantilly ov ...
. In 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 ...
at Sandown he took the lead in the closing stages but was caught four strides from the line and beaten half a length by Medicean. Grandera reversed the form with Medicean in the
International Stakes The International Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged three years or older. It is run at York over a distance of 1 mile, 2 furlongs and 56 yards ...
but had no chance against the seven-length winner
Sakhee Sakhee (14 February 1997 – 20 August 2021) was an American-bred, British-trained Thoroughbred racehorse. He won eight of his fourteen races and was most noted for his performances as a four-year-old in 2001 when his wins included the Internat ...
. He recorded his first win in over a year in September, beating Mubtaker in the Arc Trial, despite failing to run straight in the closing stages and carrying his head awkwardly. After the race Fanshawe announced that the Grandera would be aimed at 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 ...
, but the colt was bought shortly afterwards by Godolphin and did not run again that year.


2002: four-year-old season

Grandera sent to winter in Dubai, before embarking on a four-year-old campaign which took him to six different countries. He began with a second place in the
Dubai City of Gold The Dubai City of Gold is a Thoroughbred horse race run annually since 1998 at Nad Al Sheba Racecourse in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Given the nickname for the city of Dubai, the Group 2 race is open to Northern and Southern Hemisphere bred hor ...
at
Nad Al Sheba Nad Al Sheba () is a locality in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE). Situated south of the Dubai Creek, Nad Al Sheba is best known for its racecourse, the Nad Al Sheba Racecourse, which hosted the Dubai World Cup annually until 2009. Organisati ...
, before moving to Hong Kong where he finished fifth in the
Queen Elizabeth II Cup The Queen Elizabeth II Cup is a Group One Thoroughbred horse race at Sha Tin Racecourse in the New Territories, Hong Kong. Established in 1975 by the Royal Hong Kong Jockey Club, it is run annually in April over a distance of 2,000 metres (te ...
at
Sha Tin Racecourse Sha Tin Racecourse is one of the two racecourses for horse racing in Hong Kong. It is located in Sha Tin District, Sha Tin in the New Territories. It is managed by Hong Kong Jockey Club. Penfold Park is encircled by the track, and the Ho ...
behind Eishin Preston. His next appearance was at
Kranji Racecourse The Singapore Racecourse/ Singapore Turf Club is a venue for thoroughbred horse racing Horse racing is an equestrian performance activity, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over ...
in Singapore, where he scored a decisive victory in the Singapore Airlines International Cup, taking the lead inside the final
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 ...
and pulling away to beat the German colt Paolini by two lengths with the Hong Kong champion
Indigenous Indigenous may refer to: *Indigenous peoples *Indigenous (ecology) In biogeography, a native species is indigenous to a given region or ecosystem if its presence in that region is the result of only local natural evolution (though often populari ...
in third. On returning to the British Isles, Grandera produced what was arguably his finest performance in the
Prince of Wales's Stakes The Prince of Wales's Stakes is a Group 1 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 1 furlong and 212 yards (2,004 me ...
at Royal Ascot. Despite behaving aggressively towards the other horses in the parade ring and racing with his head at a high, odd angle ("as if consulting an airport timetable"), he produced a strong run in the straight to pull five lengths clear of a field which included Banks Hill and Nayef. As a result of this win, he was sent off 13-8 favourite for the
King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes The King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged three years or older. It is run at Ascot ...
a month later, but could finish only fifth behind
Golan Golan (; ) is the name of a biblical town later known from the works of Josephus (first century CE) and Eusebius (''Onomasticon'', early 4th century CE). Archaeologists localize the biblical city of Golan at Sahm el-Jaulān, a Syrian village eas ...
. He came back to his best in the
Irish Champion Stakes The Irish Champion Stakes ( Irish: Curadh-Dhuais na hÉireann) is a Group 1 flat horse race in Ireland open to horses aged three years or older. It is run at Leopardstown over a distance of 1 mile and 2 furlongs (2 ...
at Leopardstown, producing a strong finishing burst to catch the future
World Champion A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game ...
Hawk Wing Hawk Wing (foaled 1999 in Kentucky) is an American-bred, Irish-trained Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. Owned by the Magnier family and trained by Aidan O'Brien, the horse won three Group One races and was the leading horse in the world in 2003. ...
in the last strides and take a short-head victory. His rider, Frankie Dettori called Grandera "a very peculiar character but... enormously talented" after the race. Seven weeks later, Grandera arrived to contest the
Cox Plate The W. S. Cox Plate is a Group races, Group 1 Thoroughbred horse race for horses aged three years old and over under Weight for age conditions, over a distance of 2040 metres (approximately 1m 2f), that is held by the Moonee Valley Racin ...
at Melbourne's
Moonee Valley Racecourse Moonee Valley Racecourse, currently marketed as The Valley, is a horse-racing track in Moonee Ponds, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. History Moonee Valley Racecourse was established in 1883 by William Samuel (W.S.) Cox, who purchased a far ...
, where special arrangements, including a double-sized stall, were made to accommodate his difficult temperament. Five lengths behind at the start of the short straight, Grandera finished strongly to finish third behind
Northerly Northerly (17 October 1996 – 9 May 2012) was an Australian racehorse who is considered arguably Australia's best middle distance Thoroughbred horse of the early 2000s. Northerly, trained by Western Australian harness racing legend Fred Kersle ...
, ahead of
Sunline Sunline (29 September 1995 – 1 May 2009) was a champion New Zealand-bred Thoroughbred horse racing, racehorse who was the world's highest earning race mare of her time. She won 32 of her 48 races with earnings of NZ$14,200,000. She was named t ...
,
Fields of Omagh Fields of Omagh (22 September 1997 – 8 June 2023), also known as FOO, was an Australian champion middle distance Thoroughbred racehorse of the early-mid-2000s. He was a half-brother to the stakeswinners, King Brian (Bunbury Cup, Pinjarra Cup), ...
and
Lonhro Lonhro (10 December 1998 – 19 April 2024), nicknamed The Black Flash, was an Australian champion racehorse. He was from the first crop of the champion Octagonal (horse), Octagonal out of the Group One-placed Shadea (by Straight Strike), who al ...
. On his final start of the year he finished seventh as odds-on favourite for the
Hong Kong Cup The Hong Kong Cup is a Conditions races, Group 1 Flat racing, flat Horse racing, horse race in Hong Kong which is open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run over a distance of 2000 metres (about miles or 10 furlongs) at Sha Tin Ra ...
, but his performances had been enough to win the World Series Racing Championship.


