Imperial Call
Imperial Call | |
---|---|
Ericsson Chase (1997) Munster National (1998) John Durkan Memorial Punchestown Chase (1998) Punchestown Gold Cup (1999) | |
Honours | |
Imperial Call Chase at Cork Racecourse |
Imperial Call (21 February 1989 – 29 November 2014) was an Irish racehorse. He was a specialist
Background
Imperial Call was a "leggy, sparely made"[2] brown horse bred in County Wexford,[3] Ireland by T. A. O'Donnell. He was sired by the successful National Hunt stallion Callernish[4] out of the mare Princess Menelek. As Princess Menelek's great-grandmother Friend Galee was of unknown parentage, neither she nor any of her offspring were Thoroughbreds.
As a three-year-old
Racing career
1993–1995: early career
Imperial Call began his racing career as a four-year-old in 1993. After finishing seventh on his debut, he recorded his first win by taking a Novice Hurdle race at Limerick by fifteen lengths.[9]
After the summer break, Imperial Call competed against experienced hurdlers in the 1993/1994 season. He ran five times, winning races at
In the 1994/1995 season, Imperial Call tackled larger obstacles as he competed in
1995–1997: Gold Cup years
Imperial Call began the 1995/1996 at Clonmel in November. He took the lead two fences from the finish of the Grade III
At
The 1996/1997 season proved a major disappointment for Imperial Call's supporters. On his seasonal debut, he fell at the last fence of the Punchestown Chase in December, although he was not hurt and was remounted to finish a remote fourth to Royal Mountbrowne.[16] In February, he was beaten more than twenty lengths when third to Danoli in the Hennessy Gold Cup. He was made 4/1 favourite for the Cheltenham Gold Cup after reportedly delighting Sutherland in a training gallop at Tralee.[17] He was never in contention, made a bad mistake at the eighteenth fence, and was tailed off when O'Dwyer pulled him up before the next obstacle.[18]
1997–1999: later career
The early part of the 1997/1998 season saw improved form from Imperial Call. After finishing second in his first two races, he easily defeated
Fergus Sutherland retired in 1998, and the training of Imperial Call was taken over by the twenty-three-year-old Raymond Hurley.[21] Shortly afterwards, it was reported that Imperial Call would be auctioned at Doncaster in July,[22] but he was subsequently withdrawn from the sale.[23]
On 18 October Imperial Call returned in the Munster National Handicap Chase. He carried top weight of 168 pounds and won easily despite conceding at least twenty-six pounds to his opponents.[24] He was beaten when odds-on favourite for the Cork Grand National, but then defeated the leading racemare Opera Hat (winner of the Melling Chase) at Naas, winning by fifteen lengths. In December, he won the Punchestown Chase at his third attempt, leading from the start and jumping "quickly and accurately" to beat Dorans Pride for the first time in four meetings.[25] At the end of the year, he was sent to England to contest the King George VI Chase at Kempton Park, but after disputing the lead for much of the way he tired badly in the closing stages and finished a distant third of four finishers behind Teeton Mill and Escartefigue. Imperial Call missed the Cheltenham Festival but returned in April for the inaugural running of the Punchestown Gold Cup. Ridden by Ruby Walsh, he started at odds of 8/1 in a five horse field against Florida Pearl, Dorans Pride, Opera Hat and Escartefigue. Imperial Call led from the start and recorded his biggest win in three years as he finished fourteen lengths clear of Florida Pearl.[26] The Irish Independent described Imperial Call's victory as a "majestic display".[3] whilst the Racing Post reported that the winner was given a rapturous reception form the large crowd after one of the best ever performances.[27]
On his first start of the 1999/2000 season, Imperial Call started favourite for the Powers Gold Label Champion Chase at Gowran Park in October. He was never travelling well and finished the race lame in his right foreleg.[28] He remained in training until 2001[29] but never recovered fitness and did not race again.
Retirement
Imperial Call spent his retirement in West Cork and was reportedly still living there in 2009.[6] He died at the age of twenty-five in late November 2014.
Assessment and honours
In their book A Century of Champions, based on the Timeform rating system, John Randall and Tony Morris rated Imperial Call a "superior" Gold Cup winner and the twenty-fourth best steeplechaser of the 20th century.[30]
On the horse's death in 2014, O'Dwyer said "His strengths were he had no weakness. He jumped, travelled, had speed and had guts to burn. He was very straightforward mentally and you could make the running or hold him up. There was no hole in him, only he might not have been the most sound and Fergie did a great job with him".[31]
The Imperial Call Chase is run at Cork Racecourse in honour of the local champion.
