Shiva (born 22 April 1995) was a Japanese-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 ...
. In a racing career which was delayed and repeatedly interrupted by training problems she won four of her ten races between May 1998 and October 2000. Unraced as a two-year-old, she won her only start at three and emerged as a top-class middle distance performer in the spring of 1999 with wins in the
Earl of Sefton Stakes
The Earl of Sefton Stakes is a Group 3 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged four years or older. It is run over a distance of 1 mile and 1 furlong (1,811 metr ...
and
Tattersalls Gold Cup
The Tattersalls Gold Cup is a Group 1 flat horse race in Ireland open to thoroughbreds aged four years or older. It is run at the Curragh over a distance of 1 mile, 2 furlongs and 110 yards (2,1 ...
and went on to finish second in the
Champion Stakes
The Champion Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run at Ascot over a distance of 1 mile 1 furlong a ...
in autumn. As a five-year-old she recorded an emphatic win in the
Brigadier Gerard Stakes
The Brigadier Gerard Stakes is a Group 3 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged four years or older. It is run at Sandown Park over a distance of 1 mile 1 furlong and 209 yards (), an ...
and then finished third in a strongly contested edition of 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 ...
. After her retirement from racing she had some success as a dam of winners.
Background
Shiva was a chestnut mare with a narrow white
blaze bred in Japan by
Northern Farm in partnership with
Stavros Niarchos
Stavros Spyrou Niarchos (, ; 3 July 1909 – 15 April 1996) was a Greek billionaire shipping tycoon. Starting in 1952, he had the world's biggest supertankers built for his fleet. Propelled by both the Suez Crisis and increasing demand for oil, ...
.
During her racing career she was trained in
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 ...
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 ...
. She raced in the colours of the Niarchos Family who inherited the racing and breeding interests of Stavros Niarchos when the Greek shipping tycoon died in 1996.
She was sired by Hector Protector, an American-bred stallion who won five
Group 1 Group 1 may refer to:
* Alkali metal, a chemical element classification for Alkali metal
* Group 1 (motorsport), a regulation set of the FIA for series-production touring cars used in motorsport.
* Group One Thoroughbred horse races, the leading e ...
races in France including the
Gran Criterium
The Gran Criterium is a Group 2 flat horse race in Italy open to two-year-old thoroughbred Colt (horse) entire colts only . It is run at Milan over a distance of 1,500 metres (about 1 mile), and it is scheduled to take place each year in October ...
,
Poule d'Essai des Poulains
Molof (Ampas, Poule, Powle-Ma) is a poorly documented Papuan languages, Papuan language spoken by about 200 people in :id:Molof, Senggi, Keerom, Molof village, Senggi District, Keerom Regency.
Classification
Stephen Wurm, Wurm (1975) placed it a ...
and
Prix Jacques Le Marois
The Prix Jacques Le Marois is a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to thoroughbred colts and fillies aged three years or older. It is run in August each year at Deauville over a distance of ...
. He was owned and bred by Stavros Niarchos but was sold at towards the end of his racing career and was retired to stud in Japan. Her dam, Lingerie, failed to win a race but was a daughter of Northern Trick, a mare who won the
Prix Vermeille
The Prix Vermeille is a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to thoroughbred fillies and mares aged three years or older. It is run at Longchamp over a distance of 2,400 metres (about 1½ miles) ...
and finished second in the
Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe
The Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe () is a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run at Longchamp Racecourse in Paris over a distance ...
. Lingerie became a very successful broodmare who produced
Light Shift
Light Shift (22 March 2004 – 28 March 2014) was an American-bred, British-bred Thoroughbred racehorse and broodmare best known for winning the 2007 Epsom Oaks. In a racing career which lasted from June 2006 to October 2007 the filly ran nine t ...
and was the female-line ancestor of
Main Sequence
In astronomy, the main sequence is a classification of stars which appear on plots of stellar color index, color versus absolute magnitude, brightness as a continuous and distinctive band. Stars on this band are known as main-sequence stars or d ...
and
Cloth of Stars
Cloth of Stars (foaled 6 April 2013) is an Irish-bred, French-trained Thoroughbred racehorse. He showed good ability as a two-year-old in 2015, winning the Prix des Chênes and being placed in both the Prix de Condé and the Critérium de Sain ...
