Reckless Abandon (foaled 28 March 2010) is a retired British
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. In a racing career which began in May 2012 he won all five of his first-season races including the
Norfolk Stakes 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 ...
, the
Prix Morny
The Prix Morny is a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to two-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run at Deauville over a distance of 1,200 metres (about 6 furlongs), and it is schedule ...
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 ...
and the
Middle Park Stakes
The Middle Park Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to two-year-old colts. It is run on the Rowley Mile at Newmarket over a distance of 6 furlongs (1,207 metres), and it i ...
at
Newmarket. He ended the European season as one of the year's most highly rated two-year-olds. He had training problems in the following season and failed to win although he ran well in several major sprint races. He was retired to stud at the end of 2013 but after having fertility problems returned to the track for three races in 2014.
Background
Reckless Abandon is a bay gelding 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 ...
bred at the Car Colston Hall Stud in
Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire (; abbreviated ''Notts.'') is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands of England. The county is bordered by South Yorkshire to the north-west, Lincolnshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south, and Derbyshire to the west. Th ...
. He is one of the best horses to date sired by the American stallion Exchange Rate, whose other progeny include the
Apple Blossom Handicap
The Apple Blossom Handicap is a Graded stakes race, Grade I American Thoroughbred horse race for filly, fillies and mares that are four years old or older, run under handicap conditions over a distance of one and one-sixteenth miles on the dirt tra ...
winner Ermine.
In September 2011 Reckless Abandon was sent to the Doncaster yearling sale where he was bought for £24,000 by the trainer Clive Cox. The colt passed into the joint ownership of Julie Deadman and Stephen Barrow. Cox took the horse into training at his Beechdown Farm stable at
Lambourn
Lambourn is a village and civil parish in Berkshire, England. It lies just north of the M4 Motorway between Swindon and Newbury, and borders Wiltshire to the west and Oxfordshire to the north. After Newmarket it is the largest centre of r ...
in
Berkshire
Berkshire ( ; abbreviated ), officially the Royal County of Berkshire, is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Oxfordshire to the north, Buckinghamshire to the north-east, Greater London ...
. Reckless Abandon's Fan Club currently consists of many members, and is chaired by his biggest fans Jack Lamport and Matthew Bottrill, who have links with relation Robert Barrow.
Racing career
2012: two-year-old season
Reckless Abandon made his debut on 19 May 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 ...
at
Doncaster Racecourse
Doncaster Racecourse (also known as the Town Moor course) is a racecourse in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England. It hosts two of Great Britain's List of British flat horse races#Group 1, 36 annual Group One, Group 1 flat races, the St Leger ...
in which he started at odds of
6/1 in a field of eighteen runners. Ridden by
Adam Kirby
Adam Kirby (born August 1988) is a retired Group 1-winning British jockey.
He was brought up in Kirtling near Newmarket, on the Cambridgeshire/Suffolk border, where he still lives, and started riding out for James Fanshawe aged 12. He se ...
he led from the start and won by two
lengths despite drifting to the left in the closing stages.
A month after his Doncaster win, Reckless Abandon was moved up in class to contest the
Group Two Norfolk Stakes 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 ...
. He went to the front inside the last quarter mile but veered badly to the left and was headed by the
Aidan O'Brien
Aidan Patrick O'Brien (born 16 October 1969 in County Wexford, Ireland)[ Aidan O'Brien bio NTRA. ...](_blank)
-trained Gale Force Ten, before rallying in the closing stages to win by three quarters of a length. In July, Reckless Abandon was sent to France to contest the Group Two
Prix Robert Papin
The Prix Robert Papin is a Group 2 flat horse race in France open to two-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run at Chantilly over a distance of 1,200 metres (about 6 furlongs), and it ...
at
Maisons-Laffitte Racecourse
The Hippodrome de Maisons-Laffitte at 1 avenue de la Pelouse in the northwestern Parisian suburb of Maisons-Laffitte in France was a turf horse racing facility and track for Thoroughbred flat racing. Opened in 1878 by Joseph Oller, inventor of t ...
. Ridden for the first time by
Gerald Mosse
Gerald is a masculine given name derived from the Germanic languages prefix ''ger-'' ("spear") and suffix ''-wald'' ("rule"). Gerald is a Norman French variant of the Germanic name. An Old English equivalent name was Garweald, the likely original ...
, he took an early lead and was never seriously challenged, winning by one and a half lengths from Sir Prancealot. Reckless Abandon returned to France in August for the Group One
Prix Morny
The Prix Morny is a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to two-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run at Deauville over a distance of 1,200 metres (about 6 furlongs), and it is schedule ...
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 ...
