Miesque
Encyclopedia
Miesque was a champion Thoroughbred
racemare, best known as the first horse to win two consecutive Breeders' Cup
s and racing awards in Europe and America. She was a Group one
(G1) winner at two, three and four-years-old, for a total of 10 G1 wins. She produced five stakes winners.
, United States
. She was sired by Nureyev
, (by Northern Dancer
) from Pasadoble, by Prove Out. Miesque was owned by Greek
shipping tycoon Stavros Niarchos
, and did most of her racing in Europe
. Miesque was sister to Massaraat and Bravemie and a half sister to the mares, Yogya by Riverman and One Life by L'Emigrant.
and trained by François Boutin
, Miesque won three of her four races as a two year old, including two Grade 1 Stakes Races and was voted the 1986 Champion Two-year-old filly in France
.
Under jockey Freddy Head
, at age three Miesque won the 1,000 Guineas in England and the Poule d'Essai des Pouliches
(the French 1,000 Guineas). Miesque achieved international stardom when she defeated a talented field of mostly male horses in the prestigious 1987 Breeders' Cup Mile
, in the process setting a Hollywood Park track record. Her powerful performance earned her the 1987 Eclipse Award for Outstanding Female Turf Horse
plus she was named Champion three-year-old Filly and Champion Miler in both France and England.
The following year, Miesque raced only four times, winning three and finishing second once. She returned to the U.S. to defend her Breeders Cup title at Churchill Downs
in Kentucky and once again was up against a very strong field of older males including Belmont Stakes
winner Bet Twice
and the Daniel Wildenstein
-owned champion, Steinlen. Despite the fierce competition, the filly won the race by four lengths, making her the first ever back-to-back winner in Breeders Cup history. The performance earned her a second straight Eclipse Award for Outstanding Female Turf Horse for 1988 and she was again voted France's Champion Miler of the year plus was named that country's Champion Older Mare.
Miesque retired after the 1988 season. Of her sixteen lifetime races, the filly won twelve, finished second three times, and third once.
. Miesque's offspring include:
Miesque was euthanized
at Lane's End Farm
on January 20, 2011.
in 1999.
The annual Prix Miesque
at the Hippodrome
in Maisons-Laffitte
, Yvelines
and the Miesque Stakes at Hollywood Park Racetrack in Inglewood, California
are held in her honor.
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...
racemare, best known as the first horse to win two consecutive Breeders' Cup
Breeders' Cup
The Breeders' Cup World Championships is an annual series of Thoroughbred horse races, most but not all Grade I, operated by Breeders' Cup Limited, a company formed in 1982. From its inception in 1984 through 2006, it was a single-day event; starting in 2007, it expanded to two days. The location...
s and racing awards in Europe and America. She was a Group one
Group One
Group One or Group 1 is the term used for the highest level of Thoroughbred and Standardbred stakes races in many countries. Group One races may be run under handicap conditions in Australia but in Europe weight-for-age conditions always apply. Races may be also restricted to age groups or a...
(G1) winner at two, three and four-years-old, for a total of 10 G1 wins. She produced five stakes winners.
Breeding
Miesque was foaled in Lexington, KentuckyLexington, Kentucky
Lexington is the second-largest city in Kentucky and the 63rd largest in the US. Known as the "Thoroughbred City" and the "Horse Capital of the World", it is located in the heart of Kentucky's Bluegrass region...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. She was sired by Nureyev
Nureyev (horse)
Nureyev was a Kentucky-bred Thoroughbred racehorse and champion sire. As a racehorse he was best known as the disqualified "winner" of the 2000 Guineas in 1980.-Background:...
, (by 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"....
) from Pasadoble, by Prove Out. Miesque was owned by Greek
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
shipping tycoon Stavros Niarchos
Stavros Niarchos
Stavros Spyros Niarchos was a Greek shipping tycoon, sometimes known as "The Golden Greek." In 1952, Stavros Niarchos built the first supertankers capable of transporting large quantities of oil, and subsequently earned millions of dollars as global demand for his ships increased.- Early life :He...
, and did most of her racing in 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...
. Miesque was sister to Massaraat and Bravemie and a half sister to the mares, Yogya by Riverman and One Life by L'Emigrant.
