Val Royal
Encyclopedia
Val Royal was a French
-bred Thoroughbred
racehorse
who competed successfully in France and the United States. Best known for winning the 2001 Breeders' Cup Mile
, he was bred and raced by Jean-Luc Lagardere
. Val Royal's dam was Vadlava, a daughter of the 1981 French Derby
winner, Bikala. http://www.virtualformguide.com/cgi-bin/tvf/displaynewsitem.pl?20041221valroyal.txt His sire, Royal Academy
, won the 1990 Breeders' Cup Mile.
Val Royal made his racing debut at Longchamp Racecourse with a win on October 25, 1998. His only start at two, he began his three-year-old campaign in 1999 with another win in a Listed race at Chantilly Racecourse
on May 3 then on May 20 won his first try in a Conditions race, capturing the 1,800 metres (1⅛ miles) Prix de Guiche
at Longchamp. Sent to England
for that country's most prestigious race, the Epsom Derby
at 1½ miles on soft turf proved too much for Val Royal and he finished eleventh in a field of sixteen. Back in France, he earned a runner-up finish in the 1,800 metre Prix Daphnis
then, after winning the 2,000 metres (1¼ miles) Group 2 Prix Guillaume d'Ornano
at Deauville Racecourse, was sold in a private transaction to American Television producer
David Milch
.
Brought to California
, Val Royal's race conditioning was taken over by Julio Canani. In his first start in the United States on September 6, 1999, Val Royal thrilled racing fans at Del Mar Racetrack
when he charged from far back to win the Grade II
Del Mar Derby
. Unfortunately, a series of minor ailments kept him out of racing for the remainder of 1999 and all of the year 2000. Unraced for nineteen months, Val Royal returned on March 3, 200, finishing second in the G II Frank E. Kilroe Mile Handicap
at Santa Anita Park
. Once again, an injury kept him out of racing, this time for seven months. Returning on October 7, he came from last place at the turn for home to win Santa Anita's Oak Tree Mile Stakes by more than two lengths in a quick time of 1:33.21.
in Elmont, New York
to compete in the October 27 Breeders' Cup Mile
. Yet again, Val Royal was last as the field turned for home but swung eight-wide on the turn, running the final two furlongs (400 metres) in a time 0:22 to win by two lengths. His time for the mile of 1:32.05 was the fastest in the history of the race, and is a record that going into 2010 has not been matched.
Scheduled to go to Hong Kong's
Sha Tin Racecourse
to run in the Hong Kong Mile
Val Royal developed a quarter crack
that saw him sidelined him until March 2 of 2002 when he returned to Santa Anita and finished fourth in the Frank E. Kilroe Mile Handicap. Sent to Nad Al Sheba Racecourse
in Dubai
for the 2002 Dubai Duty Free Stakes, Val Royal finished fifth in a sixteen-horse field in what would prove to be his final race.
injury and was then sold to a breeding operation. He stood from 2003 through 2006 at Oak Lodge Stud in County Kildare
, Ireland
and was shuttled to Eliza Park stud near Kerrie, Victoria
, Australia
for the Southern Hemisphere
breeding seasons. In 2007 and 2008, he stood at the Irish National Stud
plus was shuttled to Brazil
.
While standing at Haras Basano in São Paulo
, Brazil, on October 17, 2008 Val Royal collapsed suddenly in the paddock
and died from a suspected internal hemorrhage. http://www.thoroughbredtimes.com/breeding-news/2008/October/23/Breeders-Cup-Mile-winner-Val-Royal-dies.aspx During his short career as a stallion, he sired more than seventy winners among which were:
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...
-bred 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 competed successfully in France and the United States. Best known for winning the 2001 Breeders' Cup Mile
Breeders' Cup Mile
The Breeders' Cup Mile is a Grade 1 Weight for Age stakes race for thoroughbred racehorses three years old and up, run on a grass course. It has been conducted annually as part of the Breeders' Cup World Championships since the event's inception in 1984...
, he was bred and raced by Jean-Luc Lagardere
Jean-Luc Lagardère
Jean-Luc Lagardère was a major French businessman, CEO of the Lagardere Group, one of the largest French conglomerates....
. Val Royal's dam was Vadlava, a daughter of the 1981 French Derby
Prix du Jockey Club
The Prix du Jockey Club, sometimes referred to as the French Derby, is a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies...
winner, Bikala. http://www.virtualformguide.com/cgi-bin/tvf/displaynewsitem.pl?20041221valroyal.txt His sire, Royal Academy
Royal Academy (horse)
Royal Academy is an Irish Thoroughbred racehorse bred in the United States best known as the winner of the 1990 Breeders' Cup Mile in which famed British jockey Lester Piggott came out of retirement to ride the colt to victory....
