Our Conor (28 April 2009 – 11 March 2014) was an Irish Thoroughbred racehorse best known for his performances in hurdle racing. As a four-year-old he won the Grade I Spring Juvenile Hurdle and then recorded an impressive fifteen-length win in the Triumph Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival. A year later he was fatally injured when falling in the Champion Hurdle.
| Our Conor | |
|---|---|
 Our Conor at Leopardstown in February 2013. | |
| Sire | Jeremy |
| Grandsire | Danehill Dancer |
| Dam | Flamands |
| Damsire | Sadler's Wells |
| Sex | Gelding |
| Foaled | 28 April 2009[1] |
| Country | Ireland |
| Colour | Bay |
| Breeder | Gerrardstown House Stud |
| Owner | Man About Town Syndicate Barry Connell |
| Trainer | Dessie Hughes |
| Record | 14:6-2-3 |
| Earnings | £168,198 |
| Major wins | |
| Bar One Racing Juvenile Hurdle (2012) Spring Juvenile Hurdle (2013) Triumph Hurdle (2013) | |
Background
editOur Conor was a bay horse with a white blaze and four socks[citation needed] bred in County Meath by the Gerrardstown House Stud. He was named after an owners grandson, Conor who was born in November 2011. He was sired by Jeremy, an American-bred horse who won the Jersey Stakes in 2006 and the Sandown Mile in the following year. Apart from Our Conor, the most successful of his progeny have been the Concorde Stakes winner Yellow Rosebud.[2] and the 2023 Grand National winner Corach Rambler.[3] Our Conor's dam Flamands won two races and was a granddaughter of Sweet Mimosa who won the Prix de Diane and was a full sister of the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe winner Levmoss and the dual Ascot Gold Cup winner Le Moss.[4]
As a yearling colt, Our Conor was sent to the Tattersalls Ireland sales in September 2010 where he was bought for €4,500 by Sean Tiernan privately for Noel Hayes, whereafter he went into training with Eoin Griffin in Kilkenny.[5] He subsequently entered the ownership of the Man About Town Syndicate and was sent into training with Dessie Hughes at The Curragh, County Kildare.
Racing career
edit2012 Flat season
editOur Connor began his racing career on the flat as a three-year-old in 2012. After finishing unplaced on his debut at the Curragh he recorded his first success when he won a seven furlong maiden race at Roscommon Racecourse on 11 June. He followed up later that month by carrying 129 pounds to victory in a one-mile handicap race at Naas.[6] He continued to run in handicaps at around a mile, finishing third at Leopardstown, second at Galway and third at Listowel.
2012/2013 National Hunt Season
editDuring the 2012/2013 National Hunt season Our Conor was campaigned in novice hurdles and was ridden in all four of his races by Bryan Cooper. On his debut over obstacles he started 8/13 for a maiden hurdle at Navan on 11 November. He took the lead at the second last hurdle and accelerated clear of his opponents to win by eight and a half lengths from Casual Creeper.[7] Three weeks later he was moved up in class for the Grade III Bar One Racing Juvenile Hurdle at Fairyhouse and won by two and a half lengths after taking the lead two hurdles from the finish.
