First Trump
Encyclopedia
First Trump is a retired British
Thoroughbred
racehorse and active sire. In 1993 he has named European Champion Two-Year-Old Colt at the Cartier Racing Awards. In his championship season he won five of his six races including the Group One
Middle Park Stakes
, the Group Two
Richmond Stakes
and the Group Three
July Stakes
. He was retired to stud after failing to win in six starts as a three-year-old in 1994. He currently stands at stud in Leicestershire
.
high chestnut horse with a narrow white stripe and three white socks, was sired by Primo Dominie out of the mare Valika. Primo Dominie was a high-class two-year-old and sprinter who won four Group races in 1984 and 1985 before going on to sire over six hundred winners during his stud career. Apart from First Trump, his best offspring was the Premio Roma
winner Imperial Dancer. Valika failed to win a race, but was a half-sister of the European Champion Sprinter Mr Brooks
. Unusually for a top-class modern racehorse, his pedigree includes neither Northern Dancer
nor Mr. Prospector
.
First Trump was sent as a yearling
to the Tattersalls
sales in September 1992, where he was bought for 66,000 gns
by John Ferguson Bloodstock. During his racing career he was owned by Mollers Racing an organisation financed by a trust fund set up by Eric Moller who died in 1988. First Trump was trained throughout his career by Geoff Wragg
at Newmarket, Suffolk and ridden in all his races by Michael Hills.
in June. He was made 5/4 favourite and took the lead inside the final furlong
to win by a length. He followed up at Newbury
three weeks later, winning a minor stakes race by a length and a half.
In July at Newmarket
he was moved up to Group class for the first time in the July Stakes. He was made third favourite behind the Norfolk Stakes winner Turtle Island
and Wahiba Riva who had finished third in the Coventry Stakes
. First Trump seemed to be struggling in the early stages but ran on strongly in the final furlong to take the lead close to the finish and win by half a length. He was given a hard ride by Hills whose use of the whip on an inexperienced horse attracted some attention. The Independent
's correspondent offered the opinion that First Trump had the makings of "a fine performer when his education is complete." The betting for the Richmond Stakes at Glorious Goodwood three weeks suggested that the race was effectively a match between First Trump and the Coventry Stakes winner Stonehatch. The race reflected the betting, as the two colts pulled well clear of the other runners inside the final furlong, with First Trump being driven out by Hills to prevail by half a length. After the race he was offered at 16/1 for the following year's 2000 Guineas.
First Trump started joint favourite for the Mill Reef Stakes
at Newbury in September, but could never reach the leaders and lost his unbeaten record, finishing third to Polish Laughter. On his final start of the season, First Trump returned to his home track of Newmarket for the Group One Middle Park Stakes. He was fourth choice in the betting at 6/1 behind Turtle Island, who, since his defeat in the July Stakes, had won the Group One Phoenix Stakes
and the Group Two Gimcrack Stakes
. First Trump was held up in the early stages, in accordance with his trainer's instructions, before being moved to the outside to make his challenge in the final furlong. He "accelerated instantly" to take the lead in the closing strides and win by a head from his stable companion, the future July Cup
winner Owington.
at Longchamp and finished a length and a half second to Young Ern.
His next two races appeared to confirm the doubts about his stamina as he finished unplaced over one mile in the St. James's Palace Stakes
at Royal Ascot and the Sussex Stakes
at Goodwood. Between these two races he was sold as a prospective stallion to the National Stud.
A return to sprint distances brought about an improvement in form, but no wins, as he finished second Lake Coniston in both the Prix de Meautry
at Deauville and the Diadem Stakes at Ascot. On his final start he finished fourth to Zieten in the Challenge Stakes
.
.
. He is still active at the age of twenty and currently stands at the Walton Fields Stud near Melton Mowbray
in Leicestershire for a fee of £1,500.
He has sired the winners of over three hundred winners, but none of them at Group One level. His most important winners have been Mrs P (Flying Childers Stakes
), Torosay Spring (Summer Stakes
) and Media Mogul (Will Rogers Stakes
). His Listed winning daughter Two Clubs produced the Champion Sprinter Red Clubs
. He has also had some success with jumpers including the Cheltenham Festival
winner Reveillez.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
Thoroughbred
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...
racehorse and active sire. In 1993 he has named European Champion Two-Year-Old Colt at the Cartier Racing Awards. In his championship season he won five of his six races including the Group One
Conditions races
Conditions races are horse races where the weights carried by the runners are laid down by the conditions attached to the race. Weights are allocated according to; the sex of the runners, with female runners carrying less weight than males; the age of the runners, with younger horses receiving...
