Unfuwain
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Unfuwain (5 March 1985 – 16 January 2002) was an American-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 bred and owned by
Hamdan Al Maktoum Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum (, '; 25 December 1945 – 24 March 2021) was an Emirati politician, the deputy ruler of Dubai and the minister of finance and industry of the United Arab Emirates (UAE). He was the second son of the late rule ...
. In a career of ten starts from 1987 to 1989, he won four
Group races Group races, also known as Pattern races, or Graded races in some jurisdictions, are the highest level of races in Thoroughbred horse racing. They include most of the world's iconic races, such as the Derby, Irish Derby and Prix de l'Arc de Trio ...
and was placed in the
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 ...
and 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 ...
. He went on to become a successful
sire Sire is an archaic respectful form of address to reigning kings in Europe. In French and other languages it is less archaic and relatively more current. In Belgium, the king is addressed as "Sire..." in both Dutch and French. The words "sire" an ...
.


Background

Unfuwain was a strongly-built, 16.1
hand A hand is a prehensile, multi-fingered appendage located at the end of the forearm or forelimb of primates such as humans, chimpanzees, monkeys, and lemurs. A few other vertebrates such as the Koala#Characteristics, koala (which has two thumb#O ...
bay horse, bred in Kentucky by his owner
Hamdan Al Maktoum Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum (, '; 25 December 1945 – 24 March 2021) was an Emirati politician, the deputy ruler of Dubai and the minister of finance and industry of the United Arab Emirates (UAE). He was the second son of the late rule ...
. He was one of the last important winners sired by
Northern Dancer Northern Dancer (May 27, 1961 – November 16, 1990) was a Thoroughbred that, in 1964, became the first Canadian-bred horse to win the Kentucky Derby. After being retired from racing, he became one of the most successful Stallion, sires of the 2 ...
. As a son of the mare Height of Fashion, he was a half-brother to several important winners, including the Derby winner
Nashwan Nashwan (1 March 1986 – 19 July 2002) was an American-bred, British-trained Thoroughbred racehorse and sire (horse), sire. After winning both his starts as a two-year-old, he developed into an outstanding performer in the spring and summer of ...
and the multiple
Group One Group One, Group 1, Grade I or G1 is the term used for the highest level of Thoroughbred and Standardbred stakes races in many countries. In Europe, the level of races for Thoroughbred racing is determined using the Pattern races, Pattern race sys ...
winner Nayef. He went into training with
Dick Hern William Richard Hern (20 January 1921 – 22 May 2002) was an English Thoroughbred racehorse trainer and winner of sixteen British Classic Races between 1962 and 1995, and was Champion Trainer on four occasions. Following his early caree ...
at
West Ilsley West Ilsley is a village and civil parish in Berkshire, England. The population of the village at the 2011 United Kingdom Census, 2011 Census was 332. Location and amenities It is situated in West Berkshire, north of Newbury, Berkshire, Newbur ...
and was ridden in all but one of his starts by the stable jockey Will,ie Carson.


Racing career


1987: two-year-old season

Unfuwain made two starts in the late summer of 1987. On his debut, he finished second in a 27-runner maiden race at Newbury to the subsequent
St Leger The St Leger Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run at Doncaster over ...
winner Minster Son. He confirmed the promise of this run with a win in the
Haynes, Hanson and Clark Conditions Stakes The Haynes, Hanson and Clark Novice Stakes is a flat horse race in Great Britain open to two-year-old colts and geldings. It is run at Newbury over a distance of 1 mile (1,609 metres), and it ...
at the same track a month later. His early runs established his racing style; he lacked acceleration but was able to sustain a "relentless" gallop over sustained distances.


1988: three-year-old season

In April 1988, Unfuwain began his three-year-old career by winning the Warren Stakes at Epsom by 15 lengths. Two weeks later, he moved up in class and recorded an eight length win in the Group Three
Chester Vase The Chester Vase is a Group 3 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old colts and geldings. It is run over a distance of 1 mile, 4 furlongs and 63 yards () at ...
, taking the lead in the straight and finishing "unchallenged". As a result of these victories, he was a leading fancy for the
1988 Epsom Derby {, class="collapsible collapsed" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="clear:right; float:right; text-align:center; font-weight:bold;" width="280px" ! colspan="3" style="border:1px solid black; background-color: #77DD77;" , Also Ran The ...
, starting as the 9-2 second favourite. He disappointed in the classic, finishing seventh behind Kahyasi. He was beaten by horse of his own generation only on this occasion, apart from his debut. It was also the only race of his career in which he was not ridden by Carson, who chose to ride Minster Son, a colt he had bred himself. The ride instead went to
Steve Cauthen Steve Cauthen (born May 1, 1960) is a retired American jockey. In 1977 he became the first jockey to win over $6 million in a year working with agent Lenny Goodman, and in 1978 he became the youngest jockey to win the U. S. ...
. After a brief break, he returned in the
Princess of Wales's Stakes The Princess of Wales's Stakes is a Group races, Group 2 Flat racing, flat Horse racing, horse race in Great Britain open to Thoroughbred horses aged three years or older. It is run on the July Cour ...
and, facing older horses, produced his best performance, taking the lead two furlongs out and pulling away to win by fifteen lengths from a field which included
Canadian International Stakes The Canadian International Stakes is a Grade I stakes race for thoroughbred racehorses from three years of age and upwards on Turf. It is held annually at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The current purse is . History The Cana ...
winner Infamy, and
Breeders' Cup Classic The Breeders' Cup Classic is a Grade I Weight for Age thoroughbred horse race for 3-year-olds and older run at a distance of on dirt. It is held annually at a different racetrack in the United States as part of the Breeders' Cup World Champion ...
runner-up Ibn Bey. Coincidentally, this was the race in which his mother, Height of Fashion, had recorded her most important success when defeating Ardross in 1982. He was made 2-1 favourite for the
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 ...
at Ascot three weeks later. He ran up to his best form, taking the lead in the straight before finishing second to
Mtoto Mtoto (1 April 1983 – 24 May 2011) was a British Thoroughbred racehorse. In a career which lasted from 1985 until 1988, he ran ten times and won seven races. He showed some promise as three-year-old in 1986, but emerged as a top-class horse in ...
, ahead of the subsequent
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 ...
winner
Tony Bin Tony Bin (1983–2000) was an Irish-bred Thoroughbred racehorse who competed in Europe for his Italian owner from a base in Milan and became a leading sire in Japan. Background Bred by Pat O'Callaghan, Tony Bin was foaled on 7 April 1983. He ...
. In his final race of the year, he finished fourth in the Arc, beaten just over a length behind Tony Bin, Mtoto and Boyatino. In both the King George and the Arc, he finished well ahead of the other three-year-olds.


