Hever Golf Rose
Encyclopedia
Hever Golf Rose was a thoroughbred
racehorse who was bred and trained in the United Kingdom
, and campaigned throughout Europe in a career that lasted from 1993 to 1998. She was a specialist sprinter, showing her best form over distances of five and six furlongs (1000m and 1200m), who was known for her consistency and durability, and was particularly effective on soft ground. In a six-year career, she ran in sixty-six races and won seventeen. In her best season in 1995 she won six Group races
and was named European Champion Sprinter. A year after her retirement, Hever Golf Rose died after failing to recover from the anaesthetic following an operation on a joint injury.
level. Sweet Rosina went on to produce the successful handicappers Go Hever Golf and Play Hever Golf.
Popely sent Hever Golf Rose to the Doncaster St Leger sales as a yearling but bought her in for 6,000 gns
when she failed to attract interest. Popely later sold her privately to Michael P Hanson for a reported fee of £100,000.
Hever Golf Rose was trained throughout her career by Joe Naughton at The Durdans stables at Epsom
, Surrey
. Naughton had begun training in 1991 and Hever Golf Rose was his first important winner. She had many jockeys but was most closely associated with Jason Weaver
, who rode her for eleven of her thirteen races in her championship season of 1995.
in May and was runner-up in a similar event at Chepstow
in July. In the next sixteen days she recorded her first two wins in a maiden race at Doncaster
and a Nursery (a handicap for two-year-olds) at Newmarket
.
on her first and only start over a mile. Switched back to sprint distance she progressed steadily through handcaps and Listed
races, winning three of her remaining thirteen starts, and improving her official rating from 73 to 105. She won handicaps at Newmarket and York
and, on the first of her many foreign trips, the Silberne Peitsche
(then a Listed race) at
Gelsenkirchen
.
on her second and final race beyond pure sprint distances. She then took her first Group
race when she was sent to Rome for the Premio Melton
and won by one and a half lengths from Fred Bongusto. Twelve days later she appeared in Germany, running fourth in the Benazet-Rennen
.
She returned to England for the King George Stakes
at Goodwood
for which she started at odds of 10/1. Hever Golf Rose appeared to be struggling and short of space to run in the early stages but produced a "strong burst" of speed in the last quarter mile to come from last to first and win by half a length to the "astonishment" of the spectators. In recording her only career victory on firm ground she set a new track record of 56.25. In the Group One Nunthorpe Stakes
at York
in August Jason Weaver attempted to make all the running but was caught in the closing stages and finished third to So Factual.
Ten days after the York race she was back in Sweden, where she won the Taby Open Sprint Championship
and only three days after that she appeared at Baden-Baden
where she led from the start to take the Goldene Peitsche
by two lengths from the Haydock Sprint Cup
winner Lavinia Fontana
.
she was sent off the 11/10 favourite for the Prix de Seine-et-Oise
in which she raced prominently and held off the late challenge of Tereshkova to win by a neck. Joe Naughton called her "an amazing filly" after the win, while the press commented on her "remarkable" season. After four races in twenty-five days, Hever Golf Rose was given a "break" of three weeks before her run in the Prix de l'Abbaye de Longchamp
.
The race featured a meeting with another four-year-old filly, the French-trained Cherokee Rose, who had won her last four races including the Prix Maurice de Gheest
and the Haydock Sprint Cup
. Cherokee Rose was sent off the odds on favourite, with Hever Golf Rose starting at 3.1/1. Weaver tracked Eveningperformance in the early stages before moving his filly into the lead two furlongs out. Hever Golf Rose went clear and although Cherokee Rose finished strongly, she could not catch the English filly who recorded her biggest success by a margin of two and a half lengths. The performance was described by Sue Montgomery, writing in the Independent, as a "dazzling solo tour-de-force".
