Sudirman (foaled 23 April 2011) is 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. As a two-year-old in 2013 he was beaten in his first two starts but then ran up three consecutive victories including the
Railway Stakes and the
Phoenix Stakes
The Phoenix Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Ireland open to two-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run at the Curragh over a distance of 6 furlongs (1,207 metres), and it is ...
. He also finished second in the
National Stakes
The Vincent O'Brien National Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Ireland open to two-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run at the Curragh over a distance of 7 furlongs (1,408 met ...
later that year. He made little impact in two starts as a three-year-old.
Background
Sudirman is a bay horse with no white markings bred in Kentucky by Kathryn Nikkel & Jeanne Canty. In 2012 he was sent to Englnad and put up for the auction at the
Tattersalls
Tattersalls (formerly Tattersall's) is the main auctioneer of race horses in the United Kingdom and Ireland.
Founding
It was founded in 1766 by Richard Tattersall (1724–1795), who had been stud groom to the second Duke of Kingston. T ...
October Yearling Sale where he was bought for 200,000
guineas
The guinea (; commonly abbreviated gn., or gns. in plural) was a coin, minted in Great Britain between 1663 and 1814, that contained approximately one-quarter of an ounce of gold. The name came from the Guinea region in West Africa, from where ...
by the bloodstock agent John Warren on behalf of the
Coolmore Stud
Coolmore Stud, in Fethard, County Tipperary, Ireland, is headquarters of the world's largest breeding operation of thoroughbred racehorses. Through its racing arm, Ballydoyle, Coolmore also has raced many classic winners and champions. The oper ...
. During his racing career he was trained by
David Wachman
David Wachman (born 5 July 1971) is a retired Irish racehorse trainer who specialised in flat racing.
Before taking out his own licence to train horses, Wachman worked for trainers in Ireland ( Jessica Harrington, Michael Hourigan and Jim Bolg ...
at Goolds Cross,
County Tipperary
County Tipperary ( ga, Contae Thiobraid Árann) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster and the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern Region. The county is named afte ...
. Like many horses associated with Coolmore the details of his ownership changed from race to race: he sometimes raced in the colours of
Mrs Fitri Hay while on other occasions he was described as being owned by a partnership of Hay and
Susan Magnier. He was ridden in all but one of his races by
Wayne Lordan
Wayne Lordan is a multiple Group race winning Irish jockey.
His first winner was Ethbaat for trainer Gerry Cully at Killarney on 15 July 1998. In his early career he was associated with the stables of David Wachman and Tommy Stack. He also ...
.
He was sired by
Henrythenavigator
Henrythenavigator (foaled February 28, 2005) is an American-bred and Irish-trained Thoroughbred racehorse. He won the 2000 Guineas, the Irish 2,000 Guineas, the St. James's Palace Stakes and the Sussex Stakes in 2008.
After he finished second in ...
who won the
2000 Guineas
The 2000 Guineas Stakes is a Group 1 flat race in Great Britain open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run on the Rowley Mile at Newmarket over a distance of 1 mile (1,609 metres) and scheduled to take place each year ...
,
Irish 2000 Guineas
The Irish 2,000 Guineas 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 distance of 1 mile (1,609 metres), and it is ...
,
St James's Palace Stakes
The St James's Palace Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old colts. It is run at Ascot over a distance of 7 furlongs and 213 yards (1,603 metres). It is sche ...
and
Sussex Stakes
The Sussex Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged three years or older. It is run at Goodwood over a distance of 1 mile (1,609 metres), an ...
in 2008. As a breeding stallion he was not a conspicuous success and was eventually exported to Russia, but he did sire several other good winners including
George Vancouver
Post-captain, Captain George Vancouver (22 June 1757 – 10 May 1798) was a British Royal Navy officer best known for his Vancouver Expedition, 1791–1795 expedition, which explored and charted North America's northwestern West Coast of the Un ...
(
Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf
The Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf is an American Thoroughbred horse race for two-year-old horses, run on a grass course at a distance of one mile. It is part of the Breeders' Cup World Championships, the ''de facto'' year-end championship for North ...
) and
Pedro the Great. Sudirman's damShermeen was a useful racemare who won three minor races in Europe before being relocated to the United States where she won the Luther Burbank Handicap. She was descended from Fair Astronomer who finished second in 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 (1,60 ...
and was the female-line ancestor of
Malhub,
Deputy Commander,
Donna Blini and
Gentildonna
is a retired Japanese thoroughbred racehorse. In 2012 she won the Japanese Fillies Triple Crown and was voted Japanese Horse of the Year. She was also the first three-year-old filly to win the Japan Cup, in 2012, and the following year became th ...
.
Racing career
2013: two-year-old season
Sudirman made his debut in a minor race over six
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 660 feet, 220 yards, 40 rods, 10 chains or approximately 201 metres. It is now mostly confined to use in hors ...
at
Naas Racecourse
Naas Racecourse is a horse racing venue in Naas, County Kildare, Ireland, approximately 18 miles from Dublin. The course stages both Flat racing and National Hunt racing and in 2010 fifteen race meetings were held there.
