Seventh Heaven (horse)
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Seventh Heaven (foaled 29 March 2013) is an Irish
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. She showed little promise as a two-year-old and was well beaten in
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 ...
s at
Leopardstown Leopardstown (), historically called Ballinlore, is a suburb of Dublin, Republic of Ireland, Ireland, at the foot of the Wicklow Mountains. With institutional lands and a large racecourse, it is divided by the M50 motorway (Ireland), M50 motorw ...
and Newmarket. As a three-year-old she showed improved form as she was moved up in distance, winning a maiden at
Dundalk Dundalk ( ; ) is the county town of County Louth, Ireland. The town is situated on the Castletown River, which flows into Dundalk Bay on the north-east coast of Ireland, and is halfway between Dublin and Belfast, close to and south of the bor ...
and the
Lingfield Oaks Trial The Oaks Trial Stakes is a Listed flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old fillies. It is run over a distance of 1 mile, 3 furlongs and 133 yards () at Lingfi ...
at
Lingfield Lingfield can refer to: * Lingfield, County Durham, England, a village * Lingfield, Surrey, England, a village ** Lingfield Park Racecourse ** Lingfield Cricket Club, prominent in the 18th century ** Lingfield railway station, serving the villag ...
. She ran poorly in The Oaks but then emerged as a top-class performer with wins over strong fields in the
Irish Oaks The Irish Oaks is a Group 1 flat horse race in Ireland open to three-year-old thoroughbred fillies. It is run at the Curragh over a distance of 1 mile and 4 furlongs (2,414 metres), and it ...
and 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 ...
.


