Pentire (12 April 1992 – 20 November 2017) was a British

Thoroughbred The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word ''thoroughbred'' is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed. Thoroughbreds are c ...

racehorse Horse racing is an equestrian performance sport, 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 basic pr ...

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" a ...

Background

Pentire was bred by

Lord Halifax Edward Frederick Lindley Wood, 1st Earl of Halifax, (16 April 1881 – 23 December 1959), known as The Lord Irwin from 1925 until 1934 and The Viscount Halifax from 1934 until 1944, was a senior British Conservative politician of the 19 ...

, he was purchased for 54,000 guineas by Mollers Racing, the racing stable Trust of brothers Eric and Budgie Moller.

Racing career

Trained by Geoff Wragg, at age two Pentire's best result in a conditions race was a third in the

Richmond Stakes The Richmond Stakes is a Group 2 flat horse race in Great Britain open to two-year-old colts and geldings. It is run at Goodwood over a distance of 6 furlongs (1,207 metres), and it is schedul ...

. At age three in 1995, the colt had an outstanding year that included twice beating the brilliant runner,

Singspiel A Singspiel (; plural: ; ) is a form of German-language music drama, now regarded as a genre of opera. It is characterized by spoken dialogue, which is alternated with ensembles, songs, ballads, and arias which were often strophic, or folk-like ...

. Pentire made seven starts, winning six and earning a strong second to

Lammtarra Lammtarra (2 February 1992 7 July 2014) was an American-bred, British-trained Thoroughbred racehorse. He was undefeated in his career and won three Group One races in 1995, in which year he was voted the Cartier Three-Year-Old European Champi ...

in Britain's most prestigious all-age race, 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 ...

King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Diamond Stakes. In 1996, Pentire came back to a dominating win in the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Diamond Stakes and earned a Timeform rating of 132 for the second straight year. On 6 October Pentire ran tenth to winner Helissio in the 1996 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe in

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

and then in what would be his final race, finished eighth to Singspiel in the

Japan Cup The is one of the most prestigious horse races in Japan. It is contested on the last Sunday of November, post time of 15:40 at Tokyo Racecourse in Fuchu, Tokyo at a distance of 2400 meters (about miles) run under weight for age conditions with ...

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.468 ...

Stud career

Purchased for breeding purposes by

Teruya Yoshida is a thoroughbred breeding facility located in Abira on the island of Hokkaido in Japan. The farm was begun in the late 1970s to early 1980s by the late Zenya Yoshida, and is now run jointly by his sons (Katsumi, Haruya, and Teruya Yoshida), known ...

, owner of one of Japan's preeminent breeding operations,

Shadai Farm is a thoroughbred breeding facility located in Abira, Hokkaidō, Abira on the island of Hokkaido in Japan. The farm was begun in the late 1970s to early 1980s by the late Zenya Yoshida, and is now run jointly by his sons (Katsumi, Haruya, and Teruy ...

, Pentire was retired to stud in 1997 at his owner's farm and also stood that year in New Zealand. In 2004 he was sent to a breeding operation in Germany. From 2005, Pentire was the foundation sire at Rich Hill Stud,

Walton, New Zealand Walton is a settlement in New Zealand. It is sited at the junction of Walton Road and Morrinsville Walton Road, in the Central Waikato Region. The Walton Golf Club is 2 kilometres from the centre of the village. Industry The area is predomin ...

. He sired over 300 winners and 25 stakes winners. His most notable progeny include the New Zealand gallopers: * Mufhasa:, 2011 winner of the 2009 and 2011 Telegraph Handicap and Waikato Sprint, 2010

Otaki-Maori Weight for Age The Otaki-Maori Weight For Age Stakes is a group 1 flat horse race held at Otaki racecourse in New Zealand, racing under the name El Cheapo Cars WFA Classic. History The race is held annually in February and is run under weight for age (WFA) ...

, 2011 Makfi Challenge Stakes, Toorak Handicap,

Captain Cook Stakes The Captain Cook Stakes is a Group 1 Thoroughbred horse race run at weight-for-age over a distance of 1,600 metres (1 mile) at Trentham Racecourse in Wellington, New Zealand. Over the years the race has been won by great New Zealand racehorses suc ...

, 2012 Futurity Stakes (MRC) and

Windsor Park Plate The Arrowfield Stud Plate is a New Zealand Thoroughbred horse race run at Hastings Racecourse in Hawke's Bay. The race is registered as the Horlicks Plate and has been previously known as: * the Windsor Park Plate. In 2022 the race sponsor and na ...

. New Zealand Horse of the Year in 2009 and 2011. * Penny Gem: winner of the 2003

. * Prince of Penzance: winner of the 2014

Moonee Valley Cup The Moonee Valley Gold Cup is a registered Moonee Valley Racing Club Group 2 Thoroughbred horse race for horses aged four-years-old and upwards under Set Weights with penalties conditions, over a distance of 2,500 metres, held annually at Moone ...

and 2015 Melbourne Cup. *

Xcellent Xcellent (foaled 29 November 2001 in New Zealand) is a thoroughbred racehorse who was trained by Michael & Paul Moroney. He won 6 races from his first 9 career starts, including four Group Ones - The New Zealand Derby and New Zealand Stakes at ...

: winner of the 2004

New Zealand Derby The New Zealand Derby is a set-weights Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds, run over a distance of 2,400 metres (12 furlongs) at Ellerslie Racecourse in Auckland, New Zealand. It is held on the first Saturday in March, as the opening day o ...

, 2005 Kelt Capital Stakes,

New Zealand Stakes The New Zealand Stakes currently run as the Bonecrusher New Zealand Stakes is a Group One thoroughbred horse race in New Zealand. It is run at Ellerslie racecourse on the final day of the Auckland Cup Week Carnival in March for a stake of $200,0 ...

and Mudgway Stakes. New Zealand Horse of the Year in 2005 and 2006. * Xtravagant.

Death

On 20 November 2017 Pentire died aged 25 at Rich Hill Stud in

Waikato, New Zealand Waikato () is a local government region of the upper North Island of New Zealand. It covers the Waikato District, Waipa District, Matamata-Piako District, South Waikato District and Hamilton City, as well as Hauraki, Coromandel Peninsula, t ...

as a result of an internal tumour.

Pedigree

References

{{King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes Winners 1992 racehorse births 2017 racehorse deaths Racehorses bred in Kentucky Racehorses trained in the United Kingdom Thoroughbred family 1-l King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes winners New Zealand Thoroughbred sires