Match II
Encyclopedia
Match II (1958-1965) was a French
Thoroughbred
racehorse
who won major races in England
, France
and the United States
and who was voted Horse of the Year
in England. Because another horse with the name Match was born registered in the United States that same year, he is sometimes recorded as "Match III."
Match II was bred by French hotelier Francois Dupre
at his Haras d'Ouilly
in Pont-d'Ouilly
, France
. The son of the champion Tantieme
, he won important races in France at age two then at age three won in France and England before capping off an outstanding 1962 season with a win in the prestigious Washington, D.C. International at the Laurel Park
racecourse in Laurel, Maryland
. Ridden by Yves Saint-Martin
, Match II earned the "Best in the World" title, defeating the best turf
horses from Europe
, Russia
, as well as the American entries, Carry Back
, Beau Purple
, and the great Kelso
.
Match II retired to stand at stud
in England but died after only three seasons, at age seven. Among his limited offspring was the colt World Cup (b. 1965) who won the 1968 Queen Elizabeth II Stakes
. A son, Ovaltine, was exported to Australia where he stood at stud.
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
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
Horse racing
Horse racing is an equestrian sport that has a long history. Archaeological records indicate that horse racing occurred in ancient Babylon, Syria, and Egypt. Both chariot and mounted horse racing were events in the ancient Greek Olympics by 648 BC...
who won major races in England
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...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and who was voted Horse of the Year
Horse of the Year
Horse of the Year is an honor given by various organizations worldwide in harness racing and thoroughbred horse racing.Some of the awards include:* Australian Champion Racehorse of the Year* Breeders' Cup World Championships Poll* European Horse of the Year...
in England. Because another horse with the name Match was born registered in the United States that same year, he is sometimes recorded as "Match III."
Match II was bred by French hotelier Francois Dupre
François Dupré
François Dupré was a French, hotelier, art collector, and owner of the thoroughbred horse breeding and racing farm, Haras d'Ouilly....
at his Haras d'Ouilly
Haras d'Ouilly
The Haras d'Ouilly is a renowned horse breeding farm in Pont-d'Ouilly, Calvados in the Basse-Normandie region of France established in the 19th century....
in Pont-d'Ouilly
Pont-d'Ouilly
Pont-d'Ouilly is a commune in the Calvados department in the Basse-Normandie region in northwestern France.Pont-d'Ouilly is home to the famous Haras d'Ouilly, a Thoroughbred horse racing and breeding business currently owned by the Aga Khan IV.-History:...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. The son of the champion Tantieme
Tantieme
Tantième was a French Thoroughbred horse racing champion and prominent sire who twice won the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, France's most prestigious horse race. He also won several other important conditions races including the Grand Critérium in 1949, the Poule d'Essai des Poulains, Prix Lupin and...
, he won important races in France at age two then at age three won in France and England before capping off an outstanding 1962 season with a win in the prestigious Washington, D.C. International at the Laurel Park
Laurel Park
Laurel Park can refer to some places in the United States:*Laurel Park, North Carolina*Laurel Park, Virginia*Laurel Park, Richmond, California, a neighborhood*Laurel Park Racecourse, horse racing facility in Laurel, Maryland...
racecourse in Laurel, Maryland
Laurel, Maryland
Laurel is a city in northern Prince George's County, Anne Arundel County, and Howard County, Maryland, United States, located midway between Washington, D.C. and Baltimore. Incorporated in 1870, the city maintains a historic district including its Main Street...
. Ridden by Yves Saint-Martin
Yves Saint-Martin
Yves Saint-Martin is a retired champion jockey in French Thoroughbred horse racing. He is widely considered one of the greatest riders in French racing history....
, Match II earned the "Best in the World" title, defeating the best turf
Grass
Grasses, or more technically graminoids, are monocotyledonous, usually herbaceous plants with narrow leaves growing from the base. They include the "true grasses", of the Poaceae family, as well as the sedges and the rushes . The true grasses include cereals, bamboo and the grasses of lawns ...
horses from Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
, as well as the American entries, Carry Back
Carry Back
Carry Back by Saggy out of Joppy, was an American Hall of Fame thoroughbred racehorse with a less than stellar pedigree but who nonetheless won many important graded stakes races including the 1961 Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes. His racing colors were blue, silver hoops and sleeves...
, Beau Purple
Beau Purple
Beau Purple was an American Thoroughbred racehorse most famous for defeating the legendary champion gelding Kelso in three of their four meetings. He was trained by George P. Odom until mid 1962 when H. Allen Jerkens, a 1975 inductee of the U.S. Racing Hall of Fame, took over...
, and the great Kelso
Kelso (horse)
Kelso was an American thoroughbred race horse considered among the best racehorses of the 20th century. In the list of the top 100 U.S. thoroughbred champions of the 20th Century by The Blood-Horse magazine Kelso ranks 4th, behind only Man o' War , Secretariat and Citation...
.
Match II retired to stand at stud
Horse breeding
Horse breeding is reproduction in horses, and particularly the human-directed process of selective breeding of animals, particularly purebred horses of a given breed. Planned matings can be used to produce specifically desired characteristics in domesticated horses...
in England but died after only three seasons, at age seven. Among his limited offspring was the colt World Cup (b. 1965) who won the 1968 Queen Elizabeth II Stakes
Queen Elizabeth II Stakes
The Queen Elizabeth II Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain which is open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run at Ascot over a distance of 1 mile , and it is now scheduled to take place each year in October. As of 2011, it is run on Champions Day as the final race...
. A son, Ovaltine, was exported to Australia where he stood at stud.