Octagonal (horse)

Octagonal
Octagonal
Sire	Australian Horse of the Year (1996)
Honours
	Australian Racing Hall of Fame
	Last updated on 24 October 2007

Octagonal (8 October 1992 – 15 October 2016) was a champion New Zealand-bred, Australian raced Thoroughbred racehorse, also known as 'The Big O' or 'Occy'. He was by the champion sire Zabeel, out of the champion broodmare Eight Carat, who also produced Group One winners Mouawad, Kaapstad, Diamond Lover and (Our) Marquise.

Biography

Bob Ingham, along with brother Jack Ingham, purchased and raced Octagonal. Trained by

Champagne Stakes

.

As a three-year-old, Octagonal won seven of his eleven starts, and took his record to 10 wins from 16 starts. In addition to beating a high-standard crop in Sydney's three-year-old autumn triple crown - the

Australian Horse of the Year, and remains the last horse to have won the triple crown. The Victoria (spring) and Australian Derby (autumn) double eluded him, however, as he was narrowly defeated by Nothin' Leica Dane in the Victoria Derby

.

Octagonal returned to the track as a four-year-old, but his win the

Mercedes Classic

. At his final start, he was runner-up in the AJC Queen Elizabeth Stakes; a feat coincidentally emulated in the farewell of his champion son, Lonhro, seven years later.

Octagonal retired to stud after 28 starts with a record of 14 wins (10 Group 1), 7 seconds (6 in GI or GII races) and a third. He ended his racing career with a stakes tally of A$5,892,231, the highest of any galloper in Australasia to that point.

Octagonal Entered stud in 1997–2013 Woodlands Stud at

San Siro Racecourse

.

He was euthanized on 15 October 2016 at the age of 24 years at Woodlands Stud at Denman in the NSW Hunter Valley. He was buried next to his fellow stallion mate Canny Lad. Owner Bob Ingham described his career as 'heroic' and 'life-changing'.[2]

Race record

1994–95 season as a two-year-old
Result	Date	Race	Venue	Group	Distance	Weight (kg)	Jockey	Winner/2nd
Won	3 Dec 1994	2yo Hcp Colts & Geldings	Rosehill	NA	1100 m	53	M. Evans	2nd - Fracture
Won	25 Mar 1995	Todman Stakes	Rosehill	G2	1200 m	55.5	G. Cooksley	2nd - Our Maizcay
2nd	8 Apr 1995	Golden Slipper	Rosehill	G1	1200 m	55.5	G. Cooksley	1st - Flying Spur
Won	17 Apr 1995	Sires Produce Stakes	Randwick	G1	1400 m	55.5	G. Cooksley	2nd - Isolda
2nd	29 Apr 1995	Champagne Stakes	Randwick	G1	1600 m	55.5	G. Cooksley	1st - Isolda

1995–96 season as a three-year-old
Result	Date	Race	Venue	Group	Distance	Weight (kg)	Jockey	Winner/2nd
2nd	2 Sep 1995	Roman Consul Stakes	Randwick	G3	1200 m	55	G. Cooksley	1st - Our Maizcay
Won	16 Sep 1995	Heritage Stakes	Rosehill	LR	1300 m	55.5	G. Cooksley	2nd - Mi Modest
Won	2 Oct 1995	Stan Fox Stakes	Randwick	G3	1400 m	55	G. Cooksley	2nd - Encores
3rd	14 Oct 1995	Caulfield Guineas	Caulfield	G1	1600 m	55.5	D. Gauci	1st - Our Maizcay
Won	28 Oct 1995	Cox Plate	Moonee Valley	G1	2040 m	48.5	S. Dye	2nd - Mahogany
2nd	4 Nov 1995	Victoria Derby	Flemington	G1	2500 m	55.5	S. Scriven	1st - Nothin' Leica Dane
2nd	24 Feb 1996	Hobartville Stakes	Warwick Farm	G2	1400 m	55.5	G. Cooksley	1st - Nothin' Leica Dane
Won	9 Mar 1996	Canterbury Guineas	Canterbury	G1	1900 m	55.5	D. Beadman	2nd - Filante
Won	23 Mar 1996	Rosehill Guineas	Rosehill	G1	2000 m	55.5	D. Beadman	2nd - Saintly
Won	30 Mar 1996	Mercedes Classic	Rosehill	G1	2400 m	52	D. Beadman	2nd - Count Chivas
Won	6 Apr 1996	Australian Derby	Randwick	G1	2400 m	55.5	D. Beadman	2nd - Saintly

