Lucarno (February 10, 2004 - March 20, 2018) was a

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 ...

and

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 ...

best known for winning the

St Leger 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 ...

in 2007.

Background

Lucarno is a big, powerful bay horse, standing 16.3

hands A hand is a prehensile, multi-fingered appendage located at the end of the forearm or forelimb of primates such as humans, chimpanzees, monkeys, and lemurs. A few other vertebrates such as the koala (which has two opposable thumbs on each "han ...

high, bred in

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

by his owner

George W. Strawbridge, Jr. George W. Strawbridge Jr. (born October 10, 1937) is an American educator, historian, investor, sportsman and philanthropist. Biography Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, he was the son of Margaret ("Peggy") Dorrance and the stockbroker George ...

He was sired by

Dynaformer Dynaformer (April 1, 1985 – April 29, 2012) was a Thoroughbred race horse and breeding stallion most notable as the sire of 2006 Kentucky Derby winner Barbaro. Background Dynaformer was an unusually large horse, standing high and was bred b ...

whose other offspring includes Barbaro and

McDynamo McDynamo (April 6, 1997 - December 1, 2019) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse. He was a five-time winner of the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Grand National Steeplechase at the Far Hills Races and a three-time honoree with the Eclipse Award for Ou ...

. The colt was sent to race in Europe where he was trained by

John Gosden John Harry Martin Gosden (born 30 March 1951) is a British Horse trainer, racehorse trainer. He has trained over 3,000 winners worldwide, including victories in the Breeders' Cup Classic, the Epsom Derby, Derby, the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, A ...

. He was ridden in most of his races by

Jimmy Fortune Jimmy Fortune (born March 11, 1955) is an American country music singer from Nelson County, Virginia. Fortune sang tenor for The Statler Brothers for 21 years, and wrote the song " Elizabeth" for the group. When the Statler Brothers disbanded, h ...

Racing career

2007: three-year-old season

Unraced as a two-year-old, Lucarno 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 ...

Newbury Racecourse Newbury Racecourse is a racecourse and events venue in the civil parish of Greenham, adjoining the town of Newbury, Berkshire, Newbury in Berkshire, England. It has courses for flat races and over jumps. It hosts one of Great Britain's List of ...

in April in which he started a 50/1 outsider and finished second of the sixteen runners behind Diamond Tycoon. He then made rapid progress, winning a maiden over a mile at Kempton Park by seven lengths and the Listed Fairway Stakes over ten furlongs 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 ...

in May. In June, Lucarno started a 16/1 outsider for The Derby and finished fourth of the seventeen runners behind

Authorized Authorization or authorisation (see American and British English spelling differences#-ise, -ize (-isation, -ization), spelling differences), in information security, computer security and identity management, IAM (Identity and Access Managemen ...

, Eagle Mountain and Aqaleem. Later that month he started favourite for the

King Edward VII Stakes The King Edward VII Stakes is a Group 2 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old colts and geldings. It is run at Ascot over a distance of 1 mile 3 furlongs and 211 yards (2,406 m ...

Royal Ascot 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 Gra ...

but was beaten into second place by the Mark Johnston-trained Boscobel. In July, the colt was matched against older horses for the first time in the

Princess of Wales's Stakes The Princess of Wales's Stakes is a Group races, Group 2 Flat racing, flat Horse racing, horse race in Great Britain open to Thoroughbred horses aged three years or older. It is run on the July Cour ...

and finished fourth behind the four-year-old Papal Bull. In August Lucarno contested the Great Voltigeur Stakes 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 ...

and started 7/2 second favourite in a field which included Boscobel and four runner from

Aidan O'Brien Aidan Patrick O'Brien (born 16 October 1969 in County Wexford, Ireland) Aidan O'Brien bio NTRA. ...

Ballydoyle Ballydoyle is a racehorse training facility located in County Tipperary in Ireland. It is a sister thoroughbred facility to Coolmore Stud, and both are owned by John Magnier, son in law to the racehorse trainer Vincent O'Brien. The current trai ...

stable, headed by the Gordon Stakes winner Yellowstone and the

Queen's Vase The Queen's Vase is a Group 2 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old horses. It is run at Ascot over a distance of 1 mile 6 furlongs and 34 yards (2,847 metres), and it is schedu ...

winner Mahler. Lucarno raced on the outside, but was among the leaders throughout the race before taking the lead approaching the final furlong and winning by a lengths from Yellowstone. 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 2007, Lucarno started 7/2 second favourite for the 231st running of the St Leger Stakes. The Ballydoyle stable again fielded four runners including Mahler and the favourite Honolulu, a colt who had finished second under a weight of 128 pounds in the

Ebor Handicap The Ebor Handicap is a flat handicap horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged four years or older. It is run at York over a distance of 1 mile 5 furlongs and 188 yards (2,787 metres). It i ...