On her final start she was sent to the United States, the sixth country she had visited that year, for the Breeders' Cup Sprint
. It was her first race on dirt, although she had encountered the surface in training. Before the race, Joe Naughton paid tribute to his filly's ability to cope with her busy schedule saying that "she really thrives on racing and she travels brilliantly." In the race at Belmont
she showed some speed to reach third place in the straight, but faded in the closing stages to finish eighth of the thirteen runners behind Desert Stormer.
, the Nunthorpe Stakes, the Prix de l'Abbaye and the Premio Omenoni
.
After her narrow defeat in the King George Stakes the Independent's
correspondent described her as "one of the most willing and popular horses in training."
and ran under pressure in the final furlong to beat Titus Livius by a short neck. In June was sent to Sweden where she went clear in the straight in to win the Täby Varsprint by two lengths. She returned to Longchamp in October for the Prix du Petit Couvert
in which she took the lead a furlong out and won by one and a half lengths from the Prix de l'Abbaye winner Kistena.
in 1998, but still ran in five races. She recorded her last win when taking her second Täby Varsprint in June and ended her career later in the same month when running unplaced in the King's Stand Stakes
at Royal Ascot.
on 1 October. She was in foal to the 2000 Guineas winner Entrepreneur
at the time. Ronald Popely was reportedly too upset to comment; Joe Naughton said "She was a one-off. It is really tragic... She didn't owe anybody anything and was a real star."
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 who was bred and trained in the United Kingdom
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...
, and campaigned throughout Europe in a career that lasted from 1993 to 1998. She was a specialist sprinter, showing her best form over distances of five and six furlongs (1000m and 1200m), who was known for her consistency and durability, and was particularly effective on soft ground. In a six-year career, she ran in sixty-six races and won seventeen. In her best season in 1995 she won six Group races
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...
and was named European Champion Sprinter. A year after her retirement, Hever Golf Rose died after failing to recover from the anaesthetic following an operation on a joint injury.
Background
Hever Golf Rose was bred by Ronald Popely who named her after his Hever Castle Golf Club. She was sired by Efisio out of the mare Sweet Rosina. Efisio, who was also owned by Popely for part of his stud career, sired the winners of almost a thousand races including twelve at Group OneConditions 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...
level. Sweet Rosina went on to produce the successful handicappers Go Hever Golf and Play Hever Golf.
Popely sent Hever Golf Rose to the Doncaster St Leger sales as a yearling but bought her in for 6,000 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...
when she failed to attract interest. Popely later sold her privately to Michael P Hanson for a reported fee of £100,000.
Hever Golf Rose was trained throughout her career by Joe Naughton at The Durdans stables at Epsom
Epsom
Epsom is a town in the borough of Epsom and Ewell in Surrey, England. Small parts of Epsom are in the Borough of Reigate and Banstead. The town is located south-south-west of Charing Cross, within the Greater London Urban Area. The town lies on the chalk downland of Epsom Downs.-History:Epsom lies...
, Surrey
Surrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
. Naughton had begun training in 1991 and Hever Golf Rose was his first important winner. She had many jockeys but was most closely associated with Jason Weaver
Jason Weaver
Jason Michael Weaver also known by his stage name J-Weav, is an American actor and singer. He is perhaps best known for his television roles as a pre-teenage Michael Jackson in the Emmy Award-winning 1992 miniseries The Jacksons: An American Dream, and as the older brother Marcus Henderson on the...
, who rode her for eleven of her thirteen races in her championship season of 1995.
1993: two-year-old season
Hever Golf Rose made her debut when finishing fourth in a maiden race at LeicesterLeicester Racecourse
Leicester Racecourse is a horse-racing course in Oadby, Leicestershire, England.The course is oval shaped and nearly 2 miles in extent. It was opened ante 1773....
in May and was runner-up in a similar event at Chepstow
Chepstow Racecourse
Chepstow Racecourse is a thoroughbred horse racing venue located just outside the town of Chepstow in Monmouthshire, Wales, near the southern end of the Wye Valley which forms the border with England...
in July. In the next sixteen days she recorded her first two wins in a maiden race at Doncaster
Doncaster Racecourse
Doncaster Racecourse is a racecourse in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England. It hosts two of Great Britain's 31 Group 1 flat races, the St Leger Stakes and the Racing Post Trophy.- History :...
and a Nursery (a handicap for two-year-olds) 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...
