Moonlight Cloud (foaled 5 March 2008) is a British– 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 has won the

Prix Maurice de Gheest The Prix Maurice de Gheest is a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run at Deauville over a distance of 1,300 metres (about 6½ furlongs), and it is s ...

three times and the

Prix du Moulin de Longchamp 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 ...

. In a famous race for the Diamond Jubilee Stakes in 2012, she was beaten a head by the Australian champion Black Caviar in a

photo-finish A photo finish occurs in a sporting race when multiple competitors cross the finishing line at nearly the same time. As the naked eye may not be able to determine which of the competitors crossed the line first, a photo or video taken at the fini ...

. She is owned by George Strawbridge and trained by

Freddy Head Frédéric Head (born 19 June 1947) is a retired horse trainer and champion jockey in Thoroughbred horse racing. His grandfather, William Head, and father, Alec Head, who also competed as prominent jockeys and trainers, raised “Freddy,” at th ...

Breeding

Moonlight Cloud was foaled on 5 March 2008 and is a daughter of

Haydock Sprint Cup The Sprint Cup is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run at Haydock Park over a distance of 6 furlongs (1,207 metres), a ...

winner

Invincible Spirit Invincible Spirit (foaled 17 February 1997) is an Irish-bred, British-trained Thoroughbred racehorse. As a two-year-old, he won two out of his four races, but as a three-year-old, he only raced twice and was unsuccessful on both occasions. In 20 ...

. Invincible Spirit has produced a number of top sprinters, including

July Cup The July Cup is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged three years or older. It is run on the July Course at Newmarket over a distance of 6 furlongs (1,207 me ...

winners Mayson and Fleeting Spirit, but has also sired some top middle-distance horses such as

Prix du Jockey Club The Prix du Jockey Club, sometimes referred to as the French Derby, is a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run at Chantilly ov ...

winner Lawman. Moonlight Cloud's

dam A dam is a barrier that stops or restricts the flow of surface water or underground streams. Reservoirs created by dams not only suppress floods but also provide water for activities such as irrigation, human consumption, industrial use, aqua ...

, Ventura, was a race winner and a daughter of

Irish 2,000 Guineas The Irish 2,000 Guineas is a Group 1 flat horse race in Ireland open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run at the Curragh over a distance of 1 mile (1,609 metres), and it ...

and

Champion Stakes The Champion Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run at Ascot over a distance of 1 mile 1 furlong a ...

winner Spectrum.

Racing career

2010: two-year-old season

Moonlight Cloud made her first racecourse appearance in a

maiden Virginity is a social construct that denotes the state of a person who has never engaged in sexual intercourse. As it is not an objective term with an operational definition, social definitions of what constitutes virginity, or the lack thereof ...

race 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 ...

, which she won easily. She followed this up by easily winning a

conditions race Conditions races are horse races in which the weights carried by the runners are laid down by the conditions attached to the race. Weights are allocated according to the sex of the runners, with female runners carrying less weight than males; the ...

at Longchamp. She then started as the 11/4 favourite for the

Prix Jean-Luc Lagardère The Prix Jean-Luc Lagardère, formerly the Grand Critérium, is a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to two-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run at Longchamp over a distance of ...

. In the race she finished in fourth place, 3½ lengths behind the unbeaten Wootton Bassett.

2011: three-year-old season

In her first race as a three-year-old Moonlight Cloud beat the favourite, Helleborine, by two lengths to win the

Prix Imprudence The Prix Imprudence is a Conditions races, Group 3 Flat racing, flat Horse racing, horse race in France open to three-year-old thoroughbred Filly, fillies. It is run over a distance of 1,400&n ...

Maisons-Laffitte Maisons-Laffitte () is a Communes of France, commune in the Yvelines Departments of France, department in the northern Île-de-France Regions of France, region of France. It is a part of the affluent outer suburbs of northwestern Paris, from its ...

