Desert Prince
| Desert Prince | |
|---|---|
| Sire | Green Desert |
| Grandsire | Danzig |
| Dam | Flying Fairy |
| Damsire | Bustino |
| Sex | Stallion |
| Foaled | 14 March 1995 |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Colour | Chestnut |
| Breeder | Tarworth Bloodstock Investments |
| Owner | Lucayan Stud |
| Trainer | David Loder |
| Record | 11:5-2-1 |
| Earnings | £495,005 |
| Major wins | |
|
European Free Handicap (1998) Irish 2000 Guineas (1998) Prix du Moulin (1998) Queen Elizabeth II Stakes (1998) |
|
| Awards | |
| Top-rated European three-year-old colt (1998) Timeform rating:130 |
|
Desert Prince (foaled 14 March 1995) is an Irish-bred, British-trained Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. After winning one of his four starts as a two-year-old in 1997, he improved to become one of the best milers and the highest-rated horse of his generation in Europe in the following year. He won the European Free Handicap in April before winning three Group One races in three countries: the Irish 2000 Guineas in Ireland, the Prix du Moulin in France and the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes in the United Kingdom. After a disappointing run in the Breeders' Cup Turf he was retired to stud and has had some success as a sire of winners.
Desert Prince is a bay horse with white socks on his hind feet bred in Ireland by Tarworth Bloodstock, a breeding company owned by the Jersey-based businessman Peter Pritchard. He was sired by Green Desert, a horse who finished second to Dancing Brave in the 1986 2000 Guineas before winning the July Cup and the Haydock Sprint Cup. At stud, his other winners included Oasis Dream, Sheikh Albadou and Cape Cross. Desert Prince's dam, Flying Fairy, failed to win a race but came from a good family, being a daughter of the 1000 Guineas winner Fairy Footsteps.
In October 1996, the yearling colt was sent from Pritchard's Genesis Green Stud to the Tattersalls sale at Newmarket, Suffolk, where he was bought for 62,000 guineas by the bloodstock agent Charlie Gordon-Watson acting on behalf of Edward St Georges's Lucayan Stud. Gordon-Watson later recalled: "At the sales, Desert Prince stood out because he was just a great athletic horse. He had a good pedigree with Fairy Footsteps and Light Cavalry in there on the dam's side. On pedigree, I thought he had a chance of producing the goods. David Loder and I knew Desert Prince was going to make more than St George was prepared to pay. We managed to track him down in London, where he was having lunch. We told him the horse was definitely worth having. He gave us the OK and he's the most expensive horse St George has ever bought". The colt was sent into training with Loder at Nemarket.
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