Neptune Collonges

Neptune Collonges (foaled on April 25, 2001 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...

) is an French 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...

, born to sire, Dom Alco and dam, Castille Collonges. He is owned by John Hales and is trained by Paul Nicholls

Paul Nicholls

Paul Nicholls is an English actor.-Career in TV:Nicholls made his TV debut in 1989, at the age of 10, in Children's Ward. In 1994 he appeared in the BBC children's drama Earthfasts and The Biz, a teenage performing arts drama filmed at Hampton Court...

. Throughout his time as a racehorse, his predominant jockey has been Ruby Walsh

Ruby Walsh

Ruby Walsh is the reigning Irish National Hunt champion jockey. He is the second child, and eldest son, of former champion amateur jockey Ted Walsh and his wife Helen.-Success:...

.

Neptune Collonges started racing as a three year old in December 2004 when he was entered into the Prix Raymond de Bouglon, finishing in first place out of 16 entries. His first notable win came in December 2005 when he won the Winter Novices' Hurdle

Winter Novices' Hurdle

The Winter Novices' Hurdle is a Grade 2 National Hunt hurdle race in Great Britain which is open to horses aged four years or older. It is run at Sandown Park over a distance of about 2 miles and 4½ furlongs , and during its running there are nine hurdles to be jumped...

, a Grade 2 National Hunt race held at Sandown Park Racecourse in Esher

Esher

Esher is a town in the Surrey borough of Elmbridge in South East England near the River Mole. It is a very prosperous part of the Greater London Urban Area, largely suburban in character, and is situated 14.1 miles south west of Charing Cross....

, 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...

, 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...

. His first win in a Grade 1 race came in March 2007 when he won the Punchestown Gold Cup

Punchestown Gold Cup

The Punchestown Gold Cup is a Grade 1 National Hunt chase in Ireland which is open to horses aged five years or older. It is run at Punchestown over a distance of about 3 miles and 1 furlong , and during its running there are seventeen fences to be jumped...

 at Punchestown Racecourse

Punchestown Racecourse

Punchestown Racecourse is located in the parish of Eadestown, between the R410 and R411 regional roads near Naas, County Kildare, in Ireland. It is home of the National Hunt Festival of Ireland....

  near Naas

Naas

Naas is the county town of County Kildare in Ireland. With a population of just over twenty thousand, it is also the largest town in the county. Naas is a major commuter suburb, with many people residing there and working in Dublin...

, 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...

, in Ireland

Republic of Ireland

Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...

. In that race, he bested a field of 10 horses, holding off Kingscliff by 3.5 lengths

Length (horse racing)

A horse length, or simply length, is a unit of measurement that refers to the length of a horse from nose to tail, approximately 8 feet, It is commonly used in Thoroughbred horse racing, where it describes the distance between horses in a race...

.

Neptune Collonges went on to win two more Grade 1 races in his career. He defended his 2007 win in the Punchestown Gold Cup by following it with another in 2008 when he defeated Snowy Morning by 7 lengths. His other Grade 1 victory was in the 2008 Hennessy Gold Cup at Leopardstown Racecourse

Leopardstown Racecourse

Leopardstown Racecourse is an Irish horse-racing venue. Like the majority of Irish courses, it hosts both National Hunt and Flat racing. Located in Leopardstown, County Dublin, 8km south of the Dublin city centre. The course was built by Captain George Quin and modeled on Sandown Park Racecourse...

 in Leopardstown

Leopardstown

Leopardstown is a district in Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County, Ireland, located at the foot of the Dublin Mountains. A residential suburb of the greater Dublin area, it is divided by the course of the M50 motorway, and adjoins the neighbouring areas of Sandyford, Stepaside, Ballyogan, Foxrock and...

, County Dublin

County Dublin

County Dublin is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Dublin Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the city of Dublin which is the capital of Ireland. County Dublin was one of the first of the parts of Ireland to be shired by King John of England following the...

 where he outraced a field of 6 en route to victory.

At the 2009 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...

, Neptune Collonges was believed to have been injured while racing in the Cheltenham Gold Cup

Cheltenham Gold Cup

The Cheltenham Gold Cup is a Grade 1 National Hunt chase in the United Kingdom which is open to horses aged five years or older. It is run on the New Course at Cheltenham over a distance of about 3 miles and 2½ furlongs , and during its running there are twenty-two fences to be jumped...

. The injury was serious enough to put him out for the remainder of the 2008-2009 season and the entire 2009-2010 season. Owner John Hales said of his prize horse's injury: We believe it happened in the race, but it didn’t show up until a few days after.

At the time of his injury, Neptune Collonges had amassed a career record of 14 wins, 2 places and 3 shows while accumulating £685,279in lifetime earnings. His 14 wins came in just 26 races.

He returned to racing in November 2010 and in January 2011, won the Argento Chase at the Cheltenham Festival Trials.