. She then travelled across the

English Channel The English Channel, also known as the Channel, is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates Southern England from northern France. It links to the southern part of the North Sea by the Strait of Dover at its northeastern end. It is the busi ...

for the

1000 Guineas The 1000 Guineas Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old fillies. It is run on the Rowley Mile at Newmarket over a distance of 1 mile ...

at Newmarket. Racing over a

mile The mile, sometimes the international mile or statute mile to distinguish it from other miles, is a imperial unit, British imperial unit and United States customary unit of length; both are based on the older English unit of Unit of length, le ...

for the first time, jockey Davy Bonilla held her up near the rear of the 18 runner field. She improved her position with three

furlong 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 foot (unit), feet, 220 yards, 40 rod (unit), rods, 10 chain (unit), chains, or a ...

s left to run and let two furlongs out, but she weakened in the final furlong and finished in seventh place. Blue Bunting won the race by three quarters of a length from Together. Head later claimed that the filly's chances had been compromised by the actions of the stalls-handlers, who had loaded her into the stalls too soon. Moonlight Cloud then returned to France for the Prix du Palais-Royal. She started as the odds-on favourite, but finished in second place, beaten by 1½ lengths by Sahpresa. She then gained a narrow victory over African Story in the Prix de la Porte Maillot. Moving back up in class to

Group 1 Group 1 may refer to: * Alkali metal, a chemical element classification for Alkali metal * Group 1 (motorsport), a regulation set of the FIA for series-production touring cars used in motorsport. * Group One Thoroughbred horse races, the leading e ...

, she started at 9/1 for the

. The field of 13 included

July Cup The July Cup is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged three years or older. It is run on the July Course at Newmarket over a distance of 6 furlongs (1,207 me ...

winner Dream Ahead,

Phoenix Stakes The Phoenix Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Ireland open to two-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run at the Curragh over a distance of 6 furlongs (1,207 metres), and it is ...

winner Zoffany, Golden Jubilee Stakes winner Society Rock and three time Prix Maurice de Gheest winner Marchand d'Or. During the early stages of the race jockey

Thierry Jarnet Thierry Jarnet (born 24 March 1967) is a champion thoroughbred flat racing jockey in France who won the title four times between 1992–1995. Jarnet was first apprenticed to Patrick Rago at Maisons-Laffitte and then to Yann Porzier at Chant ...

held Moonlight Cloud up near the rear of the field. She took the lead with a furlong left to run and went clear to win by four lengths from Society Rock, who just beat Marchand D'Or and Genki for second place. In her final race of the season she finished fifth behind Deacon Blues in the British Champions Sprint Stakes at

Ascot Ascot, Ascott or Askot may refer to: Places Australia * Ascot, Queensland, suburb of Brisbane * Ascot, Queensland (Toowoomba Region), a locality * Ascot Park, South Australia, suburb of Adelaide * Ascot (Ballarat), town near Ballarat in Victoria ...

2012: four-year-old season

Moonlight Cloud started her four-year-old season by winning the Prix du Palais-Royal by two lengths from So Long Malpic. She then went to

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 ...

for the Diamond Jubilee Stakes where her opposition included the unbeaten 1/6 favourite Black Caviar and the previous year's winner Society Rock. Near the finish she was closing fast on the then injured leader Black Caviar, but Black Caviar just held on to win by a

head A head is the part of an organism which usually includes the ears, brain, forehead, cheeks, chin, eyes, nose, and mouth, each of which aid in various sensory functions such as sight, hearing, smell, and taste. Some very simple ani ...

from Moonlight Cloud, with Restiadargent a further

neck The neck is the part of the body in many vertebrates that connects the head to the torso. It supports the weight of the head and protects the nerves that transmit sensory and motor information between the brain and the rest of the body. Addition ...

behind in third place. Moonlight Cloud started as the odds-on favourite for the

and won easily by five lengths from Wizz Kid. Racing over a mile for the first time since the

1000 Guineas The 1000 Guineas Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old fillies. It is run on the Rowley Mile at Newmarket over a distance of 1 mile ...

she then finished fourth in 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 ...

