Kameko
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Kameko (foaled 7 April 2017) is 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. As a two-year-old in 2019 he won his first race and then ran second in both the
Solario Stakes The Solario Stakes is a Group 3 flat horse race in Great Britain open to two-year-old horses. It is run at Sandown Park over a distance of 7 furlongs (1,408 metres), and it is scheduled to take pla ...
and the
Royal Lodge Stakes The Royal Lodge Stakes is a Group 2 flat horse race in Great Britain open to two-year-old colts and geldings. It is run on the Rowley Mile at Newmarket over a distance of 1 mile (1,609 metres), ...
before winning the
Vertem Futurity 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 ...
. On his first appearance as a three-year-old he won 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 ...
in record time. He went on to win the
Joel Stakes The Joel Stakes is a Group races, Group 2 Flat racing, flat Horse racing, horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged three years or older. It is run on the Rowley Mile at Newmarket Racecourse, ...
and finished fourth in both the
Sussex Stakes The Sussex Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged three years or older. It is run at Goodwood over a distance of 1 mile (1,609 metres), a ...
and 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 ...
before being retired to stud at the end of the year.


Background

Kameko is a bay or brown colt with a narrow 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. ...
bred in Kentucky by
Calumet Farm Calumet Farm is a Thoroughbred breeding and training farm established in 1924 in Lexington, Kentucky, United States by William Monroe Wright, founding owner of the Calumet Baking Powder Company. Calumet is located in the heart of the Bluegrass ...
. As a
yearling Yearling may refer to: *Yearling (horse), a horse between one and two years old *''The Yearling ''The Yearling'' is a novel by American writer Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, published in March 1938. It was the main selection of the Book of the ...
in September 2018 he was offered for sale at
Keeneland Keeneland Association, Inc. is an equine business based in Lexington, Kentucky. It includes two distinct divisions: the Keeneland Race Course, a Thoroughbred racing facility, and Keeneland Sales, a horse auction complex. It is also known for ...
and was bought for $90,000 by Sheikha Melissa Al Fahad on behalf of Sheikh Fahad Al Thani's Qatar Racing. He was sent into training with
Andrew Balding Andrew Matthews Balding (born 29 December 1972) is a British racehorse trainer based at Park House Stables, Kingsclere, Hampshire. Biography Balding attended Caldicott School, a boys' preparatory school, and Radley College, a public school. He ...
at
Kingsclere Kingsclere is a large village and civil parish in Hampshire, England. At the centre of the village lies the Church Of England parish church of St. Mary's with its distinctive tower. St. Mary's church has C12 origins. It is cruciform and has N ...
in
Hampshire Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Berkshire to the north, Surrey and West Sussex to the east, the Isle of Wight across the Solent to the south, ...
. The horse name of Kameko is taken form Japanese, meaning "child turtle". Kameko was ridden in all of his starts by
Oisin Murphy Oisin Murphy (born 6 September 1995) is an Irish jockey based in the United Kingdom who competes in flat racing. He has won two British Classics and a number of Group 1 races. He has been British Champion Jockey in 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2024 ...
. He was sired by
Kenneth and Sarah Ramsey Kenneth L. "Ken" Ramsey (born 1935) and Sarah Kathern "Kitten" Ramsey (February 5, 1939 – May 29, 2022) are horse breeders and owners of Thoroughbred race horses. They have multiple graded stakes race, graded stakes winners, three Breeders' Cup ...
's stallion
Kitten's Joy Kitten's Joy (May 8, 2001 – July 15, 2022) was a Thoroughbred racehorse who was a multiple graded stakes winner and the American Champion Turf Horse of 2004. Since retiring to stud, he became one of the leading sires in North America and has ...
the U.S. Champion Male Turf Horse of 2004 whose other offspring include
Roaring Lion Roaring Lion (22 February 190811 July 1999) was a Trinidadian calypsonian (calypso singer/composer). His 65-year career began in the early 1930s and he is best known for his compositions "Ugly Woman" (1933), " Mary Ann" and "Netty, Netty", wh ...
,
Stephanie's Kitten Stephanie's Kitten (foaled March 26, 2009) is an American Thoroughbred racehorse best known for winning two Breeders' Cup races. As a two-year-old in 2011 she won the Grade I Alcibiades Stakes and the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf. She won ...
, Hawkbill, Bobby's Kitten and Big Blue Kitten. Kameko's dam Sweeter Still (a half-sister to
Kingsbarns Kingsbarns is a village and parish in Scotland lies near the eastern coast of Fife, in an area known as the East Neuk, southeast of St Andrews and north of Crail. The name derives from the area being the location of the barns used to store gr ...
) was bred in Ireland but spent most of her racing career in North America where she won five races including the Grade 3
Senorita Stakes The Senorita Stakes is an American flat Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-old fillies held annually at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California. The race began in 1968 at the now-closed Hollywood Park in Inglewood, California. It was moved ...
in 2008. She was a great-great-granddaughter of Mesopotamia, an Irish broodmare whose other female-line descendants have included Halling,
Mastery A skill is the learned or innate ability to act with determined results with good execution often within a given amount of time, energy, or both. Skills can often be divided into domain-general and domain-specific skills. Some examples of gene ...
, Balla Cove and Just The Judge.