Background

Seventh Heaven is a bay filly with no white
markings Marking may refer to: Symbols Marking may refer to human-made symbols and annotations in several contexts: On vehicles * Aircraft marking * Emergency vehicle equipment markings ** Battenburg markings, emergency vehicle patterns * Vehicle marki ...
bred in Ireland by La Traviata Syndicate, a breeding organisation associated with the
Coolmore Stud Coolmore Stud, in Fethard, County Tipperary, Ireland, is the headquarters of one of the world's largest breeding operation of thoroughbred racehorses. Through its racing arm, Ballydoyle, Coolmore also has raced many classic winners and champio ...
. The filly was sent into training with
Aidan O'Brien Aidan Patrick O'Brien (born 16 October 1969 in County Wexford, Ireland) Aidan O'Brien bio NTRA. ...
at
Ballydoyle Ballydoyle is a racehorse training facility located in County Tipperary in Ireland. It is a sister thoroughbred facility to Coolmore Stud, and both are owned by John Magnier, son in law to the racehorse trainer Vincent O'Brien. The current trai ...
. Like many Coolmore horses, the official details of her ownership have changed from race to race: she has sometimes been listed as being the property of Derrick Smith, whilst on other occasions she has been described as being owned by a partnership of Smith,
Michael Tabor Michael Barry Tabor (born 28 October 1941) is a British racehorse owner. As a partner in Coolmore Stud, he is one of only four racehorse owners to have won both the Epsom Derby and the Kentucky Derby. Tabor has extensive business interest ...
and
Susan Magnier John Magnier (born 10 February 1948) is an Irish business magnate. He is a leading thoroughbred stud owner and has extensive business interests outside the horse-breeding industry. Magnier was a senator in the upper house of the Oireachtas, S ...
. She was sired by
Galileo Galileo di Vincenzo Bonaiuti de' Galilei (15 February 1564 – 8 January 1642), commonly referred to as Galileo Galilei ( , , ) or mononymously as Galileo, was an Italian astronomer, physicist and engineer, sometimes described as a poly ...
(1998―2021), who won the
Derby Derby ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area on the River Derwent, Derbyshire, River Derwent in Derbyshire, England. Derbyshire is named after Derby, which was its original co ...
,
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 dista ...
and
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 2001. Galileo went on to become one of the world's leading stallions and was champion sire of Great Britain and Ireland five times. His other progeny include Found, Cape Blanco,
Frankel Frankel is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Benjamin Frankel (1906–1973), British composer * Bethenny Frankel (born 1970), American chef and reality television personality * Charles Frankel (1917–1975), American philoso ...
,
Golden Lilac Golden Lilac is an Irish-bred, French-trained Thoroughbred racehorse. She won her first six races including the Poule d'Essai des Pouliches and the Prix de Diane as a three-year-old in 2011. In May 2012, she defeated Cirrus des Aigles to win the ...
,
Nathaniel Nathaniel is an English variant of the biblical Hebrew name A name is a term used for identification by an external observer. They can identify a class or category of things, or a single thing, either uniquely, or within a given context. ...
,
New Approach New Approach (foaled 18 February 2005) is a retired Irish Thoroughbred racehorse and active stallion. In a racing career which lasted from July 2007 to October 2008 he ran eleven times and won eight races. He was undefeated in five races as a tw ...
,
Rip Van Winkle "Rip Van Winkle" () is a short story by the American author Washington Irving, first published in 1819. It follows a Dutch-American villager in Colonial history of the United States, colonial America named Rip Van Winkle who meets mysterious Du ...
,
Ruler of the World Ruler of the World (foaled 17 March 2010) is an Irish Thoroughbred racehorse who won The Derby in 2013. He was unraced as a two-year-old. In 2013, he won a maiden race at the Curragh and the Group Three Chester Vase before winning the De ...
, and Minding. Seventh Heaven's dam La Traviata was bought as a two-year-old at the
Fasig-Tipton The Fasig-Tipton Company, Inc. is an American auction house for Thoroughbred horses. Founded in 1898, it is the oldest auction company of its kind in North America. The company has offices in Lexington, Kentucky, Elkton, Maryland, and Saratoga ...
Calder sale in February 2006 for $1.1 million by the bloodstock agent Dermot "Demi" O'Byrne on behalf of Coolmore. She showed good form in a brief racing career, winning three of her races in the United States in 2007 including the Grade III Victory Ride Stakes. She was descended from the American broodmare Miel, making her a distant relative of
Rodrigo de Triano Rodrigo de Triano (foaled 27 May 1989 – 5 August 2014) was an American-bred, English-trained Thoroughbred Champion racehorse. Background Foaled in Kentucky, and bred and raced by leading British horseman, Robert Sangster, he was out of the ma ...
and
Shaadi Shaadi may refer to: * A Shaadi is the generic term for an Indian or Pakistani wedding * Shaadi.com, an Indian matrimonial website * ''Shaadi'' (1962 film), a 1962 Indian film * ''Shaadi'' (1941 film), a 1941 Bollywood film * Shaadi (horse) ...
. As a broodmare La Traviata has also produced 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 ...
winner
Crusade The Crusades were a series of religious wars initiated, supported, and at times directed by the Papacy during the Middle Ages. The most prominent of these were the campaigns to the Holy Land aimed at reclaiming Jerusalem and its surrounding t ...
.


Racing career


2015: two-year-old season

Seventh Heaven began her racing career in 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
Leopardstown Racecourse Leopardstown Racecourse is a horse-racing course in Leopardstown, approximately south of Dublin city centre, in Ireland. Like the majority of Irish courses, it hosts both National Hunt and Flat racing. Built by Captain George Quin and modell ...
on 12 September in which she finished seventh of the thirteen runners behind Anamba. Two weeks later she was sent to England for a similar event 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 ...
and started the 5/2 second favourite. She never looked likely to win but stayed on in the closing stages to finish fourth behind First Victory.