.
Racing career
1998: three-year-old season
Shiva was slow to mature and did not race as a two-year-old. She made her racecourse debut on 30 May 1998 when she started
7/4 favourite for 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 ...
over nine
furlongs
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 feet, 220 yards, 40 rods, 10 chains, or approximately 201 metres. It is no ...
at
Kempton Park Racecourse
Kempton Park Racecourse is a horse racing track together with a alcohol licensing laws of the United Kingdom, licensed entertainment and conference venue in Sunbury-on-Thames, Surrey, England, on the border with Greater London; it is 13 miles ...
. Ridden by
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 ...
she took the lead two furlongs from the finish and won by two
lengths from the
Michael Stoute
Sir Michael Ronald Stoute (born 22 October 1945) is a Barbadian British Thoroughbred horse trainer in flat racing.
Career
Stoute, whose father was the Chief of Police for Barbados, left the island in 1964 at the age of 19 to become an assis ...
-trained Shalama. The filly subsequently developed injury problems with her knees
and did not race again that year.
1999: four-year-old season
After months off the track, Shiva returned in the
Group 3 Group 3 may refer to:
* Group 3 element, chemical element classification
* Group 3 (motorsport), FIA classification of cars used in auto racing and rallying
* Group 3, the third tier of races in worldwide Thoroughbred horse racing
* Group 3 image ...
Earl of Sefton Stakes over furlongs 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 14 April 1999. The race was run on the July Course as the Rowley Mile Course was closed for redevelopment. Despite her lengthy absence and the sharp rise in class she started the 7/1 fourth choice in the betting behind Haami (winner of the
Darley Stakes
The Darley Stakes is a Group 3 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged three years or older. It is run on the Rowley Mile at Newmarket over a distance of 1 mile and 1 furlong (1,811 ...
), White Heart (
Doncaster Mile) and Handsome Ridge (
Prix Perth). After starting slowly she began to make rapid progress in the last quarter mile, took the lead inside the final furlong and won by one and a quarter lengths from Haami. Another significant step up in class followed when the filly was sent to Ireland for the Group 1 Tattersalls Gold Cup over furlongs 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 ...
on 23 May. With Fallon in the saddle she started the 100/30 second favourite behind
Daylami
Daylami (20 April 1994 – 5 April 2023) was a Thoroughbred Champion racehorse and sire who was bred in Ireland, but trained in France, Dubai and the United Kingdom. In a career which lasted from 1996 until 1999, he raced in five different ...
with the best of the other four runners appearing to be Insatiable (
Prix Dollar
The Prix Dollar 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 1,950 metres (about 1 mile and 1¾ furlongs), and i ...
) and Second Empire (
Grand Critérium
Grand may refer to:
People with the name
* Grand (surname)
* Grand L. Bush (born 1955), American actor
Places
* Grand, Oklahoma, USA
* Grand, Vosges, village and commune in France with Gallo-Roman amphitheatre
* Grand County (disambiguation), ...
). She raced in fourth place before overtaking Daylami to go to the front a furlong out and kept on well to win by lengths. Henry Cecil commented "Shiva has had problems all her life, mostly with her knees, but I asked Maria Niarchos if I could keep her because I thought she would be a Group 1 horse. It is nice to be proved right. She is still a little bit green – this was only her third race – and I would think the Prince Of Wales's Stakes will be next. She should go on improving and will probably get a mile and a half".
Willie Ryan took the ride when Shiva started second favourite behind
Chester House
Chester House (February 1, 1995 – June 28, 2003) was an American-bred Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. In his racing career, he ran in both Europe and North America, winning six races, most notably the Arlington Million as a five-year-old ...
in the
Prince of Wales's Stakes
The Prince of Wales's Stakes is a Group 1 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 1 furlong and 212 yards (2,004 me ...