Racing record
Stabled in FranceFrance
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 trained by François Boutin
François Boutin
François Boutin was a French Thoroughbred horse trainer. The son of a farmer, he was born in the village of Beaunay in the northerly Seine Maritime département. He began riding horses at a young age and competed in show jumping and cross-country equestrianism...
, Miesque won three of her four races as a two year old, including two Grade 1 Stakes Races and was voted the 1986 Champion Two-year-old filly in 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...
.
Under jockey Freddy Head
Freddy Head
Freddy Head is a retired champion jockey in Thoroughbred horse racing and currently a horse trainer. Known also as "Freddie", his grandfather was a jockey as was his father Alec Head who also became a successful trainer and owner of Haras du Quesnay near Deauville...
, at age three Miesque won the 1,000 Guineas in England and the Poule d'Essai des Pouliches
Poule d'Essai des Pouliches
The Poule d'Essai des Pouliches, sometimes referred to as the French 1,000 Guineas, is a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to three-year-old thoroughbred fillies...
(the French 1,000 Guineas). Miesque achieved international stardom when she defeated a talented field of mostly male horses in the prestigious 1987 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...
, in the process setting a Hollywood Park track record. Her powerful performance earned her the 1987 Eclipse Award for Outstanding Female Turf Horse
Eclipse Award for Outstanding Female Turf Horse
The American Champion Female Turf Horse award is an American Thoroughbred horse racing honor. It is part of the Eclipse Awards program and is awarded annually to a female horse for her performance on grass race courses....
plus she was named Champion three-year-old Filly and Champion Miler in both France and England.
The following year, Miesque raced only four times, winning three and finishing second once. She returned to the U.S. to defend her Breeders Cup title at Churchill Downs
Churchill Downs
Churchill Downs, located in Central Avenue in south Louisville, Kentucky, United States, is a Thoroughbred racetrack most famous for hosting the Kentucky Derby annually. It officially opened in 1875, and held the first Kentucky Derby and the first Kentucky Oaks in the same year. Churchill Downs...
in Kentucky and once again was up against a very strong field of older males including Belmont Stakes
Belmont Stakes
The Belmont Stakes is an American Grade I stakes Thoroughbred horse race held every June at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. It is a 1.5-mile horse race, open to three year old Thoroughbreds. Colts and geldings carry a weight of 126 pounds ; fillies carry 121 pounds...
winner Bet Twice
Bet Twice
Bet Twice was a multi-millionaire American thoroughbred Stallion racehorse. Foaled in Kentucky, he was sired by Sportin' Life, who in turn was the son of the great stallion and British Triple Crown champion Nijinsky, out of the mare Golden Dust. He was bred by William S. Farish III and E. J...
and the Daniel Wildenstein
Daniel Wildenstein
Daniel Leopold Wildenstein was a French art dealer and scholar, as well as a leading thoroughbred race horse owner and breeder....
-owned champion, Steinlen. Despite the fierce competition, the filly won the race by four lengths, making her the first ever back-to-back winner in Breeders Cup history. The performance earned her a second straight Eclipse Award for Outstanding Female Turf Horse for 1988 and she was again voted France's Champion Miler of the year plus was named that country's Champion Older Mare.
Miesque retired after the 1988 season. Of her sixteen lifetime races, the filly won twelve, finished second three times, and third once.
Breeding record
She was a successful broodmare at the Niarchos stud farm in Kentucky, producing several stakes winners with sires such as Mr. ProspectorMr. 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:...
. Miesque's offspring include:
- KingmamboKingmamboKingmambo is an American thoroughbred stallion racehorse.-Background:He was sired by the leading stud, Mr...
- winner of the Poule d'Essai des PoulainsPoule d'Essai des PoulainsThe Poule d'Essai des Poulains, sometimes referred to as the French 2,000 Guineas, is a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts...
, Prix du Moulin de LongchampPrix du Moulin de LongchampThe Prix du Moulin de Longchamp is a Group 1 flat horse race in France which is open to thoroughbred colts and fillies aged three years or older...
