Lichine (foaled 5 May 1979) was an American-bred, French-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 Horse racing is an equestrian performance activity, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its bas ...

who sold for a record-setting $1.7 million ($ million inflation adjusted) 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 1980. Although he never threatened to repay his auction price, he was a useful racehorse, winning the Listed Prix de Suresnes as a three-year-old and finishing placed in several

Group races Group races, also known as Pattern races, or Graded races in some jurisdictions, are the highest level of races in Thoroughbred horse racing. They include most of the world's iconic races, such as the Derby, Irish Derby and Prix de l'Arc de Trio ...

Background

Lichine was a "smallish, wiry" bay horse bred in Maryland by Mrs. J. Getty & Carelaine Stables. He was from the sixth crop of foals sired by

Lyphard Lyphard (10 May 1969 – 10 June 2005) was an American-bred, French-trained Thoroughbred horse racing, racehorse and an important Horse breeding#Terminology, sire. Background American bred in Pennsylvania, Lyphard was a son of Northern Dancer ...

, an American-bred stallion who raced in France, winning the

Prix Jacques Le Marois The Prix Jacques Le Marois is a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to thoroughbred colts and fillies aged three years or older. It is run in August each year at Deauville over a distance of ...

and

Prix de la Forêt The Prix de la Forêt is a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run at Longchamp over a distance of 1,400 metres (about 7 furlongs), and ...

in 1972. Lyphard went on to become a very successful breeding stallion in both Europe and North America, siring Three Troikas,

Dancing Brave Dancing Brave (11 May 1983 – 2 August 1999) was an American-bred, British-trained Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. In a racing career which lasted from the autumn of 1985 until October 1986, he ran ten times and won eight races. Dancing Brave ...

and

Manila Manila, officially the City of Manila, is the Capital of the Philippines, capital and second-most populous city of the Philippines after Quezon City, with a population of 1,846,513 people in 2020. Located on the eastern shore of Manila Bay on ...

. His dam, Stylish Genie was a minor stakes winner and a half-sister to Artaius, a Kentucky-bred colt who won 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 ...

and 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 ...

in 1977. In 1981, the yearling was consigned to the

Keeneland Sales Keeneland Sales is an American Thoroughbred auction house in Lexington, Kentucky founded in 1935 as a nonprofit racing/auction entity on 147 acres (0.59 km2) of farmland west of Lexington, which had been owned by Jack O. Keene. A division o ...

where he was bought for a then world-record price of $1.7 million by the bloodstock agents BBA England, representing the Greek shipping magnate

Stavros Niarchos Stavros Spyrou Niarchos (, ; 3 July 1909 – 15 April 1996) was a Greek billionaire shipping tycoon. Starting in 1952, he had the world's biggest supertankers built for his fleet. Propelled by both the Suez Crisis and increasing demand for oil, ...

. The colt was sent to France where he was trained 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 ...

Racing career

Unraced as a two-year-old, Lichine began his racing career in the spring of 1982 by winning 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 ...

at Évry and the Listed

Prix de Suresnes Prix was an American power pop band formed in Memphis, Tennessee, in 1975 by Tommy Hoehn and Jon Tiven. The group ended up primarily as a studio project. Its recordings were produced by Tiven along with former Big Star member Chris Bell, who ...

over 2200 metres 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 ...

in May. He was beaten in his five remaining races that year but ran well to finish third in the

Prix Daphnis The Prix Daphnis is a Group 3 flat horse race in France open to three-year-old thoroughbreds. It is run at Deauville over a distance of 1,600 metres (about 1 mile), and it is scheduled to take place eac ...

, fifth in the

Prix du Moulin The Prix du Moulin de Longchamp is a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to horses aged three years or older. It is run at Longchamp over a distance of 1,600 metres (about 1 mile), and it is s ...

and fourth in the Prix du Rond Point. Lichine stayed in training as a four-year-old and ran eight times, recording his only success in a race over 1850 metres at Longchamp in May. He again ran well in defeat on several occasions: he finished third in the Prix de Ris-Orangis, third in the

Prix du Muguet The Prix du Muguet is a Group 2 flat horse race in France open to thoroughbreds aged four years or older. It is run over a distance of 1,600 metres (about 1 mile) at Saint-Cloud in early May. ...

, fourth in the Prix du Chemin de Fer du Nord and fourth in the

Stud record

Lichine was retired from racing to stand at the Haras de Fresnay-le-Buffard in

Normandy Normandy (; or ) is a geographical and cultural region in northwestern Europe, roughly coextensive with the historical Duchy of Normandy. Normandy comprises Normandy (administrative region), mainland Normandy (a part of France) and insular N ...

at an initial fee of Fr25,000. He later stood as a breeding stallion in Spain.

Pedigree

References

{{s-end 1979 racehorse births Racehorses bred in Maryland Racehorses trained in France Thoroughbred family 14-c