1989: four-year-old season

Unfuwain's four-year-old career consisted of just two races in the spring of 1989, for both of which he started odds-on favourite. At Newbury in April, he led half a mile from home and ran on strongly to beat Per Quod by one and a half lengths in the
John Porter Stakes The John Porter 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, 4 furlongs ( ...
. Once again, he was following a family pattern, the race having been won the year before by his full brother Alwasmi. Three weeks later in the
Jockey Club Stakes The Jockey Club Stakes is a Group 2 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged four years or older. It is run over a distance of 1 mile and 4 furlongs (2,414 metres) ...
at Newmarket Unfuwain went clear a quarter mile from home and did not have to be put under pressure to record a one length win over the Derby runner-up Glacial Storm.
Sheriff's Star Sheriff's Star (27 April 1985 – after 1995) was a British Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. As a two-year-old he won his first two races before establishing himself as one of the best British colts of his generation with a close second in t ...
, who went on to win both the
Coronation Cup The Coronation Cup is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged four years or older. It is run at Epsom Downs over a distance of 1 mile, 4 furlongs and 6 yards ...
and
Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud The Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud is a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to thoroughbreds aged four years or older. It is run at Saint-Cloud over a distance of 2,400 metres (about 1½ miles), and it is ...
later that summer, was beaten a further six lengths in fourth. As the season progressed, Unfuwain reportedly became difficult to train and was retired to stud without racing again.


Assessment

In the official International Classification, Unfuwain was the fourth highest-rated three-year-old colt in Europe in 1988 and the highest-rated colt in the 11-14
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 ...
division. Unfuwain was given a Timeform rating of 99p as a two-year-old, 130 as a three-year-old and 126 as a four-year-old.


Stud career

Unfuwain was retired to his owner's Nunnery Stud at
Thetford Thetford is a market town and civil parishes in England, civil parish in the Breckland District of Norfolk, England. It is on the A11 road (England), A11 road between Norwich and London, just east of Thetford Forest. The civil parish, coverin ...
in Norfolk. As a stallion, Unfuwain sired numerous top-class performers. He was especially successful as an influence for stamina, and his fillies tended to be better than his colts. His progeny include Lahan,
Petrushka Petrushka ( rus, Петру́шка, p=pʲɪtˈruʂkə, a=Ru-петрушка.ogg) is a stock character of Russian folk puppetry. It was first introduced by traveling Italian performers in the first third of the 19th century during a period of W ...
,
Lailani Lailani (foaled 2 February 1998) is a British Thoroughbred racehorse and broodmare. In a racing career which lasted from October 2000 until October 2001 she won seven of her ten races including Group One/ Grade I races in three countries. After ...
, Zahrat Dubai,
Bolas Bolas or bolases (: bola; from Spanish and Portuguese ''bola'', "ball", also known as a ''boleadora'' or ''boleadeira'') is a type of throwing weapon made of weights on the ends of interconnected cords, used to capture animals by entangling ...
,
Eswarah Eswarah (foaled 21 April 2002) is a British Thoroughbred racehorse and broodmare best known for winning the 2005 Epsom Oaks. In a racing career which lasted from April to August 2005 the filly ran five times and won three races. Unraced as a two ...
and
Alhaarth Alhaarth (24 February 1993 – 29 July 2015) was a champion Thoroughbred racehorse and sire, bred in Ireland, but trained in the United Kingdom and Dubai during a racing career that lasted from 1995 to 1997. He was named European Champion Two- ...
. Unfuwain's most notable achievement as a sire came in the
1,000 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, ...
in 2000. He was the sire of Lahan and Petrushka, who finished first and third respectively, and he was also the maternal grandsire of the runner-up, Princess Ellen. In January 2001 he was awarded the title of Leading British-based Stallion for the previous year by the Thoroughbred Breeders' Association. Unfuwain died from a neurological condition at the Nunnery Stud on 16 January 2002. The stud's director, Richard Lancaster described him as " a most wonderful horse to deal with. He had immense courage and will be remembered with great affection."


Pedigree


References

{{reflist, 2 1985 racehorse births 2002 racehorse deaths Racehorses trained in the United Kingdom Racehorses bred in Kentucky Thoroughbred family 2-f