Racing career


2019: two-year-old season

Kameko made his 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 seven
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 ...
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 ...
on 25 July when he started at odds of 15/2 in an eight-runner field. After racing in fourth place he took the lead approaching the final furlong and held off a late challenge from the outsider It's Good To Laugh to win by 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, ...
. Five weeks later, over the same course and distance, the colt was stepped up in class and started a 14/1 outsider for the
Group 3 Group 3 may refer to: * Group 3 element, chemical element classification * Group 3 (motorsport), FIA classification of cars used in auto racing and rallying * Group 3, the third tier of races in worldwide Thoroughbred horse racing * Group 3 image ...
Solario Stakes The Solario Stakes is a Group 3 flat horse race in Great Britain open to two-year-old horses. It is run at Sandown Park over a distance of 7 furlongs (1,408 metres), and it is scheduled to take pla ...
. He tracked the leaders before finishing strongly but failed by a nose to overhaul the odds-on favourite Positive. At
Newmarket Racecourse Newmarket Racecourse is a British Thoroughbred horse racing venue in Newmarket, Suffolk, Newmarket, Suffolk, comprising two individual racecourses: the Rowley Mile and the July Course. Newmarket is often referred to as the headquarters of ...
on 28 September Kameko started 6/5 favourite for the Group 2
Royal Lodge Stakes The Royal Lodge Stakes is a Group 2 flat horse race in Great Britain open to two-year-old colts and geldings. It is run on the Rowley Mile at Newmarket over a distance of 1 mile (1,609 metres), ...
over one mile. Murphy positioned the colt just behind the leaders before going to the front in the last quarter mile but he was caught near the finish and beaten a neck by the
Aidan O'Brien Aidan Patrick O'Brien (born 16 October 1969 in County Wexford, Ireland) Aidan O'Brien bio NTRA. ...
-trained outsider Royal Dornoch. The Group 1 Vertem Futurity Trophy 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 26 October attracted an unusual five-day entry of twelve, with Kameko matched against eleven colts from the O'Brien stable. As a result of heavy rain at the already waterlogged Yorkshire track the race was abandoned and rescheduled to take place six days later on the synthetic Tapeta surface at
Newcastle Racecourse Newcastle Racecourse is a horse racing course located at Gosforth Park in Newcastle upon Tyne, England, owned by Arena Racing Company. It stages both Flat racing, flat and National Hunt racing, with its biggest meeting being the Northumberland ...
, with entries being reopened. In the new race Kameko started the 11/2 third favourite behind the unbeaten Kinross and Mogul, the winner of the Champions Juvenile Stakes and the best fancied of the five O'Brien runners. The other eight contenders included Verboten (representing Godolphin), Innisfree (
Beresford Stakes The Beresford Stakes is a Group 2 flat horse race in Ireland open to two-year-old thoroughbreds. It is run at the Curragh over a distance of 1 mile (1,609 metres), and it is scheduled to take pla ...
) and Tammani ( Prix Isonomy). The race was the first British Group 1 contest to be run on a synthetic track. Kameko settled just behind the leaders as Royal County Down set the pace, before moving up to take the lead approaching the final furlong. He quickly went clear and despite hanging to the right in the closing stages he won "comfortably" by lengths from Innisfree. After the race Andrew Balding said "He was impressive, but he's a very good horse who is improving all the time... How far will he stay? A mile and a quarter will be no problem, but we'll have to wait and see whether he stays a mile and a half. If he does, there is only one place he will go. We will probably start him off in the Guineas and go from there. We can still dream." In the official rating of European two-year-olds for 2019 Kameko was rated the second-best juvenile of the year, level with
Earthlight ''Earthlight'' is a science fiction novel by British writer Arthur C. Clarke, published in 1955. It is an expansion to novel length of a novella of the same name that he had published four years earlier. Overview ''Earthlight'' is a scie ...
but ten pounds inferior to Pinatubo.


