Wassl
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Wassl (27 April 1980 – after 1998) was a British
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
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 ...
. As a two-year-old he showed great promise when winning on his debut but missed the rest of the season through injury. In the following spring he won the
Greenham Stakes The Greenham Stakes 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 7 furlongs () at Newbury ...
and then rebounded from a poor run in 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 (1.6 km) and scheduled to take place each yea ...
to win the
Irish 2,000 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 ...
. He failed to win again in 1983 but was placed in the
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), a ...
,
Prix du Moulin The Prix du Moulin de Longchamp is a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to horses aged three years or older. It is run at Longchamp over a distance of 1,600 metres (about 1 mile), and it is s ...
and Joe McGrath Memorial Stakes. He dead-heated for first place in the
Lockinge Stakes The Lockinge Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged four years or older. It is run over a distance of 1 mile (1,609 metres) at New ...
on his first run of 1984 but was well beaten in his four other races as a four-year-old. After his retirement from racing he stood as a breeding stallion in Ireland and Japan and had limited success as a sire of winners.


Background

Wassl was a "neat, most attractive, bonny" bay horse standing 16 hands high with a large white
star A star is a luminous spheroid of plasma (physics), plasma held together by Self-gravitation, self-gravity. The List of nearest stars and brown dwarfs, nearest star to Earth is the Sun. Many other stars are visible to the naked eye at night sk ...
bred by the
Lincolnshire Lincolnshire (), abbreviated ''Lincs'', is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East Midlands and Yorkshire and the Humber regions of England. It is bordered by the East Riding of Yorkshire across the Humber estuary to th ...
-based Limestone Stud. As a
yearling Yearling may refer to: *Yearling (horse), a horse between one and two years old *''The Yearling ''The Yearling'' is a novel by American writer Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, published in March 1938. It was the main selection of the Book of the ...
he was put up for auction and bought for 300,000
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 m ...
by representatives of Sheikh Mohammed. During his racing career he was trained by John Dunlop at
Arundel Arundel ( ) is a market town and civil parish in the Arun District of the South Downs, West Sussex, England. The much-conserved town has a medieval castle and Roman Catholic cathedral. Arundel has a museum and comes second behind much la ...
in
West Sussex West Sussex is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Surrey to the north, East Sussex to the east, the English Channel to the south, and Hampshire to the west. The largest settlement is Cr ...
. Although he ran in Sheikh Mohammed's colours in his first race he was then officially transferred to the ownership of the Sheikh's younger brother
Ahmed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Lieutenant General Sheikh Ahmed bin Rashid Al Maktoum (; born 12 July 1950) is the Deputy Chairman of Dubai Police & Public Security, Group Chairman of A.R.M. Holding and Dubai Real Estate Centre and Chairman of the Al Wasl FC club located in Du ...
. He was named in honour of Ahmed's football team
Al-Wasl F.C. Al Wasl Football Club () is an Emirati professional Association football, football club based in Zabeel, Dubai that competes in the UAE Pro League. The club plays its home games at Zabeel Stadium. Al-Wasl is amongst the most successful teams i ...
He was from the seventh crop of foals sired by
Mill Reef Mill Reef (23 February 1968 – 2 February 1986) was an American-bred, British-trained Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. In a three-year career from 1970 to 1972, he won twelve of fourteen races and finished second in the other two. The horse w ...
. an American-bred stallion who raced in Europe, winning The Derby,
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
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 ...
in 1971. His other progeny included Shirley Heights,
Acamas Acamas or Akamas (; Ancient Greek: Ἀκάμας) was a name attributed to several characters in Greek mythology. The following three all fought in the Trojan War, and only the first was not mentioned by Homer. * Acamas, son of Theseus, mentioned ...
, Diamond Shoal,
Fairy Footsteps Fairy Footsteps (15 January 1978 – 1996) was a British Thoroughbred racehorse and broodmare best known for winning the classic 1000 Guineas in 1981. She showed promise in her first two races as a two-year-old before establishing herself as ...
,
Doyoun Doyoun (8 March 1985 – 5 December 2002) was a British Thoroughbred racehorse and sire, best known for winning the classic 2000 Guineas in 1988. In a racing career which lasted from October 1987 until October 1988 he ran seven times and won ...
,
Glint of Gold Glint of Gold (5 April 1978 – 1990) was a British Thoroughbred horse racing, racehorse and sire (horse), sire. A middle-distance specialist, he was noted for his toughness and consistency, winning ten races, finishing second six times and t ...
,
Ibn Bey Ibn Bey (22 March 1984 – 10 December 2012) was a British-bred Thoroughbred racehorse and sire who won major races in the United Kingdom, France, Ireland, Italy and Germany as well as competing in the United States and Japan. After winning ...
, Lashkari,
Milligram The kilogram (also spelled kilogramme) is the base unit of mass in the International System of Units (SI), equal to one thousand grams. It has the unit symbol kg. The word "kilogram" is formed from the combination of the metric prefix kilo- (m ...
and
Reference Point Reference point or similar may refer to: Mathematics and science *Reference point (physics), used to define a frame of reference *Reference point, a point within a reference range or reference interval, which is a range of values found in healthy ...
. Wassl's dam was a top class two-year-old in 1973 when she won the
Molecomb Stakes The Molecomb Stakes is a Group 3 flat horse race in Great Britain open to two-year-old horses. It is run at Goodwood over a distance of 5 furlongs (1,006 metres), and it is scheduled to take plac ...
. As a broodmare she also produced Pennyweight, the female-line ancestor of Twilight Son. She was descendant of the mare New Moon, who was a half-sister to Hyperion
Pharamond Pharamond, also spelled Faramund, is a legendary early king of the Franks, first referred to in the anonymous 8th-century '' Liber Historiae Francorum'', which depicts him as the first king of the Franks. Historical sources and scholarship Phara ...
and
Sickle A sickle, bagging hook, reaping-hook or grasshook is a single-handed agricultural tool designed with variously curved blades and typically used for harvesting or reaping grain crops, or cutting Succulent plant, succulent forage chiefly for feedi ...
.