, won the 1990 Breeders' Cup Mile.
Val Royal made his racing debut at Longchamp Racecourse with a win on October 25, 1998. His only start at two, he began his three-year-old campaign in 1999 with another win in a Listed race at Chantilly Racecourse
Chantilly 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....
on May 3 then on May 20 won his first try in a Conditions race, capturing the 1,800 metres (1⅛ miles) Prix de Guiche
Prix de Guiche
The Prix de Guiche is a Group 3 flat horse race in France open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts. It is run at Chantilly over a distance of 1,800 metres , and it is scheduled to take place each year in May.-History:...
at Longchamp. Sent to England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
for that country's most prestigious race, the Epsom Derby
Epsom Derby
The Derby Stakes, popularly known as The Derby, internationally as the Epsom Derby, and under its present sponsor as the Investec Derby, is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies...
at 1½ miles on soft turf proved too much for Val Royal and he finished eleventh in a field of sixteen. Back in France, he earned a runner-up finish in the 1,800 metre Prix Daphnis
Prix Daphnis
The Prix Daphnis is a Group 3 flat horse race in France open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and geldings. It is run at Longchamp over a distance of 1,850 metres , and it is scheduled to take place each year in late June or early July.-History:The Prix Daphnis was established in 1921 alongside...
then, after winning the 2,000 metres (1¼ miles) Group 2 Prix Guillaume d'Ornano
Prix Guillaume d'Ornano
The Prix Guillaume d'Ornano is a Group 2 flat horse race in France open to three-year-old thoroughbreds. It is run at Deauville over a distance of 2,000 metres , and it is scheduled to take place each year in August.-History:...
at Deauville Racecourse, was sold in a private transaction to American Television producer
Television producer
The primary role of a television Producer is to allow all aspects of video production, ranging from show idea development and cast hiring to shoot supervision and fact-checking...
David Milch
David Milch
David S. Milch is an American writer and producer of television series. He has created several television shows, including NYPD Blue and Deadwood.-Biography:...
.
Brought to California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, Val Royal's race conditioning was taken over by Julio Canani. In his first start in the United States on September 6, 1999, Val Royal thrilled racing fans at Del Mar Racetrack
Del Mar Racetrack
Del Mar Racetrack is an American Thoroughbred horse racing track at the Del Mar Fairgrounds in the seaside city of Del Mar, California, 20 miles north of San Diego. Operated by the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club, it is known for the slogan: "Where The Turf Meets The Surf." It was built by a partnership...
when he charged from far back to win the Grade II
Graded stakes race
A graded stakes race is a term applied since 1973 by the American Graded Stakes Committee of the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association to thoroughbred horse races in the United States and Canada to describe races that derive their name from the stake, or entry fee, owners must pay...
Del Mar Derby
Del Mar Derby
The Del Mar Derby is an American thoroughbred horse race run annually during the first week of September at Del Mar Racetrack in Del Mar, California...
. Unfortunately, a series of minor ailments kept him out of racing for the remainder of 1999 and all of the year 2000. Unraced for nineteen months, Val Royal returned on March 3, 200, finishing second in the G II Frank E. Kilroe Mile Handicap
Frank E. Kilroe Mile Handicap
The Frank E. Kilroe Mile Handicap is an American Thoroughbred horse race run in early March at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California. Open to horses four years of age and older, it is raced over a distance of one mile . The Grade I race currently offers a purse of $300,000.Inaugurated in 1960 as...
at Santa Anita Park
Santa Anita Park
Santa Anita Park is a thoroughbred racetrack in Arcadia, California, United States. It offers some of the prominent racing events in the United States during the winter and in spring. With its backdrop of the purple San Gabriel Mountains, it is considered by many as the world's most beautiful race...
. Once again, an injury kept him out of racing, this time for seven months. Returning on October 7, he came from last place at the turn for home to win Santa Anita's Oak Tree Mile Stakes by more than two lengths in a quick time of 1:33.21.
Record run in the Breeders' Cup Mile
Following his win in the Oak Tree Mile, Val Royal was then was shipped east to Belmont ParkBelmont 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...
in Elmont, New York
Elmont, New York
Elmont is an unincorporated census-designated place located in the northwest corner of the Town of Hempstead in Nassau County, New York, along its border with the borough of Queens in New York City...
to compete in the October 27 Breeders' Cup Mile
Breeders' Cup Mile
The Breeders' Cup Mile is a Grade 1 Weight for Age stakes race for thoroughbred racehorses three years old and up, run on a grass course. It has been conducted annually as part of the Breeders' Cup World Championships since the event's inception in 1984...
