Reams Of Verse
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Reams of Verse (23 April 1994 – 2009) was an American-bred, British-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 and
broodmare A mare is an adult female horse or other equine. In most cases, a mare is a female horse over the age of three, and a filly is a female horse three and younger. In Thoroughbred horse racing, a mare is defined as a female horse more than four ...
best known for winning The Oaks in 1997. In a racing career which lasted from July 1996 to October 1997 the
filly A filly is a female horse that is too young to be called a mare. There are two specific definitions in use: *In most cases, a ''filly'' is a female horse under four years old. *In some nations, such as the United Kingdom and the United States ...
won five of the nine races she ran. Reams of Verse was one of the leading European two-year-old fillies of 1996 when she won three of her four races, including the
May Hill Stakes The May Hill Stakes is a Group 2 flat horse race Horse racing is an equestrian performance activity, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven witho ...
at
Doncaster Doncaster ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in South Yorkshire, England. Named after the River Don, Yorkshire, River Don, it is the administrative centre of the City of Doncaster metropolitan borough, and is the second largest se ...
and the
Fillies' Mile The Fillies' Mile is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to two-year-old fillies. It is run on the Rowley Mile at Newmarket over a distance of 1 mile (1,609 metres), and it is sc ...
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 ...
. She was unplaced in 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 ...
the following spring but then won the
Musidora Stakes The Musidora Stakes is a Group 3 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old fillies. It is run over a distance of 1 mile, 2 furlongs and 56 yards ( ...
at
York York is a cathedral city in North Yorkshire, England, with Roman Britain, Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers River Ouse, Yorkshire, Ouse and River Foss, Foss. It has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a Yor ...
and the
Classic A classic is an outstanding example of a particular style; something of Masterpiece, lasting worth or with a timeless quality; of the first or Literary merit, highest quality, class, or rank – something that Exemplification, exemplifies its ...
Oaks over one and a half miles at
Epsom Epsom is a town in the borough of Epsom and Ewell in Surrey, England, about south of central London. The town is first recorded as ''Ebesham'' in the 10th century and its name probably derives from that of a Anglo-Saxon settlement of Britain ...
. She was beaten in her two remaining races, finishing fourth in the
Yorkshire Oaks The Yorkshire Oaks is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to fillies and mares aged three years or older. It is run at York over a distance of 1 mile ...
and third in the
Sun Chariot Stakes The Sun Chariot Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to fillies and mares aged three years or older. It is run on the Rowley Mile at Newmarket over a distance of 1 mile (1,60 ...
.


Background

Reams of Verse was a chestnut mare with a white
star A star is a luminous spheroid of plasma (physics), plasma held together by Self-gravitation, self-gravity. The List of nearest stars and brown dwarfs, nearest star to Earth is the Sun. Many other stars are visible to the naked eye at night sk ...
and one white
sock A sock is a piece of clothing worn on the feet and often covering the ankle or some part of the Calf (leg), calf. Some types of shoes or boots are typically worn over socks. In ancient times, socks were made from leather or matted animal hair. ...
, bred in Kentucky by her owner Khalid Abdulla's
Juddmonte Farms Juddmonte Farms is a horse breeding farm, owned until his death on 12 January 2021 by Prince Khalid bin Abdullah of Saudi Arabia. National Thoroughbred Racing Association"Juddmonte Farms, Inc.", profile. Retrieved October 16, 2007. Overview J ...
. Reams of Verse was sired by the disqualified
2000 Guineas The 2000 Guineas Stakes is a Group 1 flat race in Great Britain open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run on the Rowley Mile at Newmarket over a distance of 1 mile (1.6 km) and scheduled to take place each yea ...
winner Nureyev out of the Roberto mare Modena. Apart from Reams of Verse, Nureyev sired the winners of at least forty-five
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 ...
/
Grade I In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, H ...
including
Peintre Celebre Peintre Celebre (17 March 1994 – 19 October 2018) was an American-bred, French-trained champion thoroughbred racehorse. He won the French Derby and the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe in 1997. Background Peintre Celebre was bred and owned by busi ...
, Spinning World, Zilzal,
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
Miesque Miesque ( ; March 14, 1984 – January 20, 2011) was a champion Thoroughbred racemare. At age three, she was a dual Classic winner in France and Britain, then went on to win the Breeders' Cup Mile in America. Her four-year-old campaign was highl ...
. His career as a stallion has been described as "outstanding". Modena had previously produced the
Eclipse Stakes The Eclipse Stakes is a Group races, Group 1 Flat racing, flat Horse racing, horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged three years or older. It is run at Sandown ...
winner Elmaamul and was a half-sister to Zaizafon, the dam of the
2000 Guineas The 2000 Guineas Stakes is a Group 1 flat race in Great Britain open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run on the Rowley Mile at Newmarket over a distance of 1 mile (1.6 km) and scheduled to take place each yea ...
winner
Zafonic Zafonic (1 April 1990 – 7 September 2002) was a European Thoroughbred racehorse bred in Kentucky. He was the 1992 European Champion Two-Year-Old Colt and won the following year's 2,000 Guineas. Background Zafonic was sired by the Mr. P ...
. Another, half-sister, Midsummer, produced the racemare
Midday Noon (also known as noontime or midday) is 12 o'clock in the daytime. It is written as 12 noon, 12:00 m. (for '' meridiem'', literally 12:00 midday), 12 p.m. (for ''post meridiem'', literally "after midday"), 12 pm, or 12:00 (using a 24-hour cloc ...
, the winner of six Group One races. Reams of Verse was sent to England for her racing career and was trained by
Henry Cecil Sir Henry Richard Amherst Cecil (11 January 1943 – 11 June 2013) was a British flat racing horse trainer. Cecil was very successful, becoming Champion Trainer ten times and training 25 domestic Classic winners. These comprised four winners o ...
at his Warren Place stables 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