Racing career


1982: two-year-old season

On his racecourse debut, Wassl started second favourite for the Duchess of Kent Stakes 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 any of 660 feet, 220 yards, 40  rods, 10 chains, or approximately 201 metres. It is no ...
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 Racecourse, Ascot in prize money offered per meeting. It att ...
in June. He overcame a poor start to take the lead approaching the final furlong and won easily by three lengths from All Systems Go, despite being eased down by his jockey in the final strides. The form of the race was boosted in September when All Systems Go won the Group Two Champagne Stakes at
Doncaster Doncaster ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in South Yorkshire, England. Named after the River Don, Yorkshire, River Don, it is the administrative centre of the City of Doncaster metropolitan borough, and is the second largest se ...
. Wassl however did not run again that season as he was injured in his stall ("cast in his box") two weeks after his win at York.


1983: three-year-old season

Wassl began his second campaign in the Greenham Stakes (a trial race for 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 (1.6 km) and scheduled to take place each yea ...
) over seven furlongs at
Newbury Racecourse Newbury Racecourse is a racecourse and events venue in the civil parish of Greenham, adjoining the town of Newbury, Berkshire, Newbury in Berkshire, England. It has courses for flat races and over jumps. It hosts one of Great Britain's List of ...
in April. Racing for the first time in almost ten months he was ridden by
Willie Carson William Fisher Hunter Carson, OBE (born 16 November 1942) is a retired jockey in thoroughbred horse racing. Life and career Best known as "Willie", Carson was born in Stirling, Scotland in 1942. He was apprenticed ...
and started at odds of 11/2 after reports that he had been unimpressive in training gallops. After stumbling and swerving at the start he recovered totake the lead in the closing stages and won comfortably by three quarters of a length. In the 2000 Guineas over the Rowley Mile 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 ...
at the end of the month the colt started the 9/2 third choice in the betting behind
Diesis In classical music from Western culture, a diesis ( or enharmonic diesis, plural dieses ( , or "difference"; Greek: "leak" or "escape" is either an accidental (see sharp), or a very small musical interval, usually defined as the differe ...
and Gorytus but ran poorly and finished ninth of the sixteen runners behind Lomond. Two weeks after his defeat at Newmarket, Wassl was one of ten colts to contest the Irish 2000 Guineas over one mile on heavy ground 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 14 May. Lomond was made the odds-on favourite ahead of the French-trained Crystal Glitters (runner-up to
L'Emigrant L'Emigrant (26 April 1980 – c. 1995) was an American-bred French-trained Thoroughbred racehorse and sire who was one of the best horses of his generation in Europe at two and three years of age. He won five of his twelve races and never finishe ...
in the
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 ...
) with Wassl next is the betting on 12/1 alongside the
Dermot Weld Dermot K. Weld (born 29 July 1948), in Kildare, is a former jockey, and one of Ireland's most successful racehorse trainers, setting the record in 2000 for the most winners trained in Ireland with 2,578. He won the Irish Flat Training Champion ...
-trained Parliament. Ridden for the first time by Tony Murray he was close to the pace in the early stages, moved up to dispute the lead at half way and stayed on very well in the closing stages to win by three quarters of a length from Lomond. Called upon to explain the winner's improved performance John Dunlop said that the colt had "lost interest" at Newmarket where he had been drawn on the outside and had little company in the early stages. Murray confirmed that Wassl needed "something to race with". Wassl was then stepped up in distance for the 204th running of the Epsom Derby over one and a half miles, in June. With Murray again in the saddle he started the 10/1 fifth choice in a 21-runner field but tired from half way and finished fourteenth behind
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 ...
. He was tried over the distance again in the Irish Derby on much firmer ground at the Curragh on 25 June and finished fifth behind Shareef Dancer,
Caerleon Caerleon ( ; ) is a town and Community (Wales), 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 ...
, Teenoso and Quilted. Wassl was brought back in distance to around one mile for his next two races and ran creditably in defeat, running third to
Noalcoholic Noalcoholic (13 March 1977 – December 1997) was a French-bred Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. He showed useful form when trained in France and was set to be exported to stand as a breeding stallion in Australia. During what was intended to be ...
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 ...
in the
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), a ...
at Goodwood on 27 July and third again, behind
Luth Enchantee Luth Enchantee (foaled 1980) was a French Thoroughbred racehorse and broodmare who was named the best horse in Europe over one mile in 1983. Her early career was undistinguished, as she won one minor event in her first eight races. In the summer ...
and L'Emigarnt in the
Prix du Moulin The Prix du Moulin de Longchamp is a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to horses aged three years or older. It is run at Longchamp over a distance of 1,600 metres (about 1 mile), and it is s ...
at Longchamp on 4 September. Less than two weeks after his run in France he was sent to Ireland and stepped back up in distance for the Joe McGrath Memorial Stakes over ten furlongs at
Leopardstown Racecourse Leopardstown Racecourse is a horse-racing course in Leopardstown, approximately south of Dublin city centre, in Ireland. Like the majority of Irish courses, it hosts both National Hunt and Flat racing. Built by Captain George Quin and modell ...
and ran second to the five-year-old mare Stanerra. On his final appearance of the season, 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 ...
at Newmarket on 15 October he ran poorly and came home eighteenth of the nineteen runners behind
Cormorant Wood Cormorant Wood (foaled 4 March 1980) was a British Thoroughbred racehorse and broodmare. She showed useful form in the early part of her career but developed into a top-class runner in the second half of her three-year-old season, winning the Sun ...
.