, Prix Djebel and St. James's Palace StakesSt. James's Palace StakesThe 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....
and a leading second crop sire in North America; sired Lemon Drop KidLemon Drop KidLemon Drop Kid is a Champion American Thoroughbred racehorse.-Background:He is among many stakes-winning Thoroughbreds to be descended from Triple Crown winner Seattle Slew. Seattle Slew is the son of, Charming Lassie. Kingmambo was his sire, himself a son of the very important Champion sire Mr...
, HenrythenavigatorHenrythenavigatorHenrythenavigator is an American-bred and Irish-trained Thoroughbred racehorse. He won the 2,000 Guineas, the Irish 2,000 Guineas, the St...
, King's BestKing's BestKings Best was an American bred Thoroughbred racehorse best known for winning the 2,000 Guineas.-Background:He was a half brother to the Arc winning Urban Sea - the dam of Sea the Stars and Galileo...
, El Condor PasaEl Condor Pasa (horse)El Condor Pasa was a Japanese racehorse that won the Japan Cup. He became second in Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe.- Progeny :Daughters/Sons...
, Russian RhythmRussian RhythmRussian Rhythm is a retired Thoroughbred racehorse and active broodmare who was bred in the United States but trained in the United Kingdom during a rcing career which lsted from 2002 to 2004...
, and Divine Proportions. - Miesque's Son - stakes winner and successful sire in the U.S.; sired Miesque's Approval, winner of the 2006 Sunshine Millions TurfSunshine Millions TurfThe Sunshine Millions Turf Stakes is a race for thoroughbred horses held in January at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California or at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Florida...
and the Breeders' Cup MileBreeders' Cup MileThe 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...
and voted the 2006 Eclipse Award for Outstanding Male Turf HorseEclipse Award for Outstanding Male Turf HorseThe American Champion Male Turf Horse award is an American Thoroughbred horse racing honor. In 1971 it became part of the Eclipse Awards program and is awarded annually to a Colt or Gelding, regardless of age, for their performance on grass race courses....
. He was also voted 2006 Florida-bred Horse of the Year. - East of the Moon - Champion three year old filly in France.
Miesque was euthanized
Animal euthanasia
Animal euthanasia is the act of putting to death painlessly or allowing to die, as by withholding extreme medical measures, an animal suffering from an incurable, especially a painful, disease or condition. Euthanasia methods are designed to cause minimal pain and distress...
at Lane's End Farm
Lane's End Farm
Lane's End Farm is a thoroughbred race horse breeding farm in Versailles, Kentucky established in 1979. The original land was part of Bosque Bonita Farm which means beautiful woods and was originally owned by Abraham Buford, a Confederate Army General. The land was later bought by leading...
on January 20, 2011.
Honors
In the Blood-Horse magazine ranking of the top 100 U.S. thoroughbred champions of the 20th Century, Miesque was ranked #82. She was inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of FameNational Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame
The National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame was founded in 1950 in Saratoga Springs, New York, to honor the achievements of American thoroughbred race horses, jockeys, and trainers...
in 1999.
The annual Prix Miesque
Prix Miesque
The Prix Miesque is a Group 3 flat horse race in France which is open to two-year-old thoroughbred fillies. It is run at Maisons-Laffitte over a distance of 1,400 metres , and it is scheduled to take place each year in late October or early November.The event is named in honour of Miesque, a highly...
at the Hippodrome
Hippodrome
A hippodrome was a Greek stadium for horse racing and chariot racing. The name is derived from the Greek words "hippos and "dromos"...
in Maisons-Laffitte
Maisons-Laffitte
Maisons-Laffitte is a commune in the Yvelines department in the Île-de-France region in north-central France. It is located in the north-western suburbs of Paris from the center....
, Yvelines
Yvelines
Yvelines is a French department in the region of Île-de-France.-History:Yvelines was created from the western part of the defunct department of Seine-et-Oise on 1 January 1968 in accordance with a law passed on 10 January 1964 and a décret d'application from 26 February 1965.It gained the...
and the Miesque Stakes at Hollywood Park Racetrack in Inglewood, California
Inglewood, California
Inglewood is a city in southwestern Los Angeles County, California, southwest of downtown Los Angeles. It was incorporated on February 14, 1908. Its population stood at 109,673 as of the 2010 Census...
are held in her honor.