Pedigree
Sire Callernish (IRE) 1977 |
Lord Gayle 1965 |
Sir Gaylord | Turn-To |
---|---|---|---|
Somethingroyal | |||
Sticky Case | Court Martial | ||
Run Honey | |||
Azurine 1957 |
Chamossaire | Precipitation | |
Snowberry | |||
Blue Dun | Blue Train | ||
Dunure | |||
Dam Princess Menelek (GB) 1977 |
Menelek 1957 |
Tulyar | Tehran |
Neocracy | |||
Queen of Sheba | Persian Gulf | ||
Ojala | |||
Arctic Sue 1967 |
Arctic Slave | Arctic Star | |
Roman Galley | |||
Corrangloss | Iceberg | ||
Friend Galee (non-thoroughbred) |
References
- ^ "Limerick: Imperial Call is back; Former Gold Cup winner puts in fine round of jumping to win Munster National". Racing Post. Retrieved 25 July 2012.
- ^ a b "Gold Cup 1996 Imperial Call". Timeform. Retrieved 25 July 2012.
- ^ a b "Imperial Call strikes Gold". Irish Independent. Retrieved 25 July 2012.
- ^ "Callernish Stud Record". Racing Post. 15 February 2012. Retrieved 24 July 2012.
- ^ "Tattersalls Ireland sales". Racing Post. 13 July 2012. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 24 July 2012.
- ^ a b McGrath, Chris (31 March 2009). "Dressing-room inspires Leap of faith by O'Leary". The Independent. Retrieved 25 July 2012.
- ^ a b Dugan, Emily (8 March 1996). "Call heralds an Irish feast". The Independent. Retrieved 25 July 2012.
- ISBN 1-84018-381-0.
- ^ "Shannon Maiden Hurdle". Racing Post. Retrieved 24 July 2012.
- ^ "Cellbridge Handicap Hurdle". Racing Post. Retrieved 24 July 2012.
- ^ "Power Gold Cup". Racing Post. Retrieved 24 July 2012.
- ^ "Morris Oil Stakes". Racing Post. Retrieved 24 July 2012.
- ^ "Hennessy Gold Cup". Racing Post. Retrieved 24 July 2012.
- ^ "1996 Cheltenham Gold Cup". Racing Post. Retrieved 24 July 2012.
- ^ a b Dugan, Emily (15 March 1996). "Imperial Call sweeps to victory". The Independent. Retrieved 25 July 2012.
- ^ Dugan, Emily (8 December 1996). "Imperial Call is fall guy". The Independent. Retrieved 25 July 2012.
- ^ Dugan, Emily (5 March 1997). "Confidence restored as Imperial Call impresses". The Independent. Retrieved 25 July 2012.
- ^ "1997 Cheltenham Gold Cup". Racing Post. Retrieved 24 July 2012.
- ^ "Ericsson Chase". Racing Post. Retrieved 24 July 2012.
- ^ Dugan, Emily (29 December 1997). "Imperial Call back on Gold Cup double trail". The Independent. Retrieved 25 July 2012.
- ^ "Hurley is hoping to Call the shots". Racing Post. Retrieved 25 July 2012.
- ^ "Imperial Call put on the market; Gold Cup hero for Doncaster sales". Racing Post. Retrieved 25 July 2012.
- ^ "Doncaster bloodstock sale 1998". Racing Post. 13 July 2012. Archived from the original on 26 October 2014. Retrieved 25 July 2012.
- ^ "Munster National". Racing Post. Retrieved 24 July 2012.
- ^ "Imperial delight for fans". Irish Independent. Retrieved 25 July 2012.
- ^ "Punchestown Gold Cup". Racing Post. Retrieved 24 July 2012.
- ^ "Imperial Call lords it over the big two". Racing Post. Retrieved 25 July 2012.
- ^ "Ferbert Junior calls the shots". Irish Independent. Retrieved 25 July 2012.
- ^ "Winners pay heavy price for success". Irish Independent. Retrieved 25 July 2012.
- ISBN 0-85112-902-1.
- ^ "1996 Gold Cup winner Imperial Call dies aged 25". Racing Post. 29 November 2014. Archived from the original on 4 December 2014. Retrieved 29 November 2014.
- ^ "Imperial Call pedigree". Equineline. 8 May 2012. Retrieved 24 July 2012.