.
1994: three-year-old season
On her first race as a three-year-old Hever Golf Rose finished last in the Masaka Stakes at KemptonKempton Park Racecourse
Kempton Park Racecourse is a horse racing track in Sunbury-on-Thames, Surrey, England, which is a western suburb of London 16 miles from the city centre. The site is set in of land....
on her first and only start over a mile. Switched back to sprint distance she progressed steadily through handcaps and Listed
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...
races, winning three of her remaining thirteen starts, and improving her official rating from 73 to 105. She won handicaps at Newmarket and York
York Racecourse
York Racecourse is a horse racing track in the southwest of the city of York in North Yorkshire, England with a spectator capacity of 60,000. The most famous race to be held at York on an annual basis is the Ebor Handicap, which is run during the Ebor Festival meeting in August...
and, on the first of her many foreign trips, the Silberne Peitsche
Silberne Peitsche
The Silberne Peitsche is a Group 3 flat horse race in Germany which is open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run at Cologne over a distance of 1,300 metres , and it is scheduled to take place each year in April....
(then a Listed race) at
Gelsenkirchen
Gelsenkirchen
Gelsenkirchen is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located in the northern part of the Ruhr area. Its population in 2006 was c. 267,000....
.
Spring
Hever Golf Rose's championship season began with a third place in the Listed Leicestershire StakesLeicestershire Stakes
The Leicestershire Stakes is a Listed flat horse race in Great Britain which is open to thoroughbreds aged four years or older. It is run at Leicester over a distance of 7 furlongs and 9 yards , and it is scheduled to take place each year in April.The event was promoted from Listed to Group 3...
on her second and final race beyond pure sprint distances. She then took her first Group
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...
race when she was sent to Rome for the Premio Melton
Premio Tudini
The Premio Tudini is a Group 3 flat horse race in Italy open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run at Capannelle over a distance of 1,200 metres , and it is scheduled to take place each year in May....
and won by one and a half lengths from Fred Bongusto. Twelve days later she appeared in Germany, running fourth in the Benazet-Rennen
Bénazet-Rennen
The Bénazet-Rennen is a Group 3 flat horse race in Germany open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run at Baden-Baden over a distance of 1,200 metres , and it is scheduled to take place each year in May or June....
.
Summer
In June, she was sent to Sweden where she finished fourth in the Taby Varsprint. Hever Golf Rose now began the most successful period of her career, winning seven of her next eight races. After winning a Listed race in Bremen, she stayed in Germany to take the Group Three Holsten Trophy beating Desidera by one and a half lengths.She returned to England for the King George Stakes
King George Stakes
The King George Stakes is a Group 2 flat horse race in Great Britain open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run at Goodwood over a distance of 5 furlongs , and it is scheduled to take place each year in late July or early August....
at Goodwood
Goodwood Racecourse
Goodwood Racecourse is a horse-racing track five miles north of Chichester, West Sussex, in England controlled by the family of the Duke of Richmond, whose seat is nearby Goodwood House...
for which she started at odds of 10/1. Hever Golf Rose appeared to be struggling and short of space to run in the early stages but produced a "strong burst" of speed in the last quarter mile to come from last to first and win by half a length to the "astonishment" of the spectators. In recording her only career victory on firm ground she set a new track record of 56.25. In the Group One Nunthorpe Stakes
Nunthorpe Stakes
The Nunthorpe Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain which is open to thoroughbreds aged two years or older. It is run at York over a distance of 5 furlongs , and it is scheduled to take place each year in August....
at York
York Racecourse
York Racecourse is a horse racing track in the southwest of the city of York in North Yorkshire, England with a spectator capacity of 60,000. The most famous race to be held at York on an annual basis is the Ebor Handicap, which is run during the Ebor Festival meeting in August...
in August Jason Weaver attempted to make all the running but was caught in the closing stages and finished third to So Factual.