The Naas Races Company ...
on 15 May in which he started at odds of
10/1 and finished last of the five runners behind Big Time. Eleven days later, in 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 the
Curragh
The Curragh ( ; ga, An Currach ) is a flat open plain of almost of common land in County Kildare. This area is well known for Irish horse breeding and training. The Irish National Stud is located on the edge of Kildare town, beside the ...
he produced a much better effort as he came home in third place, beaten a
length
Length is a measure of distance. In the International System of Quantities, length is a quantity with dimension distance. In most systems of measurement a base unit for length is chosen, from which all other units are derived. In the Inte ...
by the
Aidan O'Brien
Aidan Patrick O'Brien (born 16 October 1969 in County Wexford, Ireland)[ Aidan O'Brien bio NTRA ...](_blank)
-trained winner Sir John Hawkins. On 20 June at
Leopardstown
Leopardstown () is a suburb of Dublin in Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown, within the traditional County Dublin, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Located at the foot of the Wicklow Mountains, Dublin Mountains, it is a residential suburb with institutiona ...
the colt started odds-on favourite for a maiden and recorded his first success as he took the lead a furlong out and pulled away to win "comfortably" by four and a half lengths from nine opponents. Nine days after his win at Leopardstown the colt was stepped up in class and started 5/1 third favourite in a five-runner field for the
Group 2 The term Group 2 may refer to:
* Alkaline earth metal, a chemical element classification
* Astronaut Group 2, also known as The New Nine, the second group of astronauts selected by NASA in 1962
* Group 2 (racing), an FIA classification for cars in a ...
Railway Stakes at the Curragh. The Aidan O'Brien-trained Coach House headed the betting on 8/15 after winning the
Marble Hill Stakes and finishing second in the
Norfolk Stakes, with Big Time the 9/2 second choice. Sudirman raced in third before moving up to challenge Big Time for the lead approaching the final furlong. He gained the advantage in the closing stages and won by half a length, with a gap of over four lengths back to Coach House in third.
On 11 August at Leopardstown Sudirman was moved up to Group 1 class for the Phoenix Stakes and started second favourite behind the
Coventry Stakes
The Coventry Stakes is a Group 2 flat horse race in Great Britain open to two-year-old horses. It is run at Ascot over a distance of 6 furlongs (1,207 metres), and it is scheduled to take place ea ...
winner
War Command
War Command (foaled 27 April 2011) is an American-bred, Irish-trained Thoroughbred racehorse. As a two-year-old he won the Coventry Stakes at Royal Ascot by six lengths and then won the Futurity Stakes, before going on to record his first Group ...
. The other three runners were Big Time, Ambiance ''
ic' (winner of the
Dragon Stakes
The Dragon Stakes is a Listed flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged two years only.
It is run at Sandown Park over a distance of 5 furlongs and 10 yards (1,015 metres), and it is scheduled ...
) and the outsider Sniper. Ambiance set the pace with Lordan settling his mount in third before making a forward move in the last quarter mile. Sudirman took the lead a furlong out and stayed on well under strong pressure to win by half a length from Big Time. After the race Wachman said: "He's a good tough horse, he won't do too much when he gets there, he idles in front. He did it well, he's tough and keeps finding. There was a good bit left in the tank. I'm delighted for Wayne, we have been waiting on one of these for a while and have been knocking on the door. We'll probably step up to seven furlongs, he's been crying out for that trip."
Sudirman attempted to record a second Group 1 success when he was stepped up in distance for the
National Stakes
The Vincent O'Brien National Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Ireland open to two-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run at the Curragh over a distance of 7 furlongs (1,408 met ...
over seven furlongs at the Curragh on 15 September. He proved the best of the four Irish runners but was no match for the British-trained favourite
Toormore
Toormore (19 March 2011 – 22 February 2018) was an Irish-bred British-trained Thoroughbred racehorse. He was the champion two-year-old in Europe in 2013 when he was undefeated in all his races including the Vintage Stakes and Vincent O'Brien N ...
and was beaten two and three quarter lengths into second place. In October he was sent to England and started second favourite for 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 is ...
over six 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 ...
. He tracked the leaders but failed to quicken in the closing stages and finished fifth of the ten runners behind
Astaire.
2014: three-year-old season
Sudirman did not race in the early part of 2014 and only made his reappearance on 2 June in the Listed
Lacken Stakes
The Lacken Stakes is a Group 3 flat horse race in Ireland open to horses aged three years only.
It is run at Naas over a distance of 6 furlongs (1,206 metres), and it is scheduled to take place each year in late May or early Ju ...
over six furlongs at Naas. Euipped with
blinkers for the first time he raced in second place for most of the way before fading into fourth place behind the favourite Due Diligence. Billy Lee took the ride when the colt was sent to
Royal Ascot
Ascot Racecourse ("ascot" pronounced , often pronounced ) is a dual-purpose British racecourse, located in Ascot, Berkshire, England, which is used for thoroughbred horse racing. It hosts 13 of Britain's 36 annual Flat Group 1 horse races a ...
and started a 20/1 outsider for the
Jersey Stakes
The Jersey Stakes is a Group races, Group 3 Flat racing, flat Horse racing, horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old horses. It is run at Ascot Racecourse, Ascot over a distance of 7 furlon ...
on 18 June. Carrying a five pound weight penalty for his Group 1 success he chased the leaders before dropping away quickly and being eased down by Lee in the closing stages to finish 20th of the 23 runners.
Pedigree
References
{{Reflist
2011 racehorse births
Racehorses bred in Kentucky
Racehorses trained in Ireland
Thoroughbred family 16-f