Middle Park Stakes
Middle Park Stakes
The Middle Park Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain which is open to two-year-old thoroughbred colts. It is run on the Rowley Mile at Newmarket over a distance of 6 furlongs , and it is scheduled to take place each year in late September or early October.The event was established...
, the Group Two
Conditions races
Conditions races are horse races where the weights carried by the runners are laid down by the conditions attached to the race. Weights are allocated according to; the sex of the runners, with female runners carrying less weight than males; the age of the runners, with younger horses receiving...
Richmond Stakes
Richmond Stakes
The Richmond Stakes is a Group 2 flat horse race in Great Britain open to two-year-old thoroughbred colts and geldings. It is run at Goodwood over a distance of 6 furlongs , and it is scheduled to take place each year in late July or early August....
and the Group Three
Conditions races
Conditions races are horse races where the weights carried by the runners are laid down by the conditions attached to the race. Weights are allocated according to; the sex of the runners, with female runners carrying less weight than males; the age of the runners, with younger horses receiving...
July Stakes
July Stakes
The July Stakes is a Group 2 flat horse race in Great Britain open to two-year-old thoroughbred colts and geldings. It is run on the July Course at Newmarket over a distance of 6 furlongs , and it is scheduled to take place each year in July....
. He was retired to stud after failing to win in six starts as a three-year-old in 1994. He currently stands at stud in Leicestershire
Leicestershire
Leicestershire is a landlocked county in the English Midlands. It takes its name from the heavily populated City of Leicester, traditionally its administrative centre, although the City of Leicester unitary authority is today administered separately from the rest of Leicestershire...
.
Background
First Trump, a 15.3 handsHand (unit)
The hand is a non-SI unit of measurement of length, now used only for the measurement of the height of horses in some English-speaking countries, including Australia, Canada, the UK and the USA. With origins in ancient Egypt, it was originally based on the breadth of a human hand...
high chestnut horse with a narrow white stripe and three white socks, was sired by Primo Dominie out of the mare Valika. Primo Dominie was a high-class two-year-old and sprinter who won four Group races in 1984 and 1985 before going on to sire over six hundred winners during his stud career. Apart from First Trump, his best offspring was the Premio Roma
Premio Roma
The Premio Roma is a Group 1 flat horse race in Italy which is open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run at Capannelle, Rome, over a distance 2,000 metres , and it is scheduled to take place each year in November....
winner Imperial Dancer. Valika failed to win a race, but was a half-sister of the European Champion Sprinter Mr Brooks
Mr Brooks (horse)
Mr Brooks was a Thoroughbred racehorse who was bred in the United Kingdom and trained in both Ireland and England in a career that lasted from 1989 to 1992...
. Unusually for a top-class modern racehorse, his pedigree includes neither Northern Dancer
Northern Dancer
Northern Dancer was a Canadian-bred Thoroughbred racehorse and the most successful sire of the 20th Century. The National Thoroughbred Racing Association calls him "one of the most influential sires in Thoroughbred history"....
nor Mr. Prospector
Mr. Prospector
Mr. Prospector was a thoroughbred racehorse foaled in Kentucky, whose descendants have been dominant in the United States Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing. He won half of his 14 career races.-Background:...
.
First Trump was sent as a yearling
Yearling
Yearling may refer to:*Yearling , an animal in its second year of life.**Yearling , a horse between one and two years of age.in titles or proper names:*Yearling Books, an imprint of the publishing company Random House....
to the Tattersalls
Tattersalls
Tattersalls is the main auctioneer of race horses in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland. It was founded in 1766 by Richard Tattersall , who had been stud groom to the second Duke of Kingston. The first premises occupied were near Hyde Park Corner, in what was then the outskirts of London...
sales in September 1992, where he was bought for 66,000 gns
Guinea (British coin)
The guinea is a coin that was minted in the Kingdom of England and later in the Kingdom of Great Britain and the United Kingdom between 1663 and 1813...
by John Ferguson Bloodstock. During his racing career he was owned by Mollers Racing an organisation financed by a trust fund set up by Eric Moller who died in 1988. First Trump was trained throughout his career by Geoff Wragg
Geoff Wragg
Geoff Wragg was a Thoroughbred horse trainer who trained champion horses such as Teenoso and Jeune. He is the son of former jockey and trainer Harry Wragg, from whom he took over the licence at Abington Place, Newmarket in 1983 upon his father's retirement. Wragg retired in 2008 after 25 years of...
at Newmarket, Suffolk and ridden in all his races by Michael Hills.
