Lujain (foaled 8 February 1996) was an American-bred, British-trained thoroughbred racehorse and sire. He showed his best form as a two-year-old in 1998 when he won his first three races by wide margins, culminating in a victory in the G1 Middle Park Stakes. He made no impact in three subsequent races and was retired to stud at the end of 1999. He had little success as a breeding stallion.
Background
Lujain was a bay horse with no white markings bred in Kentucky by his owner, Sheikh Mohammed's Darley Stud. He was sired by
Seeking the Gold
Seeking The Gold (April 7, 1985 – July 28, 2016) was an American thoroughbred racehorse and a successful sire.
Background and Family
Seeking The Gold, a bay colt, was bred in Kentucky by Ogden Phipps, who also owned him. One of numerous top ...
who won the
Super Derby
The Super Derby is an American thoroughbred horse race held annually in September at Louisiana Downs in Bossier City, Louisiana.
Inaugurated in 1980, the Super Derby is open to three-year-olds and the distance is miles on the dirt. It is the rich ...
, the
Peter Pan Stakes
The Peter Pan Stakes is a Grade III American Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds over a distance of miles (nine furlongs) run annually during the second week of May at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York.
History
The race is run in honor o ...
, the
Dwyer Stakes
The Dwyer Stakes is an American Grade III stakes race for three-year-old thoroughbred racehorses held annually at Belmont Park racetrack in Elmont, Long Island, New York. Run in early July, it is open to three-year-old horses and is raced over ...
, and the
Swale Stakes in 1988. He went on to become a very successful breeding stallion whose other progeny included
Dubai Millennium
Dubai Millennium (2 March 1996 – 29 April 2001) was a British-bred Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. The colt was trained in the United Kingdom and Dubai during his racing career from 1998 and 2000. He is notable for winning a series of major ...
,
Flanders
Flanders ( or ; ) is the Dutch language, Dutch-speaking northern portion of Belgium and one of the communities, regions and language areas of Belgium. However, there are several overlapping definitions, including ones related to culture, la ...
and
Jazil
Jazil (February 11, 2003 – October 11, 2014) was an American Thoroughbred horse racing, racehorse.
In 2006, Jazil dead-heated for fourth place in the Kentucky Derby but then won the Belmont Stakes, the final leg of the Triple Crown of Tho ...
. Lujain's dam Satin Flower was a high-class racemare whose wins included the
Jersey Stakes
The Jersey Stakes is a Group 3 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old horses. It is run at Ascot over a distance of 7 furlongs (1,408 metres), and it is scheduled to take place ea ...
in 1991 and went on to produce the 2005
UAE 1000 Guineas
The UAE 1000 Guineas is a flat horse race in the United Arab Emirates for three-year-old thoroughbred fillies run at Meydan Racecourse in Dubai in February.
Records
Record time:
* 1:35.84 – ''Folk (2007)''
Leading jockey (4 wins):
* Frankie ...
winner Satin Kiss. She was a great-great-granddaughter of Lea Lark, an American broodmare whose other descendants have included
Tobougg
Tobougg (1998–2018) was a thoroughbred racehorse and sire, who was bred in Ireland, but trained in England and Dubai during a racing career which lasted from 2000 to 2002. He was named European Champion Two-Year-Old Colt for 2000 at the Carti ...
,
Miswaki
Miswaki (February 22, 1978 – December 17, 2004) was an American-bred Thoroughbred racehorse that was a Group One winner in France and a stakes race winner in the United States. He was an important sire of 97 stakes race winners and was the Le ...
,
Almutawakel
Almutawakel (foaled in 1995 in Great Britain, died in 2007) was a British thoroughbred racehorse sired by Machiavellian and the Irish stakes-winning Green Desert mare, Elfaslah.
Racing career
Almutawakel's most prominent victory came in the 1999 ...
,
Southern Halo
Southern Halo (1983–2009) was an American-bred Thoroughbred racehorse and Horse breeding#Terminology, sire. In his racing career he ran twenty-four times, winning five races and finishing second in the Graded stakes race, Grade I Swaps Sta ...
,
Peter Davies and White Muzzle
Sheikh Mohammed sent the colt into training with
David Loder
David Loder (born in Stow-on-the-Wold, Gloucestershire, England) is a trainer of Thoroughbred racehorses.
He began his professional career in Newmarket in 1992 and trained for thirteen years including for Godolphin Racing, where he trained ...
at
Newmarket, Suffolk
Newmarket is a market town and civil parish in the West Suffolk (district), West Suffolk district of Suffolk, England, 14 miles west of Bury St Edmunds and 14 miles northeast of Cambridge. In 2021, it had a population of 16,772. It is a global ...
.
