Celtic Swing

Celtic Swing
Celtic Swing in retirement at the Irish National Stud in 2004
Sire	Damister
Grandsire	Mr. Prospector
Dam	Celtic Ring
Damsire	Welsh Pageant
Sex	Stallion
Foaled	1992
Country	British
Colour	Dark Bay/Brown
Breeder	Lavinia, Duchess of Norfolk
Owner	Peter Savill
Trainer	Lady Herries
Record	7: 5 - 1 - 0
Earnings	£470,938
Major wins
Racing Post Trophy (1994) Greenham Stakes (1995) Prix du Jockey Club (1995)
Awards
European Champion Two-Year-Old Colt (1994)
Last updated on 29 March 2008

Celtic Swing (21 February 1992 – September 2010) was a British Thoroughbred racehorse. Although he won the Prix du Jockey Club in 1995 he was best known for his performances in the autumn of the previous year, when his wins at Ascot and at Doncaster led to him being one of the highest-rated two-year-olds in modern European racing.

He was owned for most of his career by Peter Savill, bred by Lavinia, Duchess of Norfolk and trained by her daughter Lady Herries in Sussex. Unfashionably bred, he was by the American horse Damister and out of the British horse Celtic Ring. His name, although partially inspired by that of his dam, was specifically taken from a Van Morrison track. In all his seven races he was ridden by Kevin Darley.

Celtic Swing raced for the first time at Ayr on 16 July 1994, winning a two-year-old maiden race over seven furlongs by four lengths. This would be the only time he ran without starting as favourite. On 8 October 1994 he won over seven furlongs at Ascot by eight lengths, beating the subsequently hugely successful Singspiel. Although this created considerable excitement, the race that led to the hype was the Racing Post Trophy over a mile at Doncaster on 22 October 1994, which he won by twelve lengths. He was voted the Cartier Racing Award as the top European two-year-old colt.

Going into 1995, expectations ran high for Celtic Swing with widespread claims that he would be one of the greatest horses of all time, and almost unprecedentedly short odds for the 2,000 Guineas and Derby. Claims were even made that, 25 years after Nijinsky had been the last horse to do it, he would also take the St Leger and win the colts' Triple Crown, which it was widely believed had become almost impossible due to specialist breeding.