Ten days after the York race she was back in Sweden, where she won the Taby Open Sprint Championship
Täby Open Sprint Championship
The Täby Open Sprint Championship is a Listed flat horse race in Sweden which is open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run at Täby over a distance of 1,150 metres , and it is scheduled to take place each year in September....
and only three days after that she appeared at Baden-Baden
Baden-Baden
Baden-Baden is a spa town in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is located on the western foothills of the Black Forest, on the banks of the Oos River, in the region of Karlsruhe...
where she led from the start to take the Goldene Peitsche
Goldene Peitsche
The Goldene Peitsche is a Group 2 flat horse race in Germany which is open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run at Baden-Baden over a distance of 1,200 metres , and it is scheduled to take place each year in late August or early September.The event was established in 1867, and it...
by two lengths from the Haydock Sprint Cup
Haydock Sprint Cup
The Sprint Cup is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain which is open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run at Haydock Park over a distance of 6 furlongs , and it is scheduled to take place each year in early September....
winner Lavinia Fontana
Lavinia Fontana
Lavinia Fontana was an Italian painter.-Biography:Lavinia Fontana was born in Bologna, the daughter of the painter Prospero Fontana, who was a prominent painter of the School of Bologna at the time and served as her teacher...
.
Autumn
Hever Golf Rose's next two races took her to France. At ChantillyChantilly Racecourse
Chantilly Racecourse is a Thoroughbred turf racecourse for flat racing in Chantilly, Oise, France, about north of the centre of the city of Paris....
she was sent off the 11/10 favourite for the Prix de Seine-et-Oise
Prix de Seine-et-Oise
The Prix de Seine-et-Oise is a Group 3 flat horse race in France which is open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run at Maisons-Laffitte over a distance of 1,200 metres , and it is scheduled to take place each year in late October or early November.-History:The event was established...
in which she raced prominently and held off the late challenge of Tereshkova to win by a neck. Joe Naughton called her "an amazing filly" after the win, while the press commented on her "remarkable" season. After four races in twenty-five days, Hever Golf Rose was given a "break" of three weeks before her run in the Prix de l'Abbaye de Longchamp
Prix de l'Abbaye de Longchamp
The Prix de l'Abbaye de Longchamp is a Group 1 flat horse race in France which is open to thoroughbreds aged two years or older. It is run at Longchamp over a distance of 1,000 metres , and it is scheduled to take place each year in early October.-History:The Prix de l'Abbaye was one of two major...
.
The race featured a meeting with another four-year-old filly, the French-trained Cherokee Rose, who had won her last four races including the Prix Maurice de Gheest
Prix Maurice de Gheest
The Prix Maurice de Gheest is a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run at Deauville over a distance of 1,300 metres , and it is scheduled to take place each year in August.-History:...
and the Haydock Sprint Cup
Haydock Sprint Cup
The Sprint Cup is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain which is open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run at Haydock Park over a distance of 6 furlongs , and it is scheduled to take place each year in early September....
. Cherokee Rose was sent off the odds on favourite, with Hever Golf Rose starting at 3.1/1. Weaver tracked Eveningperformance in the early stages before moving his filly into the lead two furlongs out. Hever Golf Rose went clear and although Cherokee Rose finished strongly, she could not catch the English filly who recorded her biggest success by a margin of two and a half lengths. The performance was described by Sue Montgomery, writing in the Independent, as a "dazzling solo tour-de-force".
On her final start she was sent to the United States, the sixth country she had visited that year, for the Breeders' Cup Sprint
Breeders' Cup Sprint
The Breeders' Cup Sprint is an American Weight for Age Grade I Thoroughbred horse race for three year olds & up. Run on dirt over a distance of 6 Furlongs , the race has been held annually since 1984 at a different racetrack in the United States or Canada as part of the Breeders' Cup World...
