Right Royal (1958–1973) was a French

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 ...

race horse 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 ...

and sire. He was the best two-year-old in France in 1960 when his wins included the

Grand Critérium Grand may refer to: People with the name * Grand (surname) * Grand L. Bush (born 1955), American actor * Grand Mixer DXT, American turntablist * Grand Puba (born 1966), American rapper Places * Grand, Oklahoma * Grand, Vosges, village and commun ...

. He was the dominant three-year-old of his generation in Europe in the spring and summer of 1961, winning the

Poule d'Essai des Poulains Molof (Ampas, Poule, Powle-Ma) is a poorly documented Papuan language spoken by about 200 people in Molof village, Senggi District, Keerom Regency. Classification Wurm (1975) placed it as an independent branch of Trans–New Guinea, but Ros ...

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 ...

and the

King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes The King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged three years or older. It is run at Ascot ...

. Right Royal was defeated in the

Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe The Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe is a Group races, Group 1 Flat racing, flat Horse racing, horse race in France open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run at Longchamp Racec ...

and was retired to stud where he had some success as a breeding stallion.

Background

Right Royal was a brown horse bred in France by his owner Elisabeth Couturié. He was sired by The Derby winner

Owen Tudor Sir Owen Tudor (, 2 February 1461) was a Welsh courtier and the second husband of Queen Catherine of Valois (1401–1437), widow of King Henry V of England. He was the grandfather of Henry VII, founder of the Tudor dynasty. Background O ...

out of Bastia, a mare who never won a race and spent most of her racing career acting as a

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for her more talented stable companion Tahiti, the winner of the 1954

Prix de Diane The Prix de Diane, sometimes referred to as the French Oaks, is a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to three-year-old thoroughbred fillies. It is run at Chantilly over a distance of 2,100 met ...

. Couturié sent her colt into training with Etienne Pollet at Chantilly.

Racing career

1960: two-year-old season

Right Royal won three of his four races as a two-year-old. He won the Prix de la Salamandre and the Grand Critérium at Longchamp. At the end of the year he was rated the best colt of his generation in France.

1961: three-year-old season

On his first appearance as a three-year-old, Right Royal was beaten in the Prix de Fontainebleau in April, after being given a questionable ride by Roger Poincelet. He then re-established himself as the best colt in France by winning the

, the

Prix Lupin The Prix Lupin was a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It was run at Longchamp over a distance of 2,100 metres (about 1 mile and 2½ furlongs), and it was scheduled to take place each year in ...

and the

. In the Prix du Jockey Club he won by three lengths from

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at odds of 9/5. In July, Right Royal was sent to England to contest the

King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes The King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged three years or older. It is run at Ascot ...

in which he was matched against the 1960

Epsom Derby The Derby Stakes, also known as the Epsom Derby or the Derby, and as the Cazoo Derby for sponsorship reasons, is a Group 1 flat horse race in England open to three-year-old colts and fillies. It is run at Epsom Downs Racecourse in Surrey ...

winner

St. Paddy St. Paddy (1957–1984) was a British Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. In 1960, he won both the Epsom Derby and the St Leger. His performances in both 1960 and 1961 were instrumental in making his sire Aureole the Leading sire in Great B ...

. Ridden by

Roger Poincelet Roger Poincelet (3 March 1921 - 1 November 1977) was a French jockey who rode a total of over 3,000 winners in a long career on both the flat and, initially, jumps. He is regarded as one of the finest French jockeys ever. His first win came ...

, he started at odds of 6/4 with St Paddy being made the 4/5 favourite in a race run on rain-softened turf. Right Royal tracked St Paddy until the final furlong when he was moved to the outside and easily accelerated past the English champion, winning by three lengths. In September, Right Royal returned to Longchamp to win the Prix Foy. A month later, in the

, Right Royal started favourite, but finished second of the nineteen runners, beaten two lengths by the Italian colt Molvedo.

Assessment

Right Royal was awarded a rating of 135 by

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 ...

in 1961. In 1961, the Bloodstock Breeders' Review conducted their third Horse of the Year poll. Right Royal won the award, taking 50% of the votes. In their book ''A Century of Champions'', John Randall and Tony Morris rated Right Royal the thirty-second best French horse of the 20th Century.

Stud record

Right Royal had some success as a stallion. He sired the 1969

Irish Derby The Irish Derby ( Irish: Dearbaí na hÉireann) 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 distanc ...

winner Prince Regent and Salvo, who won the

Hardwicke Stakes The Hardwicke Stakes is a Group 2 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged four years or older. It is run at Ascot over a distance of 1 mile 3 furlongs and 211 yards (2,406 metres), and ...

and the

Grosser Preis von Baden The Grosser Preis von Baden is a Group 1 flat horse race in Germany open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run at Baden-Baden over a distance of 2,400 metres (about 1½ miles), and it is sched ...

and finished second in both the King George and the Arc.

Pedigree

References

{{King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes Winners 1958 racehorse births Racehorses trained in France Racehorses bred in France Thoroughbred family 3-f Chefs-de-Race King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes winners