Solford (foaled 31 January 1980) was an American-bred, Irish-trained
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 ...
racehorse
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 undefeated in his first five races, culminating in a victory over a strong international field in the
Eclipse Stakes
The Eclipse Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged three years or older. It is run at Sandown Park over a distance of 1 mile, 1 furl ...
Caerleon
Caerleon (; cy, Caerllion) is a town and community in Newport, Wales. Situated on the River Usk, it lies northeast of Newport city centre, and southeast of Cwmbran. Caerleon is of archaeological importance, being the site of a notable Rom ...
at Phoenix Park Racecourse and won the Prix du Lys in France. He ran poorly in his only race after the Eclipse and was retired to stud, where he had no impact as a sire of winners.
Background
Solford was a bay horse with a white blaze and white markings on three of his feet bred in Kentucky by King Ranch. Solford was sired by Nijinsky, the Canadian-bred winner of the English Triple Crown in 1970 who went on to become an important stallion, siring horses such as
Ferdinand
Ferdinand is a Germanic name composed of the elements "protection", "peace" (PIE "to love, to make peace") or alternatively "journey, travel", Proto-Germanic , abstract noun from root "to fare, travel" (PIE , "to lead, pass over"), and "co ...
Shahrastani
Shahrastani (1983–2011) was an American-bred, British-trained Thoroughbred racehorse. He won four of his seven races between September 1985 and October 1986. He is best known for his performances in the summer of 1986 when he defeated Danc ...
. His dam, Fairness, never raced, but was a full-sister to Prove Out, and had previously produced the Vosburgh Stakes winner No Bias. Fairness' dam Equal Venture, was a sister of the Triple Crown winner
Assault
An assault is the act of committing physical harm or unwanted physical contact upon a person or, in some specific legal definitions, a threat or attempt to commit such an action. It is both a crime and a tort and, therefore, may result in cri ...
.
As a yearling, Solford was sent to the Fasig-Tipton sales where he was sold for $1,700,000 to representatives of the British owner
Robert Sangster
Robert Edmund Sangster (23 May 1936 – 7 April 2004)
. Like most of Sangster's best horses, Solford was sent to Ireland to be trained by Vincent O'Brien at Ballydoyle. The name of ''Solford'' had previously been used for a
gelding
A gelding is a castration, castrated male horse or other equine, such as a pony, donkey or a mule. Castration, as well as the elimination of hormonally driven horse behavior, behavior associated with a stallion, allows a male equine to be calmer a ...
which won the
Champion Hurdle
The Champion Hurdle is a Grade 1 National Hunt hurdle race in Great Britain which is open to horses aged four years or older. It is run on the Old Course at Cheltenham over a ...
in 1940.
Racing career
Solford ran twice as a two-year-old in 1982 and was undefeated, winning minor events at the Curragh and Leopardstown. On each occasion he was made the 2/5 favourite but his margins of victory were narrow and he was not considered one of his stable's best juveniles.
Solford was scheduled to make his three-year-old debut in the Ballysax Race at the Curragh in April but was withdrawn just before the race after appearing sickly in the paddock. He was found to be running a slight temperature and was suffering from a skin condition. After more than a month of the course he returned for a race over ten furlongs at Phoenix Park Racecourse in which he was matched against his stable companion Caerleon. Ridden by the stable's first-choice jockey
Pat Eddery
Patrick James John Eddery (18 March 1952 – 10 November 2015) was an Irish flat racing jockey and trainer. He rode three winners of the Derby and was Champion Jockey on eleven occasions. He rode the winners of 4,632 British flat races, a ...
Solford started favourite and won by three-quarters of a length from Caerleon, who was carrying eight pounds more. On the day in June that Caerleon won the Prix du Jockey Club over 2400 metres at
Chantilly Racecourse
Chantilly Racecourse (In French: "Hippodrome de Chantilly") is a Thoroughbred turf racecourse for flat racing in Chantilly, Oise, France, about north of the centre of the city of Paris.
Chantilly Racecourse is located in the country's main ...
, Solford contested the
Group Three
AP Films or APF, later becoming Century 21 Productions, was a British independent film production company of the 1950s until the early 1970s. The company became internationally known for its imaginative children's action-adventure marionette tel ...
Prix du Lys over the same course and distance. Wearing blinkers for the only time in his career, Solford started the 1/2 favourite and won easily from moderate opposition.
A month later, Solford was moved up to Group One class and was tested against older horses in the
Eclipse Stakes
The Eclipse Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged three years or older. It is run at Sandown Park over a distance of 1 mile, 1 furl ...
over ten furlongs at
Sandown Park Racecourse
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 ...
. He was made second favourite at odds of 3/1 against a field which included
Stanerra
Stanerra (foaled 4 May 1978) was an Irish Thoroughbred racehorse and broodmare. Unraced at two, she ran twice a three-year-old before showing improved form in 1982 when she won one race and was placed in several good middle-distance races. She ...
,
Time Charter
Time Charter (6 April 1979 – 7 July 2005) was an Irish-bred, British-trained Thoroughbred racehorse and broodmare who won several major middle-distance races between 1982 and 1984. After winning twice as a two-year-old in 1981, she devel ...
and
Tolomeo
''Tolomeo, re d'Egitto'' ("Ptolemy, King of Egypt", HWV 25) is an opera seria in three acts by George Frideric Handel to an Italian text by Nicola Francesco Haym, adapted from Carlo Sigismondo Capece's ''Tolomeo et Alessandro''.
It was Handel' ...
. The pace was very slow in the early stages and the race developed into a sprint in the last quarter mile with several runners struggling to obtain a clear run. Eddery sent Solford into the lead approaching the final furlong and the colt held off a series of challenges to win by a head from Muscatite, with Tolomeo, Guns of Navarone and Stanerra less than a length behind.
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 in prize money offered per meeting. It attracts around 350, ...
on 17 August, Solford started second favourite behind The Derby winner
Teenoso
Teenoso (7 April 1980 – 4 October 1999) was an American-bred, British-trained Thoroughbred racehorse. After showing moderate form as a two-year-old, he improved in the spring of 1983 to win the Group Three Lingfield Derby Trial and the Epsom ...
in the Group Two Great Voltigeur Stakes. The Irish colt looked unimpressive before the race and ran poorly to finish fourth of the five runners, fifteen lengths behind the winner Seymour Hicks.
Assessment
In the official International Classification for 1983, Solford was given a rating of 84, making joint-eighth among the season's three-year-old colt, nine pounds below the top-rated Shareef Dancer. The independent Timeform organisation gave him a rating of 127.
Stud record
Solford retired from racing at the end of 1983 to become a breeding stallion at the
Winfield Farm Winfield may refer to:
Places Canada
* Winfield, Alberta
* Winfield, British Columbia
United States
* Winfield, Alabama
* Winfield, Arkansas
* Winfield, Georgia
* Winfield, Illinois
* Winfield, Indiana
* Winfield, Iowa
* Winfield, Kansas
...
in
Lexington, Kentucky
Lexington is a city in Kentucky, United States that is the county seat of Fayette County. By population, it is the second-largest city in Kentucky and 57th-largest city in the United States. By land area, it is the country's 28th-largest ...
. He proved to be a very disappointing sire, with the best of his offspring probably being Enzo, the winner of the Listed
Eyrefield Stakes
The Eyrefield Stakes is a Group 3 flat horse race in Ireland open to two-year-old thoroughbreds. It is run at Leopardstown over a distance of 1 mile and 1 furlong (1,811 metres), and it is scheduled ...