Prime Defender (30 March 2004 – 24 July 2012) 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 ...

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 ...

Background

Prime Defender was a chestnut horse with a white blaze bred by Christopher J Mason. He was one of the best horses sired by Bertolini a "high class sprinter" who won the

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 i ...

in 1998. He was trained by

Barry Hills Barry Hills (born 2 April 1937) is a retired British thoroughbred horse trainer. He lives in Lambourn, England. Biography Barry Hills had three sons in his first marriage, to Maureen Newson: John, Michael, and Richard. John (died 2014) was a h ...

in Lambourn and owned by friends Steve Falle, Matt Franklin and James Sumsion.

Racing career

As a three-year-old, Prime Defender won the

European Free Handicap The European Free Handicap was a Listed flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old horses. It was run over a distance of 7 furlongs (1,408 metres) on the Rowley Mile at Newma ...

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 April and the

Sandy Lane Stakes The Sandy Lane Stakes is a Group 2 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged three years only. It is run at Haydock Park over a distance of 6 furlongs (1,207 metres), and it is scheduled ...

Haydock Park Haydock Park Racecourse is a racecourse in Merseyside, North West England. Within the boundaries of the historic county of Lancashire, the racecourse is set in an area of parkland bounded by the towns of Haydock to the west, Ashton-in-Makerfie ...

in May. After a long break without a major win he won the

Cammidge Trophy The Cammidge Trophy is a Listed flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged three years or older. It is run at Doncaster Racecourse Doncaster Racecourse (also known as the Town Moor course) is a race ...

Doncaster Doncaster (, ) is a city in South Yorkshire, England. Named after the River Don, it is the administrative centre of the larger City of Doncaster. It is the second largest settlement in South Yorkshire after Sheffield. Doncaster is situated i ...

in March 2009. He recorded his most important victory as a six-year-old in August 2010 when he won the

Group Two A group is a number of persons or things that are located, gathered, or classed together. Groups of people * Cultural group, a group whose members share the same cultural identity * Ethnic group, a group whose members share the same ethnic ide ...

(

Duke of York Stakes The Duke of York Stakes is a Group 2 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged three years or older. It is run over a distance of 6 furlongs () at York in May. History An ...

). Prime Defender holds the juvenile and overall track record at Wolverhampton.

Stud career

Prime Defender was retired to Hedgeholme Stud in County Durham at the end of the 2011, but after having fertility problems he was returned to training the following year with the Nottinghamshire trainer Michael Appleby. He was being prepared for a return to racing when he died of a heart attack in a training gallop on 24 July 2012.

Pedigree

References

{{reflist * Prime Defender's record from Racing Pos

2004 racehorse births 2012 racehorse deaths Racehorses bred in the United Kingdom Racehorses trained in the United Kingdom Thoroughbred family 4-o