La Lagune (1965 – after 1970) was a French-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

broodmare A mare is an adult female horse or other equine. In most cases, a mare is a female horse over the age of three, and a filly is a female horse three and younger. In Thoroughbred horse racing, a mare is defined as a female horse more than four ...

. She initially made an impression by winning the

Prix de Condé The Prix de Condé is a Group 3 flat horse race in France open to two-year-old thoroughbreds. It is run at Chantilly over a distance of 1,800 metres (1 mile 1 furlong), and it is scheduled to take place ...

in the autumn of 1965 and added to her reputation with an emphatic victory in the

Prix Vanteaux The Prix Vanteaux is a Group 3 flat horse race in France open to three-year-old thoroughbred fillies. It is run over a distance of 1,850 metres (about 1 mile and 1¼ furlongs) at ...

in the following spring. She was then sent to England for the

Epsom Oaks The Oaks Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old fillies. It is run at Epsom Downs over a distance of 1 mile, 4 furlongs and 6 ya ...

and justified her position as favourite, as she ran out a very easy five

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, ...

winner. She was unable to win again but ran well in defeat against very strong opposition before being retired at the end of the season. She had little chance to prove herself as a broodmare as she produced only one foal.

Background

Lagunette was an "immensely strong" looking bay mare with a broad 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 near

Bordeaux Bordeaux ( ; ; Gascon language, Gascon ; ) is a city on the river Garonne in the Gironde Departments of France, department, southwestern France. A port city, it is the capital of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, as well as the Prefectures in F ...

in France by the

Marquis du Vivier A marquess (; ) is a nobleman of high hereditary rank in various European peerages and in those of some of their former colonies. The German-language equivalent is Markgraf (margrave). A woman with the rank of a marquess or the wife (or widow) ...

. 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 ...

she was consigned to the sales at

Deauville Deauville () is a communes of France, commune in the Calvados (department), Calvados department, Normandy (administrative region), Normandy, northwestern France. Major attractions include its port, harbour, Race track, race course, marinas, con ...

and was bought for 25,000 francs (about £2,000) by

François Boutin François Boutin (21 January 1937 – 1 February 1995) was a France, French Thoroughbred horse trainer. The son of a farmer, he was born in the village of Beaunay in the northerly Seine Maritime département. He began riding horses at a young ag ...

. During her racing career she was trained by Boutin at

Chantilly Chantilly may refer to: Places France *Chantilly, Oise, a city ** US Chantilly, a football club *Château de Chantilly United States * Chantilly, Missouri, an unincorporated community * Chantilly (Charlotte neighborhood), North Carolina ...

and carried the red and white colours of Henry Berlin. She was one of the best horses sired by

Val de Loir {{Infobox racehorse , image = , caption = Tin Tin , sire = Vieux Manoir , grandsire = Brantome , dam = Vali , damsire = Sunny Boy , sex = Stallion , foaled = 1959 , country = France , colour = Bay , breeder = Marquise du Vivier , ...

who won the Prix du Jockey Club in 1962 and whose other progeny included Val de l'Orne and

Comtesse de Loir Comtesse de Loir (1971 – after 1993) was a French Thoroughbred racehorse and broodmare. In her three-year racing career, she won only one important race, the Prix Saint-Alary in 1974. but was placed in numerous major events including the ...

. Her dam Landerinette was unraced but went on to produce 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 ...

winner

Lagunette Lagunette (17 April 1973 – after 1985) was a French Thoroughbred racehorse and broodmare. After winning one of her two races as a juvenile she improved to become a top-class performer in 1976, a year in which French-trained three-year-olds ...

Racing career

1967: two-year-old season

As a two-year-old La Lagune produced her most notable performance in October when she won the Prix de Condé over 2000 metres on heavy ground at

Longchamp Racecourse The Longchamp Racecourse (, ) is a 57 hectare horse-racing facility located on the Route des Tribunes at the Bois de Boulogne in the 16th arrondissement of Paris, 16th arrondissement of Paris, France. It is used for flat racing and is noted for ...

. Although the field included male opponents, her closest pursuer was the

filly A filly is a female horse that is too young to be called a mare. There are two specific definitions in use: *In most cases, a ''filly'' is a female horse under four years old. *In some nations, such as the United Kingdom and the United States ...

Mercuriale.

1968: three-year-old season

In April at Longchamp La Lagune was one of eight fillies to contest the Prix Vanteux over 1900 metres. Ridded by Gerard Thiboeuf she won by five

lengths Length is a measure of distance. In the International System of Quantities, length is a quantity with dimension distance. In most systems of measurement a base unit for length is chosen, from which all other units are derived. In the Interna ...

in a performance which resulted in her being regarded as a leading contender for the Epsom Oaks. By May it appeared that her biggest obstacle in her path was the outbreak of strikes and civil unrest in France which at one point made it look as though she would be unable to travel to England. La Lagune arrived safely at Epsom and on 31 May she started the 11/8 favourite against thirteen opponents in the 190th running of the Oaks. With Thiboeuf again in the saddle she never looked to be in serious danger and came home five lengths clear of Glad One with Pandora Bay a short head away in third. Her win was the first major success for Boutin, and led to his stable attracting many leading owners and top-class horses over the next three decades. Having won over one and a half miles at Epsom La Lagune was dropped back in distance for the

Prix de Diane The Prix de Diane, sometimes referred to as the French Oaks, is one of the most important and prestigious Group 1 horse races in France open to three-year-old thoroughbred fillies. It is run at C ...

over 2100 metres at

Chantilly Racecourse Chantilly Racecourse (In French: "Hippodrome de Chantilly") is a Thoroughbred grass, turf race track, racecourse for flat racing in Chantilly, Oise, France, about north of the centre of the city of Paris. Chantilly Racecourse is located in the ...

but ran poorly and finished unplaced behind Roseliere. After a two-month break she produced a better effort on her return as she came home third behind Roseliere and Pola Bella in 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) ...

. In her last two starts the filly was matched against world-class male opposition and ran creditably as she finished fifth in both 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 ...

and the Washington, D.C. International Stakes, Washington, D.C.International.

Breeding record

At the end of her racing career, La Lagune became a broodmare for her owner's stud but produced only one known foal: *Rose du Kentucky, a bay filly, foaled in 1970, sired by Bold Lad. Won one race and produced Alchimiste who won 13 races in the United States. She was also the grand-dam of Trishyde, who won the Prix de Malleret in 1992.

Assessment and honours

In their book, ''A Century of Champions'', based on the Timeform rating system, John Randall and Tony Morris rated La Lagune an "average" winner of the Oaks.

Pedigree

References

{{Epsom Oaks Winners 1965 racehorse births Racehorses bred in France Racehorses trained in France Thoroughbred family 7-e Epsom Oaks winners