Park Express
| Park Express | |
|---|---|
| Sire | Ahonoora |
| Grandsire | Lorenzaccio |
| Dam | Matcher |
| Damsire | Match |
| Sex | Mare |
| Foaled | 25 March 1983 |
| Country | Ireland |
| Colour | Brown |
| Breeder | Peter Clarke |
| Owner | Patrick H Burns |
| Trainer | Jim Bolger |
| Record | 14: 5-3-2 |
| Major wins | |
|
Lancashire Oaks (1986) Nassau Stakes (1986) Phoenix Champion Stakes (1986) |
|
| Awards | |
| Top-rated Irish three-year-old (1987) Top rated European three-year-old filly, 9½ furlongs plus (1987) Timeform rating: 111 (1987), 123 (1986) Irish Broodmare of the Year |
|
| Honours | |
| Park Express Stakes at the Curragh | |
Park Express (25 March 1983 – 2006) was an Irish Thoroughbred racehorse and broodmare. She showed promise as a two-year-old in 1985, before developing into a top-class middle-distance performer in the following season. Racing against horses of her own age and sex she won the Lancashire Oaks and Nassau Stakes before recording her biggest success against colts and older horses in the Phoenix Champion Stakes. She retired from racing with a record of five wins and five places from fourteen races. She later became an extremely successful broodmare, producing several good winners. Most importantly, she was the dam of the Epsom Derby winner New Approach, a colt foaled at a time when Park Express was completely blind. She died in 2006 at the age of twenty-three.
Park Express was a "big, rangy", dark brown mare bred in Ireland by Peter Clarke. She was sired by Ahonoora, whose other offspring included the Epsom Derby winner Dr Devious. Ahonoora was a representative of the Byerley Turk sire line, unlike more than 95% of modern thoroughbreds, who descend directly from the Darley Arabian. Park Express's dam Matcher was bred in Canada by E. P. Taylor and produced several other winners including Myra's Best (Firth of Clyde Stakes) and the successful hurdler Wing and a Prayer.
The filly was sent to the sales as a foal and sold for 17,000 Irish guineas. In the following year he was sold again for 42,000 guineas, this time to John Warren, acting on behalf of the father and son team of Paddy and Seamus Burns of the Lodge Park Stud. She was sent into training with Jim Bolger at Coolcullen in County Carlow. Park Express usually raced in a sheepskin noseband.
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