Aureole (horse)
Aureole | |
---|---|
Sire | Chestnut |
Breeder | King George VI |
Owner | Queen Elizabeth II |
Trainer | Cecil Boyd-Rochfort |
Record | 14:7-3-2 |
Earnings | £36,224 |
Major wins | |
Lingfield Derby Trial (1953) Cumberland Lodge Stakes (1953) Victor Wild Stakes (1954) Coronation Cup (1954) Hardwicke Stakes (1954) King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes (1954) | |
Awards | |
Timeform rating: 132 | |
Last updated on 13 May 2022 |
Aureole (1950–1974) was a British
Background
Aureole was a bright chestnut horse with a white
Aureole was sent into training with Cecil Boyd-Rochfort at Freemason Lodge stables at Newmarket, Suffolk. In training, the colt was temperamental and excitable: Boyd-Rochfort, however, reportedly welcomed these attributes as he believed that the best of Hyperion's offspring tended to be difficult and high-spirited characters.[4]
Racing career
1952: two-year-old season
Aureole made his first appearance at
1953: three-year-old season
Aureole began his three-year-old season in the
In the week of his owner's
In the St Leger at
1954: four-year-old season
Aureole made his first appearance of 1954 in the Coronation Stakes over ten furlongs at Sandown in April. The race was extremely rough and Aureole, the 4/5 favourite, appeared to be an unlucky loser[4] as he finished second to the Irish Derby winner Chamier. He then returned to one and a half miles to win the Victor Wild Stakes at Kempton.[10]
At the Epsom Derby meeting, Aureole recorded his most important win up to that time as he won the Coronation Cup by five lengths from Chatsworth, with Nearula in third. After the race, Boyd-Rochfort professed himself to be "delighted" by the performance.[11] Aureole was then sent to Royal Ascot to contest the Hardwicke Stakes. Smith struggled to obtain a clear run until the closing stages, and Aureole was a narrow winner from the French colt Janitor. Aureole returned to Ascot in July for the fourth running of the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes for which he was made 9/2 favourite against sixteen opponents. Aureole's behaviour before the race was as bad as ever and he unseated Smith on the way to the start.[12] In the race he started slowly but recovered well, took the lead entering the straight, and won by three-quarters of a length from Vamos, with the 2000 Guineas winner Darius in third. After the win, described as "one of the most popular victories in British turf history" the Queen was heard to remark "wasn't it a wonderful performance, I hope all Sandringham are on it". As part of the victory celebration, the Queen sent a crate of champagne to the Press tent.[12]
Aureole did not race again and was retired to stud. His season's winnings of £30,092 enabled the Queen to be the leading owner in Britain in 1954.[13]
Assessment
Aureole was given a rating of 132 by Timeform in 1954, making him the highest-rated older horse in Europe.[14]
Stud career
Aureole proved to be a highly successful stallion, being Champion sire in 1960 and 1961.[2] His progeny included St. Paddy (Epsom Derby), Saint Crespin III (Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe), Aurelius (St Leger), Provoke (St Leger) and Vienna, the sire of Vaguely Noble.[15]
Pedigree
Sire Hyperion chestnut 1930 |
Gainsborough bay 1915 |
Bayardo | Bay Ronald |
---|---|---|---|
Galicia | |||
Rosedrop | St. Frusquin | ||
Rosaline | |||
Selene bay 1919 |
Chaucer | St. Simon | |
Canterbury Pilgrim | |||
Serenissima | Minoru | ||
Gondolette | |||
Dam Angelola bay 1945 |
Donatello chestnut 1934 |
Blenheim | Blandford
|
Malva | |||
Delleana | Clarissimus | ||
Duccia di Buoninsegna | |||
Feola brown 1933 |
Friar Marcus | Cicero | |
Prim Nun | |||
Aloe | Son-in-Law
| ||
Alope (Family No. 2-f)[3] |
References
- ^ "End of the trail for Hyperion". Montreal Gazette. Newmarket, England. Retrieved 7 July 2012.
- ^ a b "Leading Sires of Great Britain and Ireland". Tbheritage.com. 10 December 1960. Retrieved 7 July 2012.
- ^ a b "Hyacinthus Mare – Family 2-f". Bloodlines.net. Retrieved 7 July 2012.
- ^ ISBN 0-354-08536-0.
- ^ "Queen's Colt". Barrier Miner. 25 May 1953. Retrieved 7 July 2012.
- ^ "Pinza preferred to Aureole". Glasgow Herald. 6 June 1953. Retrieved 16 December 2011.
- ^ "Pinza captures big English race". St. Petersburg Times. 19 July 1953. Retrieved 16 December 2011.
- ^ "Royal colt 3rd in St Leger". Edmonton Journal. 12 September 1953. Retrieved 19 June 2012.
- ^ "Premonition triumphs in St Leger". Indian Express. 13 September 1953. Retrieved 19 June 2012.
- ^ "Queen's Horses Win Two Races". The Mercury. Hobart. 10 May 1954. Retrieved 7 July 2012.
- ^ "Win For Queen's Horse Takes Coronation Cup". Cairns Post. 5 June 1954. Retrieved 7 July 2012.
- ^ a b "Queen's Win Was Most Popular In History Australia". The Mercury. Hobart. 19 July 1954. Retrieved 7 July 2012.
- ^ "Her Majesty now tops the list of owner winners". Courier-Mail. Brisbane. 9 October 1954. Retrieved 7 July 2012.
- ISBN 0-85112-902-1.
- ^ "Queen's luck due for a change". Evening Times. 21 December 1963. Retrieved 7 July 2012.
- ^ "Aureole pedigree". Equineline. 8 May 2012. Retrieved 7 July 2012.