Sicarelle (1953 – after 1969) was a French

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 ...

. Her racing career comprised six races in six months between April and October 1956. After wins in the Prix Perdita and Prix des Lilas she was sent to England and won 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 ...

. She was unplaced in her next three races before being retired from racing. She had some success as a broodmare in the United States.

Background

Sicarelle was a bay mare with a white blaze and a 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. ...

on her left hind leg bred in France by her owner Suzy Volterra who had inherited the racing interests of her late husband Leon Volterra in 1949. The filly was sent into training with

François Mathet François Mathet ( at Vesoul – at Neuvy-le-Barrois) trained racehorses, specialising in flat racing. In France he is well-remembered for being one of the best equestrian trainers in the country's history. Early life Mathet was th ...

Chantilly Chantilly may refer to: Places France *Chantilly, Oise, a city ** US Chantilly, a football club *Château de Chantilly United States * Chantilly, Missouri, an unincorporated community * Chantilly (Charlotte neighborhood), North Carolina ...

. She was from the first crop of foals sired by Sicambre, who won the

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

Grand Prix de Paris The Grand Prix de Paris is a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run at Longchamp over a distance of 2,400 metres (about 1½ miles), an ...

in 1951. He went on to produce numerous other top-class winners including Celtic Ash,

Diatome {{Infobox racehorse , horsename = Diatome , image = , caption = , sire = Sicambre , grandsire = Prince Bio , dam = Dictaway , damsire = Honeway , sex = Stallion , foaled = 13 June 1962 , country = Great Britain , colour = Dark Bay , ...

and Roi Dagobert. Sicarelle's dam Royale Maitresse was a granddaughter of the British broodmare Tout Paris (foaled 1911) whose other descendants have included Master Willie, Huntingdale and

Subotica Subotica (, ; , , ) is a List of cities in Serbia, city in Central Europe and the administrative center of the North Bačka District in the autonomous province of Vojvodina, Serbia. Formerly the largest city of Vojvodina region, contemporary Sub ...

Racing career

1956: three-year-old season

Sicarelle was unraced as a juvenile and did not make her racecourse debut until April 1956 when she won the Prix Perdita at

Tremblay Park Tremblay Park (French: parc du Tremblay is a park of 73 hectares offering games and sporting activities. It is located in the commune of Champigny-sur-Marne, in the department of Val-de-Marne in Paris urban area. Sporting facilities include a ...

. In May she followed up by winning the Prix des Lilas over 1600 metres at

Longchamp Racecourse The Longchamp Racecourse (, ) is a 57 hectare horse-racing facility located on the Route des Tribunes at the Bois de Boulogne in the 16th arrondissement of Paris, 16th arrondissement of Paris, France. It is used for flat racing and is noted for ...

. In the 178th running of the Oaks over one and a half miles at

Epsom Downs Racecourse Epsom Downs is a Grade 1 racecourse in a hilly area near Epsom in Surrey, England which is used for thoroughbred horse racing. The "Downs" referred to in the name are part of the North Downs. The course has a crowd capacity of 130,000 including ...

on 9 June Sicarelle was ridden by Freddy Palmer and started the 3/1 favourite against thirteen opponents headed by 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 ...

winner Honeylight. She won the race "comfortably" by three lengths from Janiari (winner of the

Prix Penelope The Prix Penelope is a Group 3 flat horse race in France open to three-year-old thoroughbred fillies. It is run over a distance of 2,100 metres (about 1 mile and 2½ furlongs) at S ...

) with a gap of six lengths back to Yasmin in third place. The first three finishers were all trained in France. Sicarelle failed to reproduce her best form in three subsequent races. When moved up in distance and matched against male opposition she finished towards the rear of the field in the 1600 metre

at Longchamp. She was unable to confirm the Oaks form in 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 unplaced behind Janiari. On her final start in October he ran unplaced behind Ribot 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 ...

Assessment and honours

At the end of the 1956 season 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 Sicarelle a rating of 128. In their book, ''A Century of Champions'', based on the Timeform rating system, John Randall and Tony Morris rated Sicarelle a "superior" winner of the Oaks.

Breeding record

At the end of her racing career Sicarelle became a broodmare in France before being acquired by

Claiborne Farm Claiborne Farm is a thoroughbred horse breeding operation near Paris, Kentucky. It was established in 1910 by Arthur B. Hancock, owner of Ellerslie Stud in Albemarle County, Virginia, and has been operated by members of his family ever since. ...

and exported to the United States. She produced at least six foals and four winners between 1959 and 1969: *Norsarello, a colt, foaled in 1959, sired by Norseman *Tanarelle, bay filly, 1961, by Tanerko *Might, brown colt, 1966, by

Bold Ruler Bold Ruler (April 6, 1954 – July 12, 1971) was an American Thoroughbred National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame, Hall of Fame racehorse who was the 1957 American Horse of the Year, Horse of the Year. This following a three-year-old campaign t ...

. Won nine races. *Triumphantly, bay filly, 1967, by Bold Ruler. Won four races. *Ellesica, bay filly, 1968, by Bold Ruler. Won three races. *Crying To Run, bay or brown colt, 1969, by Bold Ruler. Won one race.

Pedigree

*Through her dam, Sicarelle 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 ...

3 × 4 to Teddy, meaning that this stallion appears in both the third and fourth generations of her pedigree

References

{{Epsom Oaks Winners 1953 racehorse births Racehorses bred in France Racehorses trained in France Thoroughbred family 4-j Epsom Oaks winners