1996: two-year-old season

On her first appearance, Reams of Verse started 5/4 favourite for a seven
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 ...
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 ...
at Newmarket in July. She took the lead in the last quarter of a mile but was caught in the closing stages and beaten a neck by Ovation. In a similar event over the same course and distance a month later, Reams of Verse recorded her first win, beating Bint Baladee by a neck at odds of 4/7. In September, the filly was moved up in class and distance for the Group Three May Hill Stakes over one mile at Doncaster's
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 ...
meeting. Ridden by
Pat Eddery Patrick James John Eddery (18 March 1952 – 10 November 2015) was an Irish flat racing jockey and trainer. He rode three winners of the Derby and was Champion Jockey on eleven occasions. He rode the winners of 4,632 British flat races, a f ...
, she took the lead approaching the final furlong and won by two lengths from Dame Laura. On her final appearance of the year, Reams of Verse was promoted to Group One level for the Fillies' Mile at Ascot, where she started third favourite behind her stable companion Sleepytime and the
Prestige Stakes The Prestige Stakes is a Group 3 flat horse race in Great Britain open to two-year-old fillies. It is run at Goodwood over a distance of 7 furlongs (1,408 metres), and it is scheduled to take plac ...
winner Red Camellia.
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 ...
restrained the filly in the early stages before challenging for the lead in the straight. Reams of Verse went to the front a furlong from the finish and despite hanging to the right in the closing stages, she stayed on to win from Khassah, with Sleepytime an apparently unlucky third.