. Lucarno raced just behind the leaders before making progress in the straight. He took the lead a furlong out and stayed on to win by a length from Mahler, with Honolulu three quarters of a length away in third place.

2008: four-year-old season

Lucarno began his four-year-old season in disappointing form, finishing eleventh in the

Brigadier Gerard Stakes The Brigadier Gerard Stakes is a Group 3 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged four years or older. It is run at Sandown Park over a distance of 1 mile 1 furlong and 209 yards (), an ...

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 May and sixth of nine behind

Youmzain {{Infobox racehorse , horsename = Youmzain , image = , caption = , sire = Sinndar , grandsire = , dam = Sadima , damsire = Sadler's Wells , sex = Stallion , foaled = 2003 , country = Ireland , colour = Bay , breeder = Frank Dunne ...

in the

Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud The Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud is a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to thoroughbreds aged four years or older. It is run at Saint-Cloud over a distance of 2,400 metres (about 1½ miles), and it is ...

a month later. On 10 July he started at odds of 6/1 for the

at Newmarket. Papal Bull, the winner of the race in 2007 started favourite ahead of the

Lancashire Oaks The Lancashire Oaks is a Group 2 flat horse race in Great Britain open to fillies and mares aged three years or older. It is run at Haydock Park over a distance of 1 mile, 3 furlongs and 175 yards ...

winner Anna Pavlova and 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 ...

third Sagara. Fortune sent Lucarno into the lead from the start and he was never seriously challenged, winning by one and a quarter lengths from Papal Bull (to whom he was conceding five pounds) with the outsider Petara Bay in third. Sixteen days later, Lucarno contested Britain's most prestigious

weight-for-age {{use dmy dates, date=October 2022 Weight for Age (WFA) is a term in thoroughbred horse racing which is one of the conditions for a race. History The principle of WFA was developed by Admiral Rous, a handicapper with the English Jockey Club. Rou ...

race, 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 ...

at Ascot. Starting the 8/1 third favourite he raced in second place until the last quarter mile but faded in the closing stages to finish seventh of the eight runners behind

Duke of Marmalade Duke of Marmalade (12 March 2004 – 5 November 2021) was an Irish Thoroughbred horseracing, racehorse and sire (horse), sire. He is best known for winning five consecutive Conditions races, Group One races in 2008, for which he was named Carti ...

, who won by a length from Papal Bull. Lucarno failed to recover his best form in Autumn: he was beaten more than nineteen lengths when finishing fifth in the

Grosser Preis von Baden The Grosser Preis von Baden is a Group 1 flat horse race in Germany open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run at Baden-Baden over a distance of 2,400 metres (about 1½ miles), taking plac ...

and eighth of ten behind Marsh Side in the Canadian International.

Stud career

Retired to

stud Stud may refer to: Animals * Stud (animal), an animal retained for breeding ** Stud farm, a property where livestock are bred Arts and entertainment * Stud (band), a British progressive rock group * The Stud (bar), a gay bar in San Francisco * ...

for the 2009 season, Lucarno stood at Wood Farm Stud in

Ellerdine Ellerdine () is a small hamlet located six miles north of the market town of Wellington, Shropshire. It is located at the convergence of six ancient footpaths and comprises two small communities; Ellerdine and Ellerdine Heath and is located wit ...

Wellington, Shropshire Wellington is a market town and a civil parish in the borough of Telford and Wrekin, Shropshire, England. It is situated northwest of Telford and east of Shrewsbury, near the western terminus of the M54 motorway. The summit of The Wrekin lie ...

, before moving to the Shade Oak Stud in the same county. He has been primarily marketed as a

National Hunt National Hunt Racing, also known as Jump Racing, is a form of horse racing particular to many European countries, including, but not limited to: France, Great Britain and Ireland. Jump Racing requires horses to jump over fences and ditches. In ...

stallion. He died of a heart attack at Longford House Stud in County Tipperary on March 20, 2018

Pedigree

References

{{St Leger Winners 2004 racehorse births 2018 racehorse deaths Racehorses bred in Pennsylvania Racehorses trained in the United Kingdom Thoroughbred family 9-f St Leger winners