. Yet again, Val Royal was last as the field turned for home but swung eight-wide on the turn, running the final two furlongs (400 metres) in a time 0:22 to win by two lengths. His time for the mile of 1:32.05 was the fastest in the history of the race, and is a record that going into 2010 has not been matched.
Scheduled to go to Hong Kong's
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
Sha Tin Racecourse
Sha Tin Racecourse
Sha Tin Racecourse is one of the two racecourses for horse racing in Hong Kong. It is located in Sha Tin in the New Territories. It is managed by Hong Kong Jockey Club.Penfold Park is encircled by the track.-History:...
to run in the Hong Kong Mile
Hong Kong Mile
The Hong Kong Mile is a Group 1 flat horse race in Hong Kong which is open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run over a distance of 1,600 metres at Sha Tin, and it is scheduled to take place each year in mid December....
Val Royal developed a quarter crack
Quarter crack
A quarter crack is a term used by horsemen to describe a vertical split in a horse hoof wall at or about the quarter or widest part of the hoof. Quarter cracks are not an uncommon injury in horses worked extensively in horseshoes....
that saw him sidelined him until March 2 of 2002 when he returned to Santa Anita and finished fourth in the Frank E. Kilroe Mile Handicap. Sent to Nad Al Sheba Racecourse
Nad Al Sheba Racecourse
Nad Al Sheba Racecourse is a former Thoroughbred horse racing facility in Dubai, United Arab Emirates opened in 1986. It has a 2,200 metre left-handed dirt race track and a left-handed turf course of the same distance...
in Dubai
Dubai
Dubai is a city and emirate in the United Arab Emirates . The emirate is located south of the Persian Gulf on the Arabian Peninsula and has the largest population with the second-largest land territory by area of all the emirates, after Abu Dhabi...
for the 2002 Dubai Duty Free Stakes, Val Royal finished fifth in a sixteen-horse field in what would prove to be his final race.
At stud
In April 2002, Val Royal suffered a career ending tendonTendon
A tendon is a tough band of fibrous connective tissue that usually connects muscle to bone and is capable of withstanding tension. Tendons are similar to ligaments and fasciae as they are all made of collagen except that ligaments join one bone to another bone, and fasciae connect muscles to other...
injury and was then sold to a breeding operation. He stood from 2003 through 2006 at Oak Lodge Stud in County Kildare
County Kildare
County Kildare is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Mid-East Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the town of Kildare. Kildare County Council is the local authority for the county...
, Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
and was shuttled to Eliza Park stud near Kerrie, Victoria
Kerrie, Victoria
Kerrie is a small town located in the Macedon Ranges region of Victoria, Australia, featuring a town hall and the closed Kerrie State School . The school was closed in 1991, but remains an important venue for community meetings and events. The buildings and grounds are heritage listed and...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
for the Southern Hemisphere
Southern Hemisphere
The Southern Hemisphere is the part of Earth that lies south of the equator. The word hemisphere literally means 'half ball' or "half sphere"...
breeding seasons. In 2007 and 2008, he stood at the Irish National Stud
Irish National Stud
The Irish National Stud is a Thoroughbred horse breeding facility based at Tully, Kildare, County Kildare, Ireland...
plus was shuttled to Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
.
While standing at Haras Basano in São Paulo
São Paulo (state)
São Paulo is a state in Brazil. It is the major industrial and economic powerhouse of the Brazilian economy. Named after Saint Paul, São Paulo has the largest population, industrial complex, and economic production in the country. It is the richest state in Brazil...
, Brazil, on October 17, 2008 Val Royal collapsed suddenly in the paddock
Paddock
A Paddock is an enclosure for horses. It may also refer to: People*Algernon Paddock , American politician*Charlie Paddock , American athlete and actor*Del Paddock , American baseball player...
and died from a suspected internal hemorrhage. http://www.thoroughbredtimes.com/breeding-news/2008/October/23/Breeders-Cup-Mile-winner-Val-Royal-dies.aspx During his short career as a stallion, he sired more than seventy winners among which were:
- Cockney Rebel (b. 2004) - won English Classic 2,000 Guineas Stakes and Irish 2,000 Guineas;
- Valbenny (b. 2004 ) - multiple stakes winning filly in the U.S. including the Honeymoon Handicap.