. It was her first race on dirt, although she had encountered the surface in training. Before the race, Joe Naughton paid tribute to his filly's ability to cope with her busy schedule saying that "she really thrives on racing and she travels brilliantly." In the race at Belmont
Belmont Park
Belmont Park is a major thoroughbred horse-racing facility located in Elmont in the Town of Hempstead in Nassau County, New York, on Long Island adjoining New York City. It first opened on May 4, 1905...
she showed some speed to reach third place in the straight, but faded in the closing stages to finish eighth of the thirteen runners behind Desert Stormer.
1996: five-year-old season
Hever Golf Rose failed to win in thirteen starts as five-year-old, despite running prominently in top sprint races all over Europe. She finished second in the Goldene Peitsche, the Holsten Trophy, the King George Stakes, the Taby Varsprint and the Bénazet-Rennen, and third in the July CupJuly 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....
, the Nunthorpe Stakes, the Prix de l'Abbaye and the Premio Omenoni
Premio Omenoni
The Premio Omenoni is a Group 3 flat horse race in Italy which is open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run at San Siro, Milan, over a distance of 1,000 metres , and it is scheduled to take place each year in October....
.
After her narrow defeat in the King George Stakes the Independent's
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...
correspondent described her as "one of the most willing and popular horses in training."
1997: six-year-old season
At six, Hever Golf Rose ran seventeen times in a campaign that ran from April to November. She competed in five different counties and recorded three wins. In May at Longchamp she disputed the lead for most of the way in the Prix de Saint-GeorgesPrix de Saint-Georges
The Prix de Saint-Georges 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 1,000 metres , and it is scheduled to take place each year in May.-History:...
and ran under pressure in the final furlong to beat Titus Livius by a short neck. In June was sent to Sweden where she went clear in the straight in to win the Täby Varsprint by two lengths. She returned to Longchamp in October for the Prix du Petit Couvert
Prix du Petit Couvert
The Prix du Petit Couvert is a Group 3 flat horse race in France which is open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run at Longchamp over a distance of 1,000 metres , and it is scheduled to take place each year in September....
in which she took the lead a furlong out and won by one and a half lengths from the Prix de l'Abbaye winner Kistena.
1998: seven-year-old season
Hever Golf Rose was in foal to DanehillDanehill (horse)
Danehill was a Thoroughbred racehorse who was bred in the United States. During his phenomenal stud career Danehill became a champion sire on both sides of the Equator...
in 1998, but still ran in five races. She recorded her last win when taking her second Täby Varsprint in June and ended her career later in the same month when running unplaced in the King's Stand Stakes
King's Stand Stakes
The King's Stand 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 5 furlongs , and it is scheduled to take place each year in June.-History:...
at Royal Ascot.
Assessment
Hever Golf Rose was voted European Champion Sprinter in the 1995 cartier Racing Awards.Retirement and death
Hever Golf Rose was covered by Danehill in spring 1998, before her final year of racing. She gave birth to a colt foal in 1999. In September Hever Golf Rose underwent surgery for a joint injury at Newmarket. She did not recover from the anaesthetic and her death was reported in the Racing PostRacing Post
The Racing Post is a British daily horse racing, greyhound racing and sports betting newspaper, appearing in print form and online.From 30 May 2011 - 3 July 2011 it had a circulation of 56,507.-History:...
on 1 October. She was in foal to the 2000 Guineas winner Entrepreneur
Entrepreneur
An entrepreneur is an owner or manager of a business enterprise who makes money through risk and initiative.The term was originally a loanword from French and was first defined by the Irish-French economist Richard Cantillon. Entrepreneur in English is a term applied to a person who is willing to...
at the time. Ronald Popely was reportedly too upset to comment; Joe Naughton said "She was a one-off. It is really tragic... She didn't owe anybody anything and was a real star."