2016: three-year-old season


Spring

On her three-year-old debut Seventh Heaven contested a one-mile maiden on the
Polytrack The track surface of a horse racing track refers to the material of which the track is made. There are three types of track surfaces used in modern horse racing. These are: *Turf, the most common track surface in Europe *Dirt, the most common trac ...
surface at
Dundalk Racecourse Dundalk Stadium is a horse and greyhound racing venue in Ireland. It is located to the north of Dundalk in County Louth. The total build cost €35million with a modern grandstand, elevated viewing areas, restaurant and bars. Horse racing T ...
on 18 April in which she was ridden by
Seamie Heffernan James Anthony "Seamie" Heffernan (born 17 July 1972) is an Irish flat racing jockey associated for most of his career with the stable of horse racing trainer Aidan O'Brien. From a family with no racing connections, Heffernan was introduced to t ...
. Starting the odds-on favourite in an eleven-runner field she took the lead approaching the final furlong and won by three and a quarter lengths from the
Dermot Weld Dermot K. Weld (born 29 July 1948), in Kildare, is a former jockey, and one of Ireland's most successful racehorse trainers, setting the record in 2000 for the most winners trained in Ireland with 2,578. He won the Irish Flat Training Champion ...
-trained Heartful. The filly was then moved up in class and distance for the Listed Oaks Trial Stakes over eleven and a half furlongs at
Lingfield Park Lingfield Park Racecourse (commonly referred to as Lingfield) is a horse racing course at Lingfield in Surrey, United Kingdom. It is owned by the ARC Racing and Leisure Group, formerly Arena Leisure Plc. Lingfield is best known as a winter ...
7 May. Ridden by Ryan Moore she started 15/8 favourite in a five runners field which included the highly regarded British-trained fillies Mountain Bell (a ten length winner of a maiden at
Windsor Windsor may refer to: Places *Detroit–Windsor, Michigan-Ontario, USA-Canada, North America; a cross-border metropolitan region Australia New South Wales *Windsor, New South Wales ** Municipality of Windsor, a former local government area Queen ...
) and Architecture. Seventh Heaven tracked the leader Mountain Bell before taking the lead in the last quarter mile and getting the better of what was described by the ''
Racing Post ''Racing Post'' is a British daily horse racing, greyhound racing, and sports betting publisher published in print and digital formats. It is printed in tabloid format from Monday to Sunday. , it has an average daily circulation of 60,629 ...
'' as a "sustained duel" with Architecture to win by a neck. After the race Moore said "She didn't like the ground or the track and she's still won. She's a good filly and she'll have learned plenty".


Summer

The
Epsom Oaks The Oaks Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old fillies. It is run at Epsom Downs over a distance of 1 mile, 4 furlongs and 6 ya ...
on 5 June saw Seventh Heaven start a 20/1 outsider in a field headed by her stablemate Minding. After tracking the leaders she dropped from contention in the straight and finished sixth of the eight finishers, thirty-three lengths behind Minding, who won from Architecture and Harlequeen. On 16 July, Seventh Heaven (ridden by Heffernan) faced Architecture and Harlequeen again in the Irish Oaks at the
Curragh The Curragh ( ; ) is a flat open plain in County Kildare, Ireland. This area is well known for horse breeding and training. The Irish National Stud is on the edge of Kildare town, beside the Japanese Gardens. Pollardstown Fen, the larges ...
and started a 14/1 outsider. The O'Brien stable fielded three other runners: the
Ribblesdale Stakes The Ribblesdale Stakes is a Group 2 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old fillies. It is run at Ascot over a distance of 1 mile 3 furlongs and 211 yards (2,406 metres), and it i ...
winner Even Song, ridden by Moore, who started odds-on favourite, the Munster Oaks winner Pretty Perfect and the Cheshire Oaks winner Somehow. The best of the other five runners appeared to be Turret Rocks (
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 ...
) and Ajman Princess (runner-up in the Ribblesdale). Seventh Heaven raced at the rear of the field as Pretty Perfect made the running but began to make progress as the runners approached the final turn. She was switched to the left to make her challenge in the straight, recovered from a minor bump, and moved up to take the lead just inside the final furlong. She drew away in the final strides and won by two and three quarter lengths from Architecture, with Harlequeen a length and a quarter back in third. Aidan O'Brien, who was winning the race for the fifth time, nominated the Yorkshire Oaks as the filly's most likely next objective saying "She’ll love the flat track. She's a lovely, big, flowing Galileo filly". Seventh Heaven was matched against older fillies and mares for the first time when she contested 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 ...
at
York Racecourse York Racecourse is a horse racing venue in York, North Yorkshire, England. It is the third biggest racecourse in Britain in terms of total prize money offered, and second behind Ascot Racecourse, Ascot in prize money offered per meeting. It att ...
on 18 August. Ridden by Colm O'Donoghue she started the 100/30 second favourite behind her four-year-old stablemate Found who was returning from a two-month absence. Even Song, Harlequeen, Turret Rocks and Pretty Perfect were again in opposition, whilst the other runners included Queen's Trust (runner-up to Minding in the
Nassau Stakes The Nassau Stakes is a Group races, Group 1 Flat racing, flat Horse racing, horse race in Great Britain open to Filly, fillies and mares aged three years or older. It is run at ...
), Endless Time (
Lancashire Oaks The Lancashire Oaks is a Group 2 flat horse race in Great Britain open to fillies and mares aged three years or older. It is run at Haydock Park over a distance of 1 mile, 3 furlongs and 175 yards ...
) and the multiple South American
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 ...
winner Furia Cruzada. As in her run at the Curragh, Seventh Heaven was held up at the rear of the field before making a forward move entering the straight. Pretty Perfect who had led for most of the way, was overtaken by Queen's Trust two furlongs out but Seventh Heaven gained the advantage a furlong out. Seventh Heaven stayed on strongly in the closing stages and won by two and three quarter lengths from Found, with Queen's Trust in third place. After the race O'Donoghue said "She's tough and genuine and has a great temperament and a beautiful action" whilst O'Brien commented "She's a beautiful traveler and is a massive, rangy filly that handles fast ground very well. I'd say she's going to make a real 4-year-old, because she's big and rangy."