Racing career
1998: two-year-old career
Lujain began his racing career 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 six
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
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 18 July and started the
4/9 favourite in a nine-runner field. Ridden as in all his races that year 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 ...
he took the lead approaching the final furlong and drew away to win by three and a half
lengths from Indian Warrior. On 4 September the colt started odds-on favourite for a minor race 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 won "very easily" by five lengths from Trinity.
On 1 October Lujain was stepped up in class for the
Group One
Group One, Group 1, Grade I or G1 is the term used for the highest level of Thoroughbred and Standardbred stakes races in many countries. In Europe, the level of races for Thoroughbred racing is determined using the Pattern races, Pattern race sys ...
Middle Park Stakes and was made the 8/11 favourite against six opponents. His opponents included Sheer Viking and the Irish challenger Borromini who had finished first and second in the
Flying Childers Stakes
The Flying Childers Stakes is a Group 2 flat horse race in Great Britain open to two-year-old horses. It is run at Doncaster over a distance of 5 furlongs and 3 yards (1,008 metres), and it is sch ...
. The other runners were Bertolini (
July Stakes
The July Stakes is a Group 2 flat horse race in Great Britain open to two-year-old colts and geldings. It is run on the July Course at Newmarket over a distance of 6 furlongs (1,207 metres), and ...
)m Sailing Shoes (runner-up in the
Gimcrack Stakes
The Gimcrack Stakes is a Group races, Group 2 Flat racing, flat Horse racing, horse race in Great Britain open to two-year-old Colt (horse), colts and geldings.
It is run at York Racecourse, Yor ...
), Belasco (third in the
Mill Reef Stakes
The Mill Reef Stakes is a Group 2 flat horse race in Great Britain open to two-year-olds. It is run at Newbury over a distance of 6 furlongs (1,207 metres), and it is scheduled ...
) and the
John Dunlop-trained Vision of Night. Dettori restrained the colt in the early stages before making progress down the centre of the course and taking the lead approaching the final furlong. He accelerated clear of his rivals and won by four lengths from Bertolini despite edging to the right in the closing stages. After the race Dettori said "All of a sudden he just zoomed by them, it was amazing. He's very willing, not lethargic at all. He's the perfect horse" whilst Loder commented "He's just a superb horse. He's a machine, isn't he? He hasn't been tested yet" before stating his confidence in the colt's ability to stay further.
Two weeks later, Lujain attempted to complete a rare double when he moved up to seven furlongs for 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 started the 9/2 third favourite behind
Stravinsky
Igor Fyodorovich Stravinsky ( – 6 April 1971) was a Russian composer and conductor with French citizenship (from 1934) and American citizenship (from 1945). He is widely considered one of the most important and influential composers of ...
and the
Somerville Tattersall Stakes winner Enrique. He chased the leaders before weakening abruptly in the last quarter mile and finished tailed off in sixth place, more than twenty-two lengths behind the upset winner
Mujahid
''Mujahideen'', or ''Mujahidin'' (), is the plural form of ''mujahid'' (), an Arabic term that broadly refers to people who engage in ''jihad'' (), interpreted in a jurisprudence of Islam as the fight on behalf of God, religion or the commun ...
. At the end of 1998 Lujain was transferred to Sheikh Mohammed's
Godolphin organisation, with
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 ...
taking over from Loder as his trainer.
1999: three-year-old career
In 1999 Lujain was campaigned over sprint distances, beginning his season in the six furlong
Duke of York Stakes
Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and above sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they are ...
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 ...
in May. Ridden by
Mick Kinane
Michael J. Kinane (born 22 June 1959) is an Irish former flat racing jockey. He had a 34-year career, retiring on 8 December 2009.
A prolific winner of the Irish, English and French Classic races over two decades, Kinane h ...
, he briefly took the lead a furlong out before fading into fifth place behind Sampower Star. The colt was reunited with Dettori for the
King's Stand Stakes
The King Charles III Stakes (formerly the King's Stand Stakes) is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged three years or older. It is run at Ascot over a distance of 5 fu ...
over five furlongs at
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 ...
on 18 June. Lujain appeared to recover well from a poor start but weakened in the final furlong and finished twelfth of the seventeen runners.
Stud record
Lujain was retired from racing to become a breeding stallion at his owner's
Dalham Hall stud and was also shuttled to stand in Australia. In 2006 he was exported to stand at the Elia Stud in Greece where his last reported foals were born in 2011. His most successful offspring were Mixed Blessing (
Princess Margaret Stakes), Ghetto Blaster, a Group 2 winner in Australia, and Stop Making Sense who won the Listed Prix du Haras de la Huderie and finished second in the
Prix La Rochette in 2004.
Pedigree
References
{{Reflist
1996 racehorse births
Racehorses bred in Kentucky
Racehorses trained in the United Kingdom
Thoroughbred family 16-g