1993: two-year-old season
First Trump began his career in a maiden race at YarmouthGreat Yarmouth Racecourse
Great Yarmouth Racecourse, also known simply as Yarmouth Racecourse, is a thoroughbred horse racing venue located in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, England.The racecourse is a narrow, oblong track, 1 mile 5 furlongs in circumference.- External links :***...
in June. He was made 5/4 favourite and took the lead inside the final furlong
Furlong
A furlong is a measure of distance in imperial units and U.S. customary units equal to one-eighth of a mile, equivalent to 220 yards, 660 feet, 40 rods, or 10 chains. The exact value of the furlong varies slightly among English-speaking countries....
to win by a length. He followed up at Newbury
Newbury Racecourse
Newbury Racecourse is a racecourse in the civil parish of Greenham, adjoining the town of Newbury in Berkshire, England. It has courses for flat races and over jumps...
three weeks later, winning a minor stakes race by a length and a half.
In July at Newmarket
Newmarket Racecourse
The town of Newmarket, in Suffolk, England, is the headquarters of British horseracing, home to the largest cluster of training yards in the country and many key horse racing organisations. Newmarket Racecourse has two courses - the Rowley Mile Course and the July Course. Both are wide, galloping...
he was moved up to Group class for the first time in the July Stakes. He was made third favourite behind the Norfolk Stakes winner Turtle Island
Turtle Island
- Places :* Turtle Island, Queensland , the name of four islands in Queensland, Australia* Turtle Islands, Tawi-Tawi, a group of islands in the Southern Philippines...
and Wahiba Riva who had finished third in the Coventry Stakes
Coventry Stakes
The Coventry Stakes is a Group 2 flat horse race in Great Britain open to two-year-old thoroughbreds. It is run at Ascot over a distance of 6 furlongs , and it is scheduled to take place each year in June....
. First Trump seemed to be struggling in the early stages but ran on strongly in the final furlong to take the lead close to the finish and win by half a length. He was given a hard ride by Hills whose use of the whip on an inexperienced horse attracted some attention. The Independent
The Independent
The Independent is a British national morning newspaper published in London by Independent Print Limited, owned by Alexander Lebedev since 2010. It is nicknamed the Indy, while the Sunday edition, The Independent on Sunday, is the Sindy. Launched in 1986, it is one of the youngest UK national daily...
's correspondent offered the opinion that First Trump had the makings of "a fine performer when his education is complete." The betting for the Richmond Stakes at Glorious Goodwood three weeks suggested that the race was effectively a match between First Trump and the Coventry Stakes winner Stonehatch. The race reflected the betting, as the two colts pulled well clear of the other runners inside the final furlong, with First Trump being driven out by Hills to prevail by half a length. After the race he was offered at 16/1 for the following year's 2000 Guineas.
First Trump started joint favourite for the Mill Reef Stakes
Mill Reef Stakes
The Mill Reef Stakes is a Group 2 flat horse race in Great Britain which is open to two-year-old thoroughbreds. It is run at Newbury over a distance of 6 furlongs and 8 yards , and it is scheduled to take place each year in September....
at Newbury in September, but could never reach the leaders and lost his unbeaten record, finishing third to Polish Laughter. On his final start of the season, First Trump returned to his home track of Newmarket for the Group One Middle Park Stakes. He was fourth choice in the betting at 6/1 behind Turtle Island, who, since his defeat in the July Stakes, had won the Group One Phoenix Stakes
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 , and it is scheduled to take place each year in July or August.-History:...
and the Group Two Gimcrack Stakes
Gimcrack Stakes
The Gimcrack Stakes is a Group 2 flat horse race in Great Britain which is open to two-year-old thoroughbred colts and geldings. It is run at York over a distance of 6 furlongs , and it is scheduled to take place each year in August....
. First Trump was held up in the early stages, in accordance with his trainer's instructions, before being moved to the outside to make his challenge in the final furlong. He "accelerated instantly" to take the lead in the closing strides and win by a head from his stable companion, the future July Cup
July Cup
The July Cup is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run on the July Course at Newmarket over a distance of 6 furlongs , and it is scheduled to take place each year in July....
winner Owington.