1984: four-year-old season

For his first appearance at four Wassl was ridden by Carson when he contested the Lockinge Stakes over a mile at Newbury. He looked impressive before the race and started at odds of 9/2 against four opponents including Cormorant Wood and the three-year-old Trojan Fen who started favourite. His task was made considerable less challenging when Trojan Fen stumbled when exiting the starting stalls and unseated his jockey. After leading from the start Wassl was overtaken by Cormorant Wood in the final furlong but rallied strongly and the pair crossed the line together. After examining the
photo finish A photo finish occurs in a sporting race when multiple competitors cross the finishing line at nearly the same time. As the naked eye may not be able to determine which of the competitors crossed the line first, a photo or video taken at the fini ...
the racecourse judge declared a
dead heat A dead heat is a rare situation in various racing sports in which the performances of competitors are judged to be so close that no difference between them can be resolved. The result is declared a tie and the competitors are awarded a joint ra ...
, making Wassl and Cormorant Wood joint winners. Wassl was well beaten in his four subsequent races, starting with the
Queen Anne Stakes The Queen Anne 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 (1,609 metres), and is scheduled to take p ...
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 ...
in which he finished fourth behind Trojan Fen. He was unplaced behind Solford 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 ...
and then finished a remote fourth of five in the Sussex Stakes, although he was promoted to third on the disqualification of the runner-up Rousillon. He ended his track career by running unplaced behind Rousillon in the
Waterford Crystal Mile The Celebration Mile is a Group 2 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), and it is scheduled to ...
at Goodwood in August.


Assessment

In the Free Handicap for 1982 (a ranking of the best two-year-olds to race in Britain) Wassl was assigned a weight of 119 pounds, 14 pounds behind the top-rated
Diesis In classical music from Western culture, a diesis ( or enharmonic diesis, plural dieses ( , or "difference"; Greek: "leak" or "escape" is either an accidental (see sharp), or a very small musical interval, usually defined as the differe ...
. 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 the colt a rating of 93 p, with the "p" indicating that he was expected to make more than usual improvement. In their annual ''Racehorses of 1982'' they described him as "a very interesting prospect indeed". The following year saw Wassl awarded a 125 rating by Timeform, ten pounds inferior to their best three-year-old colt Shareef Dancer. The official International Classification concurred, rating him 10 pounds behind the top-rated Shareef Dancer making him the 14th best three-year-old colt in Europe.


Stud record

Wassl was retired from racing at the end of 1984 and began his career as a breeding stallion in 1985 at the Derrinstown Stud in
County Kildare County Kildare () is a Counties of Ireland, county in Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster and is part of the Eastern and Midland Region. It is named after the town of Kildare. Kildare County Council is the Local gove ...
at a stud fee of 15,000 guineas. He was exported to Japan in 1989 and covered his last mares in 1998. The best of his European offspring included Wiorno
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 Ocean Falls (
Prix Quincey The Prix Quincey is a Group 3 flat horse race in France open to thoroughbreds aged four years or older. It is run at Deauville over a distance of 1,600 metres (about 1 mile), and it is scheduled to ta ...
). In Japan he sired Meisho Amur, the winner of the Grade II Breeders' Gold Cup.


Pedigree


References

{{Reflist 1980 racehorse births Racehorses bred in the United Kingdom Racehorses trained in the United Kingdom Thoroughbred family 6-e Irish Classic Race winners