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 ...
on 15 June. The filly never looked like winning and came home seventh of the eight runners, twelve lengths behind the winner Lear Spear, a horse she had beaten easily in the Earl of Sefton. Another long break followed before Shiva returned for the
Champion Stakes
The Champion Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run at Ascot over a distance of 1 mile 1 furlong a ...
at Newmarket on 16 October and started favourite despite the presence of the 1998 winner
Alborada and
The Derby winner
High-Rise. Ridden by
Richard Quinn she stayed on well in the last quarter mile but was beaten into second place by Alborada.
2000: five-year-old season
On her first run of 2000 Shiva started favourite to repeat her 1999 success in the Earl of Sefton Stakes but finished unplaced behind
Indian Lodge. On
heavy ground at
Sandown Park
Sandown Park is a horse racing course and leisure venue in Esher, Surrey, England, located in the outer suburbs of London. It hosts 5 Grade One National Hunt races and one Group 1 flat race, the Eclipse Stakes. It regularly has horse racin ...
on 30 May Shiva started favourite for the Group 3
Brigadier Gerard Stakes
The Brigadier Gerard Stakes is a Group 3 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged four years or older. It is run at Sandown Park over a distance of 1 mile 1 furlong and 209 yards (), an ...
against seven opponents including Border Arrow and Beat All both of whom had finished third in the Epsom Derby (in 1998 and 1999 respectively) as well as Elle Danzig (
Bayerisches Zuchtrennen
The Bayerisches Zuchtrennen is a Group 1 flat horse race in Germany open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run at Munich over a distance of 2,000 metres (about 1¼ miles), and it is scheduled to take place each year on the last Su ...
), Lady In Waiting (
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 ...
) and Diamond White (
Prix de l'Opéra
The Prix de l'Opéra is a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to thoroughbred fillies and mares aged three years or older. It is run at Longchamp over a distance of 2,000 metres (about 1¼ miles) each ...
). After racing second place, Shiva took the lead approaching the last quarter mile and quickly drew eight lengths clear of her opponents. She was eased down by Quinn in the final furlong and came home lengths in front of Border Arrow. Henry Cecil commented "She is a cracking mare. She must have easy going though. Last year she jarred herself up at Royal Ascot and was four gallops short before she ran in the Champion Stakes where she still managed to finish second. On this showing we now know how to ride her – dominate!".
In 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 ...
on 8 July, over the same course and distance as the Brigadier Gerard, Shiva was beaten but produced arguably her best performance. Despite being hampered inside the final furlong she finished third to
Giant's Causeway
The Giant's Causeway () is an area of approximately 40,000 interlocking basalt columns, the result of an ancient volcano, volcanic fissure eruption, part of the North Atlantic Igneous Province active in the region during the Paleogene period. ...
and
Kalanisi
Kalanisi (27 March 1996 – 25 May 2023) was a Thoroughbred racehorse who won European Champion and American Champion honours in 2000.
Background
Bred and raced by H.H. Aga Khan IV, Kalanisi was out of the mare Kalamba, a daughter of Green ...
with
Sakhee
Sakhee (14 February 1997 – 20 August 2021) was an American-bred, British-trained Thoroughbred racehorse. He won eight of his fourteen races and was most noted for his performances as a four-year-old in 2001 when his wins included the Internat ...
and
Fantastic Light
Fantastic Light (foaled February 13, 1996) is a retired Thoroughbred racehorse and pensioned sire. He was foaled in the United States but was trained in England and Dubai during his racing career, which ran from August 1998 to his retirement f ...
in fourth and fifth. Three weeks later she was moved up in distance for the
over miles at Ascot but finished tailed off in last place behind
Montjeu
Montjeu (4 April 1996 – 29 March 2012) was an Irish-bred, French-trained thoroughbred horse racing racehorse and sire. In a racing career which lasted from September 1998 to November 2000, he ran sixteen times and won eleven races, including ...
