subject: Spring Racing Champions Have a Lot in Common [print this page] Spring Racing Champions Have a Lot in Common
So You Think and Americain share more than just Spring Racing Glory in Melbourne, 2010Horse Racing Australia: When Americain shot past Australia's Weight For Age Champion, So You Think to cruise to Melbourne Cup glory, the country let out a collective gasp of despair. Very few horse racing enthusiasts though recognised just how similar the two horses are.So You Think, fresh from his second Cox Plate victory and a dominant display in the Mackinnon Stakes on the previous Saturday, was the shortest priced Melbourne Cup favourite in 40 years. His gallant third was most likely to be his last race in Australia, with connections announcing the sale of a large share in the horse to the Coolmore racing empire in Ireland. So You Think will probably be aimed at some of the world's greatest races in Europe and the UK next season before a valuable stud career beckons.In contrast, Americain, in becoming only the fifth ever US bred horse to win the Melbourne Cup, was having his first start in Australia. Again, the owners made an announcement not long after the race. This time it was that the horse will be based locally probably for the remainder of his career.As another parallel, both racehorses were born in different countries to those where they did their initial racing. So You Think was born in New Zealand and raced in Australia, while Americain was born in the USA, and raced in France.The final link of these two champion racehorses is that they share the same heritage. Both So You Think and Americain trace their family back to a mare called Chelandry. Chelandry was born in England in 1894, and was among the finest racehorses and broodmares of history. She was clearly the dominant 2yo of her season, winning twice at Epsom before taking the richest 2yo event on the calendar, the National Breeders' Stakes. As a 3yo she was to go on to win the time honoured One Thousand Guineas which is still renowned as one of England's premier horse races.At stud, Chelandry was to excel. She produced sixteen live foals, including a number of champions like Neil Gow, and many who cemented her reputation as a broodmare. Her daughters produced champion racehorses and stallions like Heroic and Magpie who both were revered in Australia on both the track and in the breeding barn.Even though these two great racehorses, So You Think and Americain, started life half a world away from each other, their careers have many parallels. Not least being the link to the same wonderful family that has given the thoroughbred so many champions.
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