Sprinter Sacre: Legendary Steeplechaser

A profile of one of the best steeplechasers the world has ever seen

Name: Sprinter Sacre Sire: Network

Record: 18-3-1 Dam: Fatima III

Earnings: £1,136.884 Dam’s Sire: Bayolidaan

Trainer: Nicky Henderson Breeder: Christophe Masle

Owner: Mrs Caroline Mould

Introduction

Trained by Nicky Henderson and owned by Mrs. Caroline Mould, Sprinter Sacre was one of the greatest steeplechasers the racing world has ever seen.

With a Timeform high rating of 192, it puts him above the likes of Kauto Star and leaves him as 3rd highest ever on the list, surpassed only by Arkle and Flyingbolt.

Foaled in April 2006 in France, Sprinter Sacre was un-raced there before making the move to Nicky Henderson in 2009. He made his racecourse debut in February 2010, winning a bumper at Ascot by a nose to King Of The Night, and that was the start of his very successful career.

Piloted mostly by Barry Geraghty during his prime, but also Nico de Boinville at the end of his career, he outclassed multiple Grade 1 winners, including the likes of Cue Card, Somersby, Finnian’s Rainbow, and Un De Sceaux.

They retired Sprinter Sacre in 2016 following a leg tendon injury. He had won 18 of his 24 races, accumulating an incredible £1,136,884 in earnings.

Pedigree

Sprinter Sacre was born from a lightly raced flat horse called Network. Network ran in Germany in the early 2000s and was a Group 2 winner as a 3-year-old.

He became something of a high-class sire too, siring the likes of Rubi Ball, a multiple Grade 1 winner in France with over £1.5 million in earnings who also ran 2 respectable races for Willie Mullins before retirement; Delta Work, a multiple Grade 1 winner for Gordon Elliott in Ireland; and, of course, Sprinter Sacre.

He had something of a knack for siring high-quality NH horses.

Sprinter Sacre’s Dam was a horse called Fatima III. There is very little information on her as a racehorse, and she was only the dam to 4 horses, one of which was Sprinter Sacre.

Her other offspring include Flinteur Sacre, a 2m horse currently in training with Nicky Henderson, Regain Du Charbonneau, a poor NH horse trained by David Pipe around 2009-2010, and Hermes Sacre, a horse currently in training in France with E Leenders. This horse has only achieved 2 runs so far.

To get a horse with the quality of Sprinter Sacre with very little else to note is quite something!

Again, as with Kauto Star, far from the illustrious pedigrees of flat racing, but arguably one of the best NH horses ever. Sprinter Sacre was a machine!

Record

Starting in bumpers before moving on to hurdles and then chases, it’s clear to see that Sprinter Sacre has a very impressive record. It was as a chaser that he made a name for himself.

A 9-time Grade 1 winner (including the Tingle Creek, Victor Chandler Chase, Queen Mother Champion Chase, and Punchestown Champion Chase), with 4 wins in Grade 2 events as well.

He won 18 times from 24 starts, and much like Kauto Star, the only time that he finished outside of the top 3 in any races was when he failed to complete!

Sprinter Sacre was a top 2m chaser, winning most of his races over this distance. On one occasion he stepped up to 2m4f in the Melling Chase at Aintree, but he still won by 4.5L.

He was a horse that would run well on any ground, with wins coming on ground varying from Good and Good to Soft, to Soft and even Heavy.

Cheltenham was perhaps the track where he had the most joy, winning 5 races from his 7 starts there, alongside a 3rd place finish as a novice, and one occasion where he was pulled up.

Barry Geraghty was the main jockey and pilot to Sprinter Sacre before his last season, guiding him to victory in most of his races.

He had one ride under AP McCoy, finishing 3rd in the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle and one under David Bass as a conditional, where he won a chase at Doncaster with ease.

Towards the end of his career, the honours were taken over by Nico de Boinville who rode him to success in 4/5 races, with a 2nd place finish coming in the AP McCoy Celebration Chase. Sprinter Sacre had some health issues in the 2013/14 seasons, making only four racecourse appearances in this time and failing to win.

He was diagnosed with an irregular heartbeat and had monitors fitted and was prescribed a period of rest.

This didn’t stop him, as he rounded out his career with a series of impressive wins.

Sprinter Sacre's Most Impressive Wins

Sprinter Sacre produced several breath-taking performances throughout his chasing career, and it is difficult to only pick a couple of those. For me, his performances in the 2013 Queen Mother Champion Chase and Melling Chase stand out.

Sprinter Sacre’s performance in the 2013 running of the Queen Mother Champion Chase was something else. Always up with the pace, and jumping fluently, he took the lead with 4 to jump.

No sooner had he taken the lead, he was clear and still on the bridle. In the end, it was a procession, jumping with ease and beating Sizing Europe by some 19 lengths.

To perform at such a level, completely dominating the opposition in that way, further proves the quality he possessed.

Wishfull Thinking and Sanctuaire further back were no slouches either! That was victory number 8 in his 10 race unbeaten run before pulling up in the Desert Orchid Chase with an irregular heartbeat. He did, however, regain the Queen Mother in 2016.

His performance in the 2013 Melling Chase wasn’t half bad either! Lining up against some top-class opposition in Cue Card, Flemenstar, and Finnian’s Rainbow, it looked like it was going to be a tall order stepping up to 2m4f for the first time, despite being the favourite.

Sprinter Sacre took it all in his stride though, and despite not being able to lead for most of the race, showed his class when it mattered to win by some 4.5L. Tracking the leader for much of the race, he never looked in any danger.

Approaching 2 out, he applied the pressure and soon took over. 4 lengths clear at the last and a clean jump saw him win impressively, with the rest returning in dribs and drabs.

A mighty fine performance from a one-of-a-kind racehorse!

Comments From Notable People

Nicky Henderson following his retirement (2016)– “He was the horse of an absolute lifetime. His ability and charisma go together.

He is the epitome of the horse who looks the part, moves the part, and is the part. Life will have to go on without him. It has been such an emotional time over the last five or six years, but I have loved every minute.”

Barry Geraghty following his retirement (2016)– “He’s something special, and he is to be celebrated. Just unbelievable!”

J.A.McGrath of The Daily Telegraph- “He is the business. He threatens to take the mantle from Frankel as the sport’s chief equine promoter.”

Willie Mullins, trainer of Queen Mother runner-up Un De Sceaux– “Who says they never come back? To be beaten by Sprinter Sacre is no shame, and it is a fantastic performance.”

Jockey Nico de Boinville after winning the Queen Mother aboard Sprinter Sacre– “When he got upsides Un De Sceaux he took him out in a couple of strides. It was amazing!”

Summary

From being the third highest-rated horse ever on Timeform ratings, to his emphatic victory in the 2013 running of the Queen Mother, Sprinter Sacre was in a class of his own.

He was not without his injuries, but at his peak, he was a force to be reckoned with.

A horse with the natural jumping ability to get his opposition on the back-foot, and the engine to steam clear without breaking a sweat, a horse like Sprinter Sacre only comes around once in a lifetime.

If he had avoided injury, who knows just how many more times we’d have seen those red and blue stripes hurtling towards the finish line.

Sprinter Sacre owed nothing to nobody. He was sensational. One of steeplechasing greats, one of racing’s greats: a true equine legend!