2003: five-year-old season

Grandera stayed in training as a five-year-old, but was less successful. After winning a prep race at Nad Al Sheba, he was fancied for the
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 ...
, but was rejected by
Frankie Dettori Lanfranco "Frankie" Dettori (; born 15 December 1970), is an Italian jockey who was based in England for a career spanning over 35 years. He was British flat racing Champion Jockey three times (1994, 1995 and 2004) and rode the winners of 287 ...
in favour of
Sulamani Sulamani (April 9, 1999 – February 18, 2017) was an Irish-bred thoroughbred race horse who competed and won in Dubai, Europe and North America. A great-grandson of English Triple Crown champion, Nijinsky, he made his racing debut in April 2 ...
. Familiar doubts about Grandera's temperament resurfaced- one correspondent referred to him as being "nutty as a fruitcake"- as he finished a well-beaten fourth to
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), ...
. A return to Europe brought no improvement as he finished down the field in the Prince of Wales's Stakes and Eclipse Stakes. In the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes, his starting price of 33-1 and the fact that Dettori again chose to ride
Sulamani Sulamani (April 9, 1999 – February 18, 2017) was an Irish-bred thoroughbred race horse who competed and won in Dubai, Europe and North America. A great-grandson of English Triple Crown champion, Nijinsky, he made his racing debut in April 2 ...
both reflected his decline. He was fitted with cheek-pieces, which are normally used to improve a horse's concentration, but seemed "reluctant" to race and finished eleventh of the twelve runners. He was then retired to stud.


Assessment

Grandera was named as the Champion Older Horse in the 2002
Cartier Racing Awards The Cartier Racing Awards are awards in European horse racing, founded in 1991, and sponsored by Cartier. The award winners are decided by points earned in group races (40%) plus the votes cast by British racing journalists (30%) and readers of th ...
. In the 2001 International Classification he was rated 119 making him the thirteenth-best three-year-old colt in Europe, ten pounds below the champion
Galileo Galileo di Vincenzo Bonaiuti de' Galilei (15 February 1564 – 8 January 1642), commonly referred to as Galileo Galilei ( , , ) or mononymously as Galileo, was an Italian astronomer, physicist and engineer, sometimes described as a poly ...
. In the 2002 International Classification he was rated as 126, placing him third behind
Rock of Gibraltar The Rock of Gibraltar (from the Arabic name Jabal Ṭāriq , meaning "Mountain of Tariq ibn Ziyad, Tariq") is a monolithic limestone mountain high dominating the western entrance to the Mediterranean Sea. It is situated near the end of a nar ...
and Marienbard. These ratings covered horses raced in Europe, North America and Japan. Grandera was rated 129 by
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 ...
.


Stud career

Grandera was sent to stud at the Yushun Stallion Station 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 ...
, Japan in 2003, and was also "shuttled" to stand at the
Hunter Valley The Hunter Region, also commonly known as the Hunter Valley, Newcastle Region, or simply Hunter, spans the region in northern New South Wales, Australia, extending from approximately to north of Sydney. It contains the Hunter River and its ...
Stud for Darley Australia. In 2010, he was returned to Ireland to stand at the Woodlands Stud,
County Galway County Galway ( ; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Northern and Western Region, taking up the south of the Provinces of Ireland, province of Connacht. The county population was 276,451 at the 20 ...
.


Pedigree


References

{{Cartier Champion Older Horse 1998 racehorse births Cartier Award winners Thoroughbred family 5-g Racehorses trained in the United Kingdom Racehorses bred in Ireland