1996–97 season as a four-year-old
Result	Date	Race	Venue	Group	Distance	Weight (kg)	Jockey	Winner/2nd
6th	17 Aug 1996	Manikato Stakes	Moonee Valley	G1	1200 m	57	D. Gauci	1st - Poetic King
7th	31 Aug 1996	Memsie Stakes	Caulfield	G2	1400 m	57	D. Gauci	1st - Sir Boom
5th	14 Sep 1996	Feehan Stakes	Moonee Valley	G2	1600 m	57	D. Gauci	1st - Toil
Won	22 Sep 1996	Underwood Stakes	Caulfield	G1	1800 m	57	D. Beadman	2nd - Seascay
4th	12 Oct 1996	Caulfield Stakes	Caulfield	G1	2000 m	57	D. Beadman	1st - Juggler
5th	26 Oct 1996	Cox Plate	Moonee Valley	G1	2040 m	57	D. Gauci	1st - Saintly
9th	2 Nov 1996	Mackinnon Stakes	Flemington	G1	2000 m	57	D. Beadman	1st - All Our Mob
2nd	15 Feb 1997	Apollo Stakes	Warwick Farm	G2	1400 m	57	D. Beadman	1st - Juggler
Won	22 Feb 1997	Chipping Norton Stakes	Warwick Farm	G1	1600 m	57	S. Dye	2nd - Juggler
Won	10 Mar 1997	Australian Cup	Flemington	G1	2000 m	57	S. Dye	2nd - Gold City
Won	22 Mar 1997	Mercedes Classic	Rosehill	G1	2400 m	57	S. Dye	2nd - Arkady
2nd	12 Apr 1997	Queen Elizabeth Stakes	Randwick	G1	2000 m	57	S. Dye	1st - Intergaze

Progeny

Octagonal's major race winners include:

Horse	Race	Distance (m)	Prizemoney (AUD)
Lonhro	2001 George Main Stakes 2002 & 2003 Caulfield Stakes 2003 & 2004 George Ryder Stakes 2004 C F Orr Stakes 2004 Australian Cup	1600 2000 1600 2000 1600 2000 1500 1400 2000	$5,790,510
Laverock	2006 Prix d'Ispahan (Paris) 2006 Gran Premio del Jockey Club (Milan)	2000 2400	$1,154,190
Niello	2003 Canterbury Guineas 2004 Rosehill Guineas	2000 1900 2000	$959,200
Suntagonal	2002 Premier's Champion Stakes (Durban)	1400	R496,400

Pedigree

Pedigree of Octagonal (NZ)
Sire Zabeel (NZ) 1986	Sir Tristram (Ire) 1971	Sir Ivor (USA) 1965	Sir Gaylord (USA)
		Sir Ivor (USA) 1965	Attica (USA)
		Isolt (USA) 1961	Round Table (USA)
		Isolt (USA) 1961	All My Eye (GB)
	Lady Giselle (Fr) 1982	Nureyev (USA) 1977	Northern Dancer (Can)
		Nureyev (USA) 1977	Special (USA)
		Valderna (Fr) 1972	Val de Loir (Fr)
		Valderna (Fr) 1972	Derna (Fr)
Dam Eight Carat (GB) 1975	Pieces of Eight (Ire) 1963	Relic (USA) 1945	War Relic (USA)
		Relic (USA) 1945	Bridal Colors (USA)
		Baby Doll (GB) 1956	Dante (GB)
		Baby Doll (GB) 1956	Bebe Grande (Ire)
	Klairessa (GB) 1969	Klairon (Fr) 1952	Clarion (Fr)
		Klairon (Fr) 1952	Kalmia (Fr)
		Courtessa (GR) 1955	Supreme Court (GB)
		Courtessa (GR) 1955	Tessa Gillian (GB) (Family: 9-c)

References

^ "Not Commercial But An Excellent Resource". Retrieved 15 November 2023.
^ "Octagonal Dies in Australia". Blood Horse. 14 October 2016. Retrieved 15 November 2023.

External links

[1] "Not Commercial But An Excellent Resource". Retrieved 15 November 2023.

[2] "Octagonal Dies in Australia". Blood Horse. 14 October 2016. Retrieved 15 November 2023.