Autumn

On 15 October Seventh Heaven, ridden by Moore, started 5/4 favourite for the British Champions Fillies & Mares Stakes over one and a half miles at
Ascot Racecourse 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 Grade ...
. Drawn on the far outside of the thirteen-runner field she tracked across to the rail soon after the start to race along the inside. After repeatedly struggling to obtain a clear run, she was switched to the outside in the straight but never looked likely to win and finished fifth behind Journey. In November she was sent to the United States for the
Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf The Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf is a Weight for Age Thoroughbred horse race on turf for fillies and mares, three years old and up. It is held annually at a different racetrack in the United States as part of the Breeders' Cup World Championsh ...
over ten furlongs at
Santa Anita Park Santa Anita Park is a Thoroughbred racetrack in Arcadia, California, United States. It offers some of the prominent horse racing events in the United States during early fall, winter and in spring. The track is home to numerous prestigious race ...
. She started the 7/2 second favourite and stayed on in the straight to finish fourth behind Queen's Trust,
Lady Eli Lady Eli (foaled February 2, 2012 in Kentucky) is a retired Thoroughbred racehorse who was named the American Champion Female Turf Horse of 2017. She first came to national attention when she won the 2014 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf. She ...
and Avenge.


2017: four-year-old season

For her four-year-old debut Seventh Heaven was sent to the United Arab Emirates to contest the Sheema Classic at
Meydan Racecourse Meydan Racecourse is a racecourse in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The grandstand is a half mile in length, and can accommodate over 60,000 spectators. Meydan opened on 27 March 2010, replacing Nad Al Sheba Racecourse, which formerly occu ...
on 25 March. Ridden by Heffernan, she started lowly but stayed on strongly in the closing stages to finish second to
Jack Hobbs Sir John Berry Hobbs (16 December 1882 – 21 December 1963) was an English professional cricketer who played for Surrey from 1905 to 1934 and for England in 61 Test matches between 1908 and 1930. Known as "The Master", he is widely regarded ...
with Postponed in third and Highland Reel last of the seven runners. On her return to Europe she was dropped from Group 1 class for the first time in a year and started odds-on favourite for the Group 2 Jockey Club Stakes 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 ...
in which she was ridden by Moore. She took the lead approaching the final furlong and drew right away from her rivals to win by five lengths from the French horse One Foot in Heaven (winner of the
Prix du Conseil de Paris The Prix du Conseil de Paris is a Group 2 flat horse race in France open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run at Longchamp over a distance of 2,400 metres (about miles), and it is sc ...
).


Pedigree


References

{{Reflist


External links


Career 1-2-3 Colour Chart
– ''Seventh Heaven'' 2013 racehorse births Racehorses bred in Ireland Racehorses trained in Ireland Irish Classic Race winners Thoroughbred family 20-a