2020: three-year-old season

The flat racing season in England was disrupted by the
COVID-19 Pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
and the 2000 Guineas was run a month later than usual on 6 June over the Rowley mile at Newmarket. As racing had been cancelled in April and May Kameko went into the race without a previous run but Balding expressed confidence in his trainee saying "He's a big framed horse. He's not the flashiest horse in his routine exercise but he's always been the type that, every time you ask him for a little bit more, he's given and improved for it. Oisin was always saying of
Roaring Lion Roaring Lion (22 February 190811 July 1999) was a Trinidadian calypsonian (calypso singer/composer). His 65-year career began in the early 1930s and he is best known for his compositions "Ugly Woman" (1933), " Mary Ann" and "Netty, Netty", wh ...
, who was by Kitten's Joy, he seemed to just thrive on racing and every time he ran he just got better and better. I think this horse is very similar." In the Guineas Kameko went off the 10/1 fourth choice in the betting behind Pinatubo, Arizona (
Coventry Stakes The Coventry Stakes is a Group 2 flat horse race in Great Britain open to two-year-old horses. It is run at Ascot over a distance of 6 furlongs (1,207 metres), and it is scheduled to take plac ...
) and Wichita (
Somerville Tattersall Stakes The Somerville Tattersall Stakes, currently run as the Tattersalls Stakes, is a Group 3 flat horse race in Great Britain open to two-year-old colts and geldings. It is run on the Rowley Mile at ...
). The other eleven runners included Military March ( Autumn Stakes), Kinross and Royal Dornoch. Murphy settled his mount in mid division as Persuasion set the early pace from Juan Elcano, Starcat and Wichita. Entering the last quarter mile Wichita went to the front with Pinatubo on his left and Military March to his right as Kameko looked to be trapped behind horses and unlikely to obtain a clear run. In the final furlong Kameko forced his way between Wichaita and Military March to gain the advantage and despite hanging right towards the centre of the track he won by a neck. Wichita took second place ahead of Pinatubo and Military March. The winning time of 1:34.72 was a new record for the race. Commenting on his first win in a Classic race Murphy said "It means the absolute world to me. It's the stuff of dreams. Around four furlongs he got a little bit lost but he came home really well. It was a gutsy performance. He hardly blew a candle out afterwards – he must have a tremendous amount of ability". When asked about the colt's prospects for the
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 ...
Andrew Balding said "To me it looks the obvious choice, there would be a stamina doubt but there's only one way to find out. Probably his optimum trip would be a mile-and-a-quarter, but I think for one day only, he might be able to stay a mile-and-a-half." On 4 July Kameko started the 5/2 favourite for the 241st running of the Epsom Derby, over miles at
Epsom Racecourse Epsom Downs is a Grade 1 racecourse in a hilly area near Epsom in Surrey, England which is used for thoroughbred horse racing. The "Downs" referred to in the name are part of the North Downs. The course has a crowd capacity of 130,000 includin ...
. After tracking the early leaders he moved into fourth place behind the runaway leader Serpentine but was unable to make further progress and came home fourth behind Serpentine, Khalifa Sat and Amhran Na Bhfiann. Later that month the colt was dropped back in distance and matched against older horses for the first time in the
Sussex Stakes The Sussex Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged three years or older. It is run at Goodwood over a distance of 1 mile (1,609 metres), a ...
over one mile 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 well before settling behind the leaders but was repeatedly denied a clear run in the straight and finished fourth behind Mohaather,
Circus Maximus The Circus Maximus (Latin for "largest circus"; Italian language, Italian: ''Circo Massimo'') is an ancient Roman chariot racing, chariot-racing stadium and mass entertainment venue in Rome, Italy. In the valley between the Aventine Hill, Avent ...
and
Siskin The name siskin when referring to a bird is derived from an adaptation of the German dialect words ''sisschen'', ''zeischen'', which are diminutive forms of Middle High German (''zîsec'') and Middle Low German (''ziseke'', ''sisek'') words, wit ...
