Sagace was a French

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...

 champion 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...

. His sire Luthier

Luthier (horse)

Luthier was an French Thoroughbred racehorse who was the Leading sire in France on four occasions. Bred at Baron Guy de Rothschild's Haras de Meautry, he was trained by Geoffroy Watson...

 had been the Leading sire in France

Leading sire in France

The list below shows the leading Thoroughbred sire of racehorses in France for each year since 1887. This is determined by the amount of prizemoney won by the sire's progeny during the season .-----References:* -See also:*...

 in 1976.

Trained by Patrick Biancone

Patrick Biancone

Patrick Louis Biancone is a Thoroughbred racehorse trainer. He is currently based in the United States, but enjoyed success in both Europe and Hong Kong earlier in his career...

 and ridden by Yves St. Martin for prominent owner/breeder 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....

, at age three Sagace won two important races, then the following year scored a two-length victory in France's most prestigious horse race, the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe

Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe

The Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe is a Group 1 flat horse race in France which is open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run at Longchamp over a distance of 2,400 metres , and it is scheduled to take place each year, usually on the first Sunday in October.Popularly referred to as the...

. Sagace came back to win his second Arc in 1985 but following a claim of interference by the handlers of Rainbow Quest

Rainbow Quest (horse)

Rainbow Quest was a British Thoroughbred racehorse and Champion broodmare sire. Bred in Kentucky by British businessman, Alan Clore, he was a descendant of the great Nearco through both his dam, I Will Follow, and his Champion sire, Blushing Groom....

, the Hippodrome de Longchamp

Hippodrome de Longchamp

The Longchamp Racecourse is a 57 hectare horse-racing facility located on the Route des Tribunes in the Bois de Boulogne at Paris, France. Built on the banks of the Seine River, it is used for flat racing and is noted for its variety of interlaced tracks and a famous hill that provides a real...

 racing stewards disqualified him to second. Nonetheless, Sagace's performances for 1985 earned him European Co-Champion Older Horse honors.

When Sagace retired to 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...

, owner Daniel Widenstein sold a share of him to Alan Li Fook-sum, a prominent Hong Kong

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...

 horseman who later (1998-2002) served as chairman of the Hong Kong Jockey Club

Hong Kong Jockey Club

The Hong Kong Jockey Club is one of the oldest institutions in Hong Kong, founded in 1884 to promote horse racing. It was granted Royal Charter and renamed to "The Royal Hong Kong Jockey Club" in 1959...

.

Sagace was sent to Calumet Farm

Calumet Farm

Calumet Farm is a Thoroughbred breeding and training farm established in 1924 in Lexington, Kentucky, United States by William Monroe Wright, founding owner of the Calumet Baking Powder Company. Calumet is located in the heart of Lexington's blue grass country, the finest horse breeding region in...

 in Lexington, Kentucky

Lexington, 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...

, where he sired Arcangues

Arcangues (horse)

Arcangues was a Thoroughbred racehorse and sire from France.The son of owner Daniel Wildenstein's 1984 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe winner Sagace, he was given the name of the village of Arcangues in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques departement of the Aquitaine region...

, who would win the 1993 Breeders' Cup Classic

Breeders' Cup Classic

The Breeders' Cup Classic is a Grade I Weight for Age thoroughbred horse race for 3 year olds and older run at a distance of 1¼ miles on dirt. It is held annually at a different racetrack as part of the Breeders' Cup World Championships...

. Sagace stood at stud for just over three years before dying prematurely at age nine. His daughter Saganeca produced Sagamix, who was unbeaten at age three while winning the 1998 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe

Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe

The Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe is a Group 1 flat horse race in France which is open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run at Longchamp over a distance of 2,400 metres , and it is scheduled to take place each year, usually on the first Sunday in October.Popularly referred to as the...

.