Tirol - 1990: Horgans hit the dual 2000 Guineas headlines
PURCHASED for 52,000gns as a yearling by Peter Doyle to race in the colours of John Horgan, Tirol won the Group 3 Horris Hill Stakes under Pat Eddery as a two-year-old.
He won his three-year-old debut in the Craven Stakes by a short-head, again under Eddery. Mick Kinane took over on the son of Thatching in the 2000 Guineas as Eddery rode for Khalid Abdullah and Tirol was sent off at a surprising 9/1. He came home two lengths ahead of the 6/4 French-trained favourite Machiavellian and Freddie Head who was in the Niarchos colours.
He started favourite and followed up in good style in the Irish equivalent in the Curragh. Machiavellian reopposed but finished fourth, and it was the Vincent O’Brien-trained Royal Academy who posed the biggest danger and finished a neck second. The form of that race looks strong in hindsight though Royal Academy dropped back in distance before he ended the year winning the Breeders’ Cup Mile
Tirol was sent to France for the Grand Prix de Paris over 10 furlongs, but he was only third, eight lengths behind Saumarez on soft ground in July.
He didn’t reappear until the end of September and ended his career with a disappointing eight of 10 behind Markofdistinction in the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes in September when sent off 7/2 favourite under Willie Carson.
Tirol sired the Prix Marcel Boussac winner Miss Tahiti and the Irish 1000 Guineas winner Tarason and died from colic at the age of 20 at Capricorn Stud Farm in India.
King’s Best - 2000: King slays the Giant
BOUGHT by Charlie Gordon-Watson for FR2.3 million francs on behalf of owner Saeed Suhail as a yearling in Deauville, as a son of Allegretta, the colt named King’s Best was a half-brother to Arc winner and legendary broodmare Urban Sea. He was partnered by Gary Stevens to his first two wins at two, including when odds-on in the Acomb Stakes in York
He was second favourite for the Dewhurst but finished last of five behind odds-on favourite Distant Music after pulling too hard with Kieren Fallon. He pulled hard again on his three-year-old reappearance in the Craven losing out by half a length in the final half furlong to Umistim.
Aidan O’Brien had supplied the favourite Rossini there and in the 2000 Guineas he again supplied the market leader in Giant’s Causeway in a very big field of 27 which again contained Distant Music.
He went off at 13/2 and could have been backed at 8/1. He settled well this time and held up, weaved his way through to lead inside final furlong and ran on well to beat Giant’s Causeway by three and a half lengths, in a very impressive performance.
He was the only horse to put daylight between himself and Giant’s Causeway all that year.
He missed the Derby due to a recurrent muscle injury, and he fractured a cannon bone and was pulled up in the Irish Derby behind the Derby winner Sinndar.
King’s Best, a son of Kingmambo, was retired to Kildangan where he spent his first eight seasons and sired eight Group/Grade 1 winners including Creachadoir, Proclamation, Royal Diamond, Sajjhaa, and the Derby and Arc winner Workforce.
Makfi - 2010: Makfi makes his mark
A HOMEBRED colt, Makfi was sold on by Shadwell as an unraced two-year-old at the Tattersalls Autumn HIT Sale in October 2009, making only 26,000gns to H B Bloodstock. The son of Dubawi was the one who got away as he joined Mikel Delzangles in France and won his only two-year-old outing in November for Mathieu Offenstadt.
He came to Newmarket off a winning three-year-old debut in the Prix Djebel and produced a good turn off foot in the Guineas to beat the Richard Hannon pair Dick Turpin and Canford Cliffs with the favourite, St Nicholas Abbey, only sixth.
He disappointed behind the Hannon pair in the St James’s Palace Stakes in Royal Ascot but he proved the Guineas was no fluke when he beat no less than Goldikova in the Prix Jacques le Marois. However, he flopped again as the even-money favourite for the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes at Ascot.
His best son is the Poule d’Essai des Poulains (French 2000 Guineas) and Prix de la Foret winner Make Believe and his daughters include Australian Group 1-winner Bonneval.