1994: three-year-old season
Although First Trump's breeding suggested that he was most unlikely to be effective over longer distances, he was aimed at the 2000 Guineas, but was withdrawn from the race after suffering a ligament injury. Instead, he began his season in late May, when he took on older horses in the Prix du Palais RoyalPrix du Palais Royal
The Prix du Palais-Royal is a Group 3 flat horse race in France open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run at Longchamp over a distance of 1,400 metres , and it is scheduled to take place each year in late May or early June....
at Longchamp and finished a length and a half second to Young Ern.
His next two races appeared to confirm the doubts about his stamina as he finished unplaced over one mile in the St. James's Palace Stakes
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 thoroughbred colts. It is run at Ascot over a distance of 1 mile , and it is scheduled to take place each year in June....
at Royal Ascot and the Sussex Stakes
Sussex Stakes
The Sussex Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run at Goodwood over a distance of 1 mile , and it is scheduled to take place each year in late July or early August.-History:...
at Goodwood. Between these two races he was sold as a prospective stallion to the National Stud.
A return to sprint distances brought about an improvement in form, but no wins, as he finished second Lake Coniston in both the Prix de Meautry
Prix de Meautry
The Prix de Meautry is a Group 3 flat horse race in France which is open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run at Deauville over a distance of 1,200 metres , and it is scheduled to take place each year in August.-History:...
at Deauville and the Diadem Stakes at Ascot. On his final start he finished fourth to Zieten in the Challenge Stakes
Challenge Stakes
The Challenge Stakes is a Group 2 flat horse race in Great Britain which is open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run on the Rowley Mile at Newmarket over a distance of 7 furlongs , and it is scheduled to take place each year in October.The event was established in 1878, and the...
.
Assessment
At the Cartier Racing Awards for 1993, First Trump was named European Champion Two-Year-Old Colt. In the official International Classification of two-year-olds, however, he was rated only the seventh best colt to race in Europe in 1993, three pounds below Grand LodgeGrand Lodge (horse)
Grand Lodge was an American-bred, British-trained Thoroughbred racehorse. He was officially rated the best European two-year-old 1993. He won two Group One races; the Dewhurst Stakes in 1993 and the St. James's Palace Stakes in 1994. He is best known as a successful sire...
.
Stud career
First Trump retired to the National Stud at the end of his three-year-old season. Between 2002 and 2006 he stood at the Throckmorton Court stud in WorcestershireWorcestershire
Worcestershire is a non-metropolitan county, established in antiquity, located in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes it is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three counties that comprise the "Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire" NUTS 2 region...
. He is still active at the age of twenty and currently stands at the Walton Fields Stud near Melton Mowbray
Melton Mowbray
Melton Mowbray is a town in the Melton borough of Leicestershire, England. It is to the northeast of Leicester, and southeast of Nottingham...
in Leicestershire for a fee of £1,500.
He has sired the winners of over three hundred winners, but none of them at Group One level. His most important winners have been Mrs P (Flying Childers Stakes
Flying Childers Stakes
The Flying Childers Stakes is a Group 2 flat horse race in Great Britain which is open to two-year-old thoroughbreds. It is run at Doncaster over a distance of 5 furlongs , and it is scheduled to take place each year in September....
), Torosay Spring (Summer Stakes
Summer Stakes
The Summer Stakes is a Group 3 flat horse race in Great Britain open to thoroughbred fillies and mares aged three years or older. It is run at York over a distance of 6 furlongs , and it is scheduled to take place each year in July....
) and Media Mogul (Will Rogers Stakes
Will Rogers Stakes
The Will Rogers Stakes is an American Grade IIIT Thoroughbred horse race.Run annually in the latter part of May at Hollywood Park Racetrack in Inglewood, California, the race is open to three-year-old horses. It is run over a distance of one mile on turf and currently carries a purse of $100,000....
). His Listed winning daughter Two Clubs produced the Champion Sprinter Red Clubs
Red Clubs
Red Clubs was an Irish-bred Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. He won the Group Two Coventry Stakes as a two-year-old, two Group Three races at three and the Group One Haydock Sprint Cup at four. The last named win was largely responsible for Red Clubs being named European Champion Sprinter at the...
. He has also had some success with jumpers including the Cheltenham Festival
Cheltenham Festival
The Cheltenham Festival is one of the most prestigious meetings in the National Hunt racing calendar in the United Kingdom, and has race prize money second only to the Grand National...
winner Reveillez.