, about 1¾ lengths behind winner Excelebration. She then faced just three rivals in the

and started as the 10/11 favourite. Multiple

runner-up Farhh started at 11/8, with Sarkiyla at 12/1 and Caspar Netscher at 14/1. She challenged for the lead with about two furlongs left to run and took the lead one furlong out. Farhh slowly closed in the last 100

yard The yard (symbol: yd) is an English units, English unit of length in both the British imperial units, imperial and US United States customary units, customary systems of measurement equalling 3 foot (unit), feet or 36 inches. Sinc ...

s, but Moonlight Cloud just held him off to win by a head. On her final appearance of the year, Moonlight Cloud was sent to

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

to contest 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 ...

Santa Anita Park Santa Anita Park is a Thoroughbred racetrack in Arcadia, California, United States. It offers some of the prominent horse racing events in the United States during early fall, winter and in spring. The track is home to numerous prestigious race ...

. She started third favourite but was never in contention and finished eighth of the nine runners behind

Wise Dan Wise Dan (foaled February 20, 2007) is a champion American Hall of Fame and Canadian Hall of Fame Thoroughbred racehorse. He is the first horse to win the same three Eclipse Awards in consecutive years, having been named American Horse of the ...

2013: five-year-old season

Moonlight Cloud did not appear as a five-year-old until July, when she contested the Prix de la Porte Maillot at Longchamp. Starting the 9/10 favourite she took the lead inside the last 200 metres and won in impressive style by two and a half lengths from the German colt Amarillo. On 4 August, Moonlight Cloud was matched against the leading British sprinter

Lethal Force Deadly force, also known as lethal force, is the use of force that is likely to cause serious bodily injury or death to another person. In most jurisdictions, the use of deadly force is justified only under conditions of extreme necessity a ...

in the Prix Maurice de Gheest. Jarnet settled the filly behind the leaders before moving forward in the last 400 metres. She overtook Lethal Force 200 metres from the finish and quickened clear to win the race for the third time by one and three quarter lengths. A week later the mare was moved up to 1600m for the Prix Jacques Le Marois, in which she faced a strong field including Dawn Approach, Intello, Elusive Kate and

Declaration of War A declaration of war is a formal act by which one state announces existing or impending war activity against another. The declaration is a performative speech act (or the public signing of a document) by an authorized party of a national gov ...

. She took the lead in the straight and went clear of the field before holding off the late challenge of Olympic Glory to win by a short head. On 6 October, Moonlight Cloud started the odds-on favourite for the Prix de la Forêt over 1400m at Longchamp. Jarnet held the mare up at the back of the field until 400m from the finish. Moonlight Cloud then accelerated past the other ten runners and went clear of the field to win easily by three lengths from the Irish gelding Gordon Lord Byron.

Assessment

At the end of the 2011 Moonlight Cloud was officially rated as the joint 99th best horse in the world, with a rating of 118. In the following year she was rated at 121, making her the 46th best horse in the world.

Retirement

It was announced 8 January 2014 that she would be retired and become a broodmare. This on the heels of the final start in December 2013 in the

Hong Kong Mile The Hong Kong Mile is a Conditions races, Group 1 Flat racing, flat Horse racing, horse race in Hong Kong which is open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run over a distance of 1,600 metres (about 1 mile) at Sha Tin Racecourse, Sha ...

where she finished sixth. She is booked for a breeding session with the noted stallion Galileo.

Pedigree

''Note: b. =

Bay A bay is a recessed, coastal body of water that directly connects to a larger main body of water, such as an ocean, a lake, or another bay. A large bay is usually called a ''gulf'', ''sea'', ''sound'', or ''bight''. A ''cove'' is a small, ci ...

, ch. =

Chestnut The chestnuts are the deciduous trees and shrubs in the genus ''Castanea'', in the beech family Fagaceae. The name also refers to the edible nuts they produce. They are native to temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. Description ...

References

{{Cartier Champion Older Horse 2008 racehorse births Racehorses bred in the United Kingdom Racehorses trained in France Thoroughbred family 4-n Cartier Award winners