Sakhee
Encyclopedia
Sakhee is a British
Thoroughbred
racehorse
. Bred by the racing interests of Dubai's
Sheikh Hamdan al Maktoum
, his sire Bahri was almost exclusively a miler who won two Group One
races at that distance. Sakhee was from the mare Thawakib, a winner of the 1993 Group II Ribblesdale Stakes
whose sire was the fourteen-time Leading sire in Great Britain & Ireland
, Sadler's Wells
.
Trained by John L. Dunlop
, Sakhee raced under the Godolphin banner for whom he won two of his three starts at age two. As a three-year-old in 2000, the colt won the Sandown Classic Trial
and the Dante Stakes
then ran second by a length to Sinndar
in the Epsom Derby
. In the Eclipse Stakes
he suffered a muscular problem and finished fourth to winner, Giant's Causeway
. At the end of the 2000 racing season he underwent surgery to remove a bone chip in a knee.
Godolphin gave Saeed bin Suroor
the job of conditioning Sakhee for his four-year-old racing campaign. Being prepared for top-level races, he was entered and won the Steventon Stakes Listed race. In his next outing of 2001, he dominated the competition, winning the Group One
International Stakes
by seven lengths. Sent to Longchamp Racecourse in Paris
, France
for October's prestigious Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe
, Sakhee once again dominated his opponents and won by six lengths over the previously undefeated filly
, Aquarelliste
. In his final start of 2001, Sakhee was sent to the United States
to compete in the 2001 Breeders' Cup Classic
at New York's
Belmont Park
. Racing on dirt for the first time in his career, he finished second by a nose to Tiznow
.
Sent back to racing at age five, Sakhee won his first race then finished third on the dirt behind winner Street Cry
in the 2002 Dubai World Cup
. In the final race of his career, he ran second on turf in the G3 Prix Gontaut-Biron
.
In October 2002, Sakhee was retired to breeding
duty at Sheikh Hamdan's Shadwell Stud
. To date, the most successful of his offspring has been Sakhee's Secret
who in 2007 earned his fourth straight win in the Group One July Cup
at Newmarket Racecourse
.
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...
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...
. Bred by the racing interests of Dubai's
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...
Sheikh Hamdan al Maktoum
Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum
Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum is the Deputy Ruler of Dubai and the Minister of Finance and Industry of the United Arab Emirates . He is the second son of the late ruler, Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum ....
, his sire Bahri was almost exclusively a miler who won two 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...
races at that distance. Sakhee was from the mare Thawakib, a winner of the 1993 Group II Ribblesdale Stakes
Ribblesdale Stakes
The Ribblesdale Stakes is a Group 2 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old thoroughbred fillies. It is run at Ascot over a distance of 1 mile and 4 furlongs , and it is scheduled to take place each year in June.-History:...
whose sire was the fourteen-time Leading sire in Great Britain & Ireland
Leading sire in Great Britain & Ireland
The list below shows the leading sire of racehorses in Great Britain and Ireland for each year since 1751. This is determined by the amount of prize money won by the sire's progeny during the season.----- References :* -See also:...
, Sadler's Wells
Sadler's Wells (horse)
Sadler's Wells was a Thoroughbred racehorse that was later a leading sire in France, Great Britain & Ireland and North America during the 1990s. He was foaled in 1981 in the United States, but achieved most of his racing and breeding fame in Europe....
.
Trained by John L. Dunlop
John L. Dunlop
John L. Dunlop is a successful race horse trainer based in Arundel, Sussex, with over 3000 winners between 1966 and 2002.He was the British flat racing Champion Trainer in 1995....
, Sakhee raced under the Godolphin banner for whom he won two of his three starts at age two. As a three-year-old in 2000, the colt won the Sandown Classic Trial
Sandown Classic Trial
The Sandown Classic Trial is a Group 3 flat horse race in Great Britain which is open to three-year-old thoroughbreds. It is run at Sandown Park over a distance of 1 mile, 2 furlongs and 7 yards , and it is scheduled to take place each year in late April.The event was established in 1953, and it...
and the Dante Stakes
Dante Stakes
The Dante Stakes is a Group 2 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old thoroughbreds. It is run at York over a distance of 1 mile, 2 furlongs and 88 yards , and it is scheduled to take place each year in May....
then ran second by a length to Sinndar
Sinndar
Sinndar, is a retired Irish Thoroughbred racehorse and active sire. He is notable for his unique achievement in winning the Epsom Derby, Irish Derby Stakes and Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe in the same year.-Background:...
in 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...
