Tirol (horse)

Tirol
Sire	Thatching
Grandsire	Thatch
Dam	Alpine Niece
Damsire	Great Nephew
Sex	Stallion
Foaled	16 March 1987
Country	United Kingdom
Colour	Brown
Breeder	Mrs R D Peacock & Swettenham Stud
Owner	John Horgan
Trainer	Richard Hannon, Sr.
Record	9:5-1-2
Earnings	£323,811
Major wins
Horris Hill Stakes (1989) Craven Stakes (1989) 2000 Guineas (1990) Irish 2000 Guineas (1990)

Tirol (16 March 1987 – August 2007) was an Irish-bred, British-trained Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. In a racing career that lasted from July 1989 to September 1990 he ran nine times in Britain, Ireland and France. Beginning in September 1989, he won five consecutive races, culminating the following spring with successes in the Classic 2000 Guineas at Newmarket (in record time) and the Irish 2000 Guineas at the Curragh. After two defeats later in 1990 Tirol was retired to stud, where he had some success as a sire of winners. He died in India in 2007.

Tirol was a brown horse bred in Ireland by a partnership of Mrs R. D. Peacock and Robert Sangster's Swettenham Stud. As a weanling he was sent to the December sales where Mrs Peacock bought him outright by paying 13,000 guineas for Sangster's share. The following year he was sent to the Newmarket Highflyer sale where he was bought for 52,000 guineas by the bloodstock agent Peter Doyle on behalf of the Cork businessman John Horgan, who sent him to be trained in England by Richard Hannon, Sr.. Tirol was arguably the best horse got by his sire Thatching, a top class sprinter who won the July Cup in 1979. His dam Alpine Niece showed little ability as a racehorse, but had a good pedigree, being a daughter of Great Nephew, the sire of the Derby winners Grundy and Shergar.

Tirol began his racing career in a six furlong maiden race at Newbury in July in which he was ridden by Brian Rouse. He led a furlong from the finish but was overtaken in the closing stages and crossed the line in third place behind Curia Regis. Eight days later he ran in a similar event at Newmarket in which he started 7/4 favourite, but finished four lengths second to Batzushka. His next start was at the St Leger meeting at Doncaster, where he contested a Graduation Stakes (a race for horses who had won no more than one race). He took the lead two furlongs from the finish and recorded his first victory by beating Cutting Note by half a length at odds of 10/1. For his final race as a two-year-old, Tirol was moved up in class for the Group Three Horris Hill Stakes over seven furlongs at Newbury. Ridden by Pat Eddery he turned into the straight in third place before taking the lead a furlong out and getting the better of a closely contested finish to win by a head from Robellation.

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