. Mosse sent the colt into the lead from the start and after opening up a clear advantage he held on in the closing stages to win by three quarters of a lengths from
George Vancouver
Captain (Royal Navy), Captain George Vancouver (; 22 June 1757 – 10 May 1798) was a Royal Navy officer and explorer best known for leading the Vancouver Expedition, which explored and charted North America's northwestern West Coast of the Uni ...
. Cox called the colt's victory "a good solid performance".
In September 2012 Reckless Abandon was purchased by
Darley Racing
Darley Racing is a thoroughbred horse racing operations controlled by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Ruler of Dubai and Vice President and Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates. It was launched in 1981. Horses owned include Singspiel ...
in a transaction that included his being leased back to Deadman and Barrow until the end of 2013.
On his final appearance of the year, Reckless Abandon contested the Group One
Middle Park Stakes
The Middle Park Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to two-year-old colts. It is run on the Rowley Mile at Newmarket over a distance of 6 furlongs (1,207 metres), and it i ...
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 13 October. He started 9/4 joint favourite alongside Moohaajim, a colt who had finished only fifth in the Prix Morny but who had since won 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 ...
at
Newbury. Reckless Abandon took the lead in the early stages but was overtaken by Moohaajim inside the final furlong. He rallied "very gamely" to regain the advantage in the last strides and won by a neck.
In the 2012 European Thoroughbred Racehorse Rankings, he was given a rating of 117, placing him in equal third, seven pounds below the top-rated
Dawn Approach
Dawn Approach (foaled 23 April 2010) is an Irish Thoroughbred racehorse. In a racing career which began in March 2012, the colt won all seven of his races including the Coventry Stakes at Royal Ascot, the National Stakes at the Curragh and the ...
and level with
Olympic Glory as the best British-trained two-year-old.
2013: three-year-old season
Reckless Abandon began his three-year-old career in the
Temple Stakes
The Temple Stakes is a Group 2 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged three years or older. It is run at Haydock Park over a distance of 5 furlongs (1,006 metres), and it is scheduled ...
at
Haydock Park Racecourse
Haydock Park Racecourse is a racecourse in Merseyside, North West England. The racecourse is set in an area of parkland bounded by the towns of Haydock to the west, Ashton-in-Makerfield to the north, Golborne to the east and Newton-le-Willows ...
on 25 May. In a closely contested finish he sustained his first defeat as he finished third to
Kingsgate Native. Four weeks later, Reckless Abandon contested 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 ...
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 ...
. He led the field approaching the final furlong, but was overtaken in the closing stages and finished fifth of the nineteen runners, two lengths behind the winner
Sole Power. Reckless Abandon was forced out of the
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 ...
by an abscess and missed the
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 ...
through lameness. He eventually returned in the
Prix de l'Abbaye
The Prix de l'Abbaye de Longchamp is a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to thoroughbreds aged two years or older. It is run at Longchamp over a distance of 1,000 metres (about 5 furlon ...
at Longchamp in October when he finished fifth of the twenty runners behind Maarek.
Retirement
On 14 October it was announced that Reckless Abandon would be retired from racing and would begin his stud career at the Kildangan Stud,
County Kildare
County Kildare () is a Counties of Ireland, county in Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster and is part of the Eastern and Midland Region. It is named after the town of Kildare. Kildare County Council is the Local gove ...
in 2014. In April 2014 it was announced that the horse had experienced fertility problems and had been withdrawn from stud.
2014: four-year-old season
After being
gelded Reckless Abandon returned to training and joined the stable of
Charlie Appleby in Newmarket. He made a promising comeback in August when he finished a close third to Tropics in the Listed
Hopeful Stakes
The Hopeful Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York. Open to two-year-old horses, the Hopeful is the first Grade I stakes for two-year-olds each season and historically has ...
at Newmarket. In September he started favourite for the
Scarbrough Stakes at Doncaster and finished second of the eleven runners, beaten two and a quarter lengths by the three-year-old filly
Mecca's Angel
Mecca's Angel (foaled 11 February 2011) is an Irish-bred, British-trained Thoroughbred racehorse. She was a specialist sprinter who excelled over the minimum distance of five furlongs. She showed promise as a two-year-old in 2013, winning two m ...
. On his final appearance he ran poorly when finishing unplaced in the
Bengough Stakes
The Bengough Stakes is a Group races, Group 3 Flat racing, flat Horse racing, horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged three years or older. It is run at Ascot Racecourse, Ascot over a dist ...
at Ascot on 4 October.
Second retirement
After being retired for a second time Reckless Abandon was retrained to become a
polo pony
A polo pony is a horse used in the game of polo. They may be of any breed or combination of breeds, though many have a significant amount of Thoroughbred breeding. They are called "ponies", but that is a reference to their agile type rather than ...
.
Pedigree
References
{{reflist
2010 racehorse births
Racehorses bred in the United Kingdom
Racehorses trained in the United Kingdom
Thoroughbred family 8-c