. Three weeks later Kameko was the only three-year-old colt to contest 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 ...
over furlongs 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 ...
. He raced towards the rear before moving into second place behind the front-running
Ghaiyyath Ghaiyyath (foaled 19 April 2015) is an Irish-bred British-trained champion Thoroughbred racehorse who was the 2020 European Horse of the Year after winning the Juddmonte International Stakes, Eclipse Stakes, Coronation Cup, and Dubai Millen ...
in the straight but faded in the final furlong and came home fourth of the five runners. In the Group 2
Joel Stakes The Joel Stakes is a Group races, Group 2 Flat racing, flat Horse racing, horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged three years or older. It is run on the Rowley Mile at Newmarket Racecourse, ...
over one mile at Newmarket on 25 September Kameko started the 85/40 second favourite behind
Benbatl Benbatl (foaled 15 February 2014) is a retired British Thoroughbred racehorse and breeding stallion. He was unraced as a two-year-old in 2016 but in the following year he won the Hampton Court Stakes and was placed in both the Craven Stakes and ...
in a six-runner field which also included Zabeel Prince, Top Rank ( Superior Mile), Regal Reality ( Sovereign Stakes) and Tilsit (
Thoroughbred Stakes The Thoroughbred Stakes is a Group 3 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old horses. It is run at Goodwood over a distance of 1 mile (1,609 metres), and it is scheduled to take pl ...
). Kameko raced in fourth place as Benbatl set the pace but gained the advantage approaching the final furlong and kept on well to win by half a length from Regal Reality. After the race Andrew Balding said "That was 100% as good as his Guineas win. There was no hiding place today. I don't think we have had a fair crack of the whip with him this year. The horse has not had the campaign that we really wanted. I think there is no doubt he is a miler and that was a really good effort." For his final race Kameko was sent to the United States for the
Breeders' Cup Mile The Breeders' Cup Mile is a conditions races, Grade 1 Weight for Age stakes race for thoroughbred racehorses three years old and up, run on a sod, grass course. It has been conducted annually as part of the Breeders' Cup, Breeders' Cup World C ...
at
Keeneland Keeneland Association, Inc. is an equine business based in Lexington, Kentucky. It includes two distinct divisions: the Keeneland Race Course, a Thoroughbred racing facility, and Keeneland Sales, a horse auction complex. It is also known for ...
on 7 November and went off the 4/1 favourite but after tracking the leaders he faded in the closing stages and came home seventh of the fourteen runners, beaten lengths by the upset winner
Order of Australia The Order of Australia is an Australian honours and awards system, Australian honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Monarch ...
. Before his run in the Breeders' Cup it had been announced that Kameko would be retired from racing at the end of the year. Andrew Balding commented "Kameko is without doubt the best horse I've trained. He has all the attributes of a top-class miler and is a striking horse to look at. I feel very honoured to have had the opportunity to train a horse of such class. I felt from the very beginning that this could be a special horse. He's the perfect model – he has size, durability and a great character. To ride, he has super balance, a great turn of foot and a good mind – you can put him anywhere in a race. He's a machine". In the
2020 World's Best Racehorse Rankings The 2020 World's Best Racehorse Rankings, sponsored by Longines was the 2020 edition of the World's Best Racehorse Rankings. It was an assessment of Thoroughbred Horse racing, racehorses issued by the International Federation of Horseracing Authorit ...
, Kameko was rated on 122, making him the equal twenty-first best racehorse in the world.


Stud career

Kameko began his stud career at his owner's Tweenhills Stud in
Gloucestershire Gloucestershire ( , ; abbreviated Glos.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by Herefordshire to the north-west, Worcestershire to the north, Warwickshire to the north-east, Oxfordshire ...
at a fee of £25,000.


Pedigree


References

{{2000 Guineas Winners


External links


Career 1-2-3 Colour Chart
– ''Kameko'' 2017 racehorse births Racehorses bred in Kentucky Racehorses trained in the United Kingdom Thoroughbred family 10-c 2000 Guineas winners