. In the Eclipse Stakes
Eclipse Stakes
The Eclipse Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run at Sandown Park over a distance of 1 mile, 2 furlongs and 7 yards , and it is scheduled to take place each year in early July.-History:The event is named after Eclipse, a...
he suffered a muscular problem and finished fourth to winner, Giant's Causeway
Giant's Causeway (horse)
Giant's Causeway is a Kentucky-bred thoroughbred racehorse who competed primarily in Europe. In 2000, he won five straight Group One races. His performance that year earned him European Horse of the Year honors....
. At the end of the 2000 racing season he underwent surgery to remove a bone chip in a knee.
Godolphin gave Saeed bin Suroor
Saeed bin Suroor
Saeed bin Suroor , is a horse racing trainer. Formerly a policeman, he took out his training license in 1994 and the following year was appointed as the trainer for Sheikh Mohammed's Godolphin operation....
the job of conditioning Sakhee for his four-year-old racing campaign. Being prepared for top-level races, he was entered and won the Steventon Stakes Listed race. In his next outing of 2001, he dominated the competition, winning the 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...
International Stakes
International Stakes
The International Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run at York over a distance of 1 mile, 2 furlongs and 88 yards , and it is scheduled to take place each year in August....
by seven lengths. Sent to Longchamp Racecourse in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, 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...
for October's prestigious 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...
, Sakhee once again dominated his opponents and won by six lengths over the previously undefeated filly
Filly
A filly is a young female horse too young to be called a mare. There are several specific definitions in use.*In most cases filly is a female horse under the age of four years old....
, Aquarelliste
Aquarelliste
Aquarelliste is an French Thoroughbred filly racehorse. Owned and bred by Daniel Wildenstein, she was sired by Danehill, a Leading sire in Australia as well as in France and Great Britain & Ireland. She was out of the mare Agathe, a daughter of Manila, the 1986 Breeders' Cup Turf winner voted...
. In his final start of 2001, Sakhee was sent to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
to compete in the 2001 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...
at New York's
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
Belmont Park
Belmont 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...
. Racing on dirt for the first time in his career, he finished second by a nose to Tiznow
Tiznow
Tiznow is an American Thoroughbred Hall of Fame racehorse owned by Michael L. Cooper and Cee's Stable.-Pedigree:...
.
Sent back to racing at age five, Sakhee won his first race then finished third on the dirt behind winner Street Cry
Street Cry
Street Cry is a Thoroughbred racehorse, winner of the 2002 Dubai World Cup, the 2002 Stephen Foster Handicap and runner up in the 2002 Whitney Handicap...
in the 2002 Dubai World Cup
Dubai World Cup
The Dubai World Cup is a Thoroughbred horse race held annually since 1996 and from 2010 at the Meydan Racecourse in the city of Dubai, United Arab Emirates...
. In the final race of his career, he ran second on turf in the G3 Prix Gontaut-Biron
Prix Gontaut-Biron
The Prix Gontaut-Biron is a Group 3 flat horse race in France open to thoroughbreds aged four years or older. It is run at Deauville over a distance of 2,000 metres , and it is scheduled to take place each year in August.-History:...
.
In October 2002, Sakhee was retired to breeding
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...
duty at Sheikh Hamdan's Shadwell Stud
Shadwell Racing
Shadwell Racing is the Thoroughbred horse racing operations of Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai.Introduced to Thoroughbred flat racing while a student in the United Kingdom, Sheikh Hamdan established his first racing stable there in 1981...
. To date, the most successful of his offspring has been Sakhee's Secret
Sakhee's Secret
Sakhee's Secret is a Thoroughbred racehorse. He is owned and bred by octogenarian, Bridget Swire.Sakhee's Secret defeated older horses to win the 6 furlong July Cup at Newmarket Racecourse which was a key factor in the colt being ranked the World Champion 3-year-old sprinter on turf for...
who in 2007 earned his fourth straight win in the Group One July Cup
July Cup
The July Cup is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run on the July Course at Newmarket over a distance of 6 furlongs , and it is scheduled to take place each year in July....
at Newmarket Racecourse
Newmarket Racecourse
The town of Newmarket, in Suffolk, England, is the headquarters of British horseracing, home to the largest cluster of training yards in the country and many key horse racing organisations. Newmarket Racecourse has two courses - the Rowley Mile Course and the July Course. Both are wide, galloping...
.