. As in 1999 Shiva took a long break before returning in the Champion Stakes. On her final racecourse appearance, she took the lead half a mile from the finish but faded in the last two furlongs and finished ninth of the fifteen runners behind Kalanisi.
Breeding record
At the end of her racing career, Shiva was retired to become a broodmare for the Niachos Family's Flaman Holdings breeding operation. She produced ten foals and three winners.
*Eccentricity, a chestnut filly, foaled in 2002, sired by
Kingmambo
Kingmambo (February 19, 1990 – January 20, 2016) was an American-bred, French-trained thoroughbred horse racing, racehorse and sire (horse), sire.
Background
He was sired by the leading stallion, Mr. Prospector, who in turn was a son of Raise ...
. Failed to win in two races.
*Yiri Yiri, chestnut colt, 2003, by
Rahy
Rahy (February 18, 1985 – September 22, 2011) was a Thoroughbred horse racing, racehorse who competed in United Kingdom, England and the United States.
Background
Bred by Hill 'n' Dale Farms in Lexington, Kentucky, Lexington, Rahy was a son of ...
*Yangon, chestnut colt (later
gelded), 2006, by
Storm Cat
Storm Cat (February 27, 1983 – April 24, 2013) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse and stallion whose breeding fee during the peak of his stud career was $500,000, the highest in North America at the time. He was the leading sire in North A ...
. Won one race.
*Tymora, chestnut filly, 2007, by
Giant's Causeway
The Giant's Causeway () is an area of approximately 40,000 interlocking basalt columns, the result of an ancient volcano, volcanic fissure eruption, part of the North Atlantic Igneous Province active in the region during the Paleogene period. ...
. Failed to win in five races.
*Mahayogin, bay colt (gelded), 2008, by
Dixie Union. Failed to win in twenty races.
*Trimurti, bay filly, 2009, by
Harlan's Holiday
Harlan's Holiday (April 6, 1999 – November 1, 2013) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse who won three Grade 1 stakes before retiring to stud where he had become a successful sire.
Background
Harlan's Holiday was a bay horse bred by Double D ...
. Failed to win in two races.
*Bapak Muda, chestnut colt (gelded), 2010, by
Distorted Humor
Distorted Humor (foaled March 19, 1993 in Kentucky) is an American Thoroughbred racehorse and a successful sire.
Bloodline
Distorted Humor's sire is Forty Niner, 1987's Eclipse Award winning Outstanding Two-Year-Old Male Horse by the champio ...
. Won two races.
*Flare of Firelight, filly, 2011, by
Birdstone
Birdstone (foaled May 16, 2001, in Kentucky) is an American Thoroughbred racehorse best known for winning the 2004 Belmont Stakes and has become a successful sire.
On August 28, 2020 Birdstone was pensioned from stud duty to Old Friends Retirem ...
. Failed to win in three races.
*That Which Is Not, dark bay or brown filly, 2013,
Elusive Quality
Elusive Quality (January 27, 1993 – March 14, 2018) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse who was a record-setting sprinter on the racetrack and the leading sire in North America of 2004. He sired the 2004 Kentucky Derby winner Smarty Jones.
...
. Won three races including Listed Prix Zarkava.
*Sputnik Planum, bay colt, 2014, by
Elusive Quality
Elusive Quality (January 27, 1993 – March 14, 2018) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse who was a record-setting sprinter on the racetrack and the leading sire in North America of 2004. He sired the 2004 Kentucky Derby winner Smarty Jones.
...
. Failed to win in five races.
Pedigree
*Shiva was
inbred
Inbreeding is the production of offspring from the mating or breeding of individuals or organisms that are closely related genetically. By analogy, the term is used in human reproduction, but more commonly refers to the genetic disorders an ...
4 × 4 to Never Bend, meaning that this stallion appears twice in the fourth generation of her pedigree.
References
{{Reflist
1995 racehorse births
Racehorses bred in Japan
Racehorses trained in the United Kingdom
Thoroughbred family 4-m