1997: three-year-old season

Reams of Verse missed the early trial races in 1997 as she had suffered from a cough and Cecil felt that she would be unsuited by the prevailing firm ground. She therefore began her three-year-old season in 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 on 4 May. She was not among the favourites, starting at odds of 11/1, and finished sixth of the fifteen runners behind Sleepytime. Nine days after her run at Newmarket, Reams of Verse was moved up to ten furlongs for the Musidora Stakes (a trial race for the Epsom Oaks) at York. She was ridden for the first time by Cecil's new stable jockey
Kieren Fallon Kieren Francis Fallon (born 22 February 1965 in Crusheen, County Clare, Ireland) is a retired Irish professional flat racing jockey and was British flat racing Champion Jockey, British Champion Jockey six times. Care ...
, who had been impressed by the filly's performances in training. Reams of Verse took the lead in the straight and drew clear of her opponents to win by eleven lengths, and was immediately the subject of heavy betting for the Oaks three weeks later. On 6 June at Epsom, Reams of Verse started 5/6 favourite for the Oaks against eleven other fillies, despite fears that her pedigree lacked the stamina influences needed for the race. Her main rivals in the betting were her stable companion Yashmak (winner of the Fillies' Trial Stakes) and the Irish-trained
Ebadiyla Ebadiyla (foaled 24 March 1994) was an Irish Thoroughbred racehorse and broodmare. Bred and owned by the Aga Khan and trained by John Oxx she was unraced as a two-year-old in 1996 but quickly established herself as a very promising filly in the ...
. Reams of Verse was hampered in the straight as Fallon struggled to obtain room for a challenge and had to switch to the outside. Once in the clear, the filly finished strongly to take the lead inside the final furlong and took the classic by one and a half lengths from Gazelle Royale and Crown of Light. After the race, Fallon claimed that he was never worried, as he trusted in the filly's "turn of foot" (acceleration). After a break of well over two months, Reams of Verse reappeared against older fillies in the Yorkshire Oaks. She started 4/7 favourite but never reached the lead and weakened in the closing stages to finish fourth behind the four-year-old My Emma. After the race, Cecil expressed his view that the filly did not truly stay the mile and a half distance and that "it was only her class that got her through in the psomOaks." Following another break, Reams of Verse ran in the Sun Chariot Stakes (then a Group Two race) at Newmarket in October. Fallon restrained the 9/4 favourite in the early stages before moving forward a quarter of the mile from the finish. Reams of Verse made no further progress and finished third of the eight runners behind
One So Wonderful One So Wonderful (4 May 1994 – 6 February 2012) was a British Thoroughbred racehorse and broodmare. A temperamental filly who was sometimes difficult to train, she is best known for winning the International Stakes in 1998. After winning on he ...
.


Assessment and honours

The independent
Timeform Timeform is a sports data and content provider located in Halifax, West Yorkshire, England. Founded in 1948, it provides systematic information on form to punters and others involved in the horse racing industry. The company was purchased by th ...
organisation gave Reams of Verse a rating of 121. In their book, ''A Century of Champions'', based on the Timeform rating system, John Randall and Tony Morris rated Reams of Verse an "inferior" winner of the Oaks.


Stud record

Reams of Verse was retired to become a broodmare for Juddmonte Farms. She had some success at stud, producing several winners including Eagle Poise, whose successes included the Valedictory Stakes at
Woodbine Racetrack Woodbine Racetrack is a race track for Thoroughbred horse racing in the Etobicoke area of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Owned by Woodbine Entertainment Group, Woodbine Racetrack manages and hosts Canada's most famous race, the King's Plate. The track ...
in 2011. Her son World Domination (by Empire Maker) was regarded as a potential classic winner in 2011, but did not live up to expectations. Her daughter Ithaca produced the
Celebration Mile The Celebration Mile is a Group 2 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged three years or older. It is run at Goodwood over a distance of 1 mile (1,609 metres), and it is scheduled to ...
winner Zacinto. 2001 Ithaca (USA) : Chesnut filly, foaled 17 January, by Distant View (USA) – won 1 race and 2nd G3 Prestige Stakes, Goodwood; 3rd LR Distaff Stakes, Sandown; 3rd LR Sceptre Stakes, Doncaster from 10 starts in England 2003–04 – dam of Zacinto (GB) won G2 Celebration Mile, Goodwood 2003 General Knowledge (USA) : Chesnut gelding, foaled 25 April, by Diesis (GB) – won 3 races in France and England 2006–08 2004 Many Volumes (USA) : Bay colt, foaled 18 April, by Chester House (USA) – won 4 races including LR Gala Stakes, Sandown; 2nd LR Wolferton Stakes, Royal Ascot; 3rd LR Foundation Stakes, Goodwood from 18 starts in England 2006–08 2006 Eagle Poise (USA) : Bay gelding, foaled 1 January, by Empire Maker (USA) – won 1 race G3 Valedictory Stakes, Woodbine; 2nd G2 San Juan Capistrano Handicap, Santa Anita; 2nd G3 Valedictory Stakes, Woodbine from 16 starts in Canada and U.S.A. 2009–13 2008 World Domination (USA) : Bay colt, foaled 25 March, by Empire Maker (USA) – won 1 race and 4th G2 Dante Stakes, York from 7 starts in England 2011–13


Pedigree


References

{{Epsom Oaks Winners 1994 racehorse births Racehorses bred in Kentucky Racehorses trained in the United Kingdom Thoroughbred family 9-e Epsom Oaks winners