On 9 February, Our Conor was one of seven four-year-old to contest the Grade I Spring Juvenile Hurdle at Leopardstown and started second favourite behind the Willie Mullins trained Diakali. He was restrained by Cooper in the early stages before moving up to overtake Diakali approaching the last and went on to win "comfortably" by five lengths.[8] On his final appearance of the season, Our Conor was sent to England for the Grade I Triumph Hurdle on 15 March at the Cheltenham Festival. Starting at odds of 5/1, he tracked Diakali before taking the lead at the second last. He quickly drew away from the field and won by fifteen lengths from the Paul Nicholls-trained Far West.[9] After the race Dessie Hughes said "everything went well and he jumped brilliant – he's a real one isn't he? I couldn't expect a performance like that. He was on the bit all the way, he was loving it. We've had no problems with him whatsoever. He eats and sleeps and any ground is fine for him. He is certainly a Champion Hurdle horse. He stays, he has foot and he jumps".[10]
Four days after his win at Cheltenham it was announced that Our Conor had been bought for an undisclosed sum by Barry Connell[11] who had previously attempted to buy the horse after he won at Fairyhouse in December.[12]
2013/2014 National Hunt Season
editDanny Mullins took over from Bryan Cooper as Our Conor's regular jockey in 2013/2014. The gelding prepared for the new season with a run on the flat, finishing fourth when favourite for the October Handicap at Naas. He returned to hurdling in December and started 3/1 third favourite behind the reigning champion Hurricane Fly and the Jessica Harrington-trained Jezki in the Grade I Ryanair Hurdle at Leopardstown. He briefly held the lead after the second last but was soon overtaken and weakened in the closing stages behind Hurricane Fly and Jezki, beaten just under six lengths by the winner. the first three met again in the Irish Champion Hurdle over the same course and distance a month later. Our Conor produced an improved performance, finishing second, a length and a half behind Hurricane Fly, with Jezki in fourth.[13]
Our Conor appeared for the second time at Cheltenham when he was one of nine runners for the Champion Hurdle. In a strong field (all nine had won at Grade I level) he was the fourth choice in the betting behind Hurricane Fly, My Tent Or Yours and The New One. Our Conor went to the front from the start and disputed the lead with the pacemaker over the first two hurdles. At the third he fell heavily, sustaining a serious injury to his back. He was attended by veterinary surgeons for several minutes, but his injury was too severe to be treated and he was euthanised.[14] His death drew criticism from the animal rights organisation, Animal Aid which described the Cheltenham course as "the most lethal in the country"; claims which are completely unfounded and have never been proven by any animal-welfare or horse-racing body.[15]
Pedigree
edit| Sire Jeremy (USA) 2003 |
Danehill Dancer (IRE) 1993 |
Danehill | Danzig |
|---|---|---|---|
| Razyana | |||
| Mira Adonde | Sharpen Up | ||
| Lettre d'Amour | |||
| Glint In Her Eye (USA) 1996 |
Arazi | Blushing Groom | |
| Danseur Fabuleux | |||
| Wind In Her Hair | Alzao | ||
| Burghclere | |||
| Dam Flamands (IRE) 1993 |
Sadler's Wells (USA) 1981 |
Northern Dancer | Nearctic |
| Natalma | |||
| Fairy Bridge | Bold Reason | ||
| Special | |||
| Fleur Royale (IRE) 1983 |
Mill Reef | Never Bend | |
| Milan Mill | |||
| Sweet Mimosa | Le Levanstell | ||
| Feemoss (Family number 1-k)[4] |
References
edit- ^ a b "Our Conor". Equineline. 7 March 2014. Retrieved 11 March 2014.
- ^ "Jeremy Stud Record". Racing Post. 15 February 2012. Retrieved 11 March 2014.
- ^ "Corach Rambler | Race Record & Form | Racing Post". www.racingpost.com.
- ^ a b "Thoroughbred Bloodlines – Rouge Rose – Family 1-k". Bloodlines.net. Retrieved 11 March 2014.
- ^ "Tattersalls Ireland September Yearlings 2010". Racing Post. Archived from the original on 12 March 2014. Retrieved 11 March 2014.
- ^ "Tote 3-y-o Handicap result". Racing Post. 27 June 2012. Retrieved 12 March 2014.
- ^ "Follow Navan Racecourse Hurdle result". Racing Post. 11 November 2012. Retrieved 12 March 2014.
- ^ "Spring Juvenile Hurdle result". Racing Post. 9 February 2013. Retrieved 12 March 2014.
- ^ "Triumph Hurdle result". Racing Post. 15 March 2013. Retrieved 12 March 2014.
- ^ Chris Wright (15 March 2013). "Dessie Hughes' Our Conor powers to Triumph Hurdle victory and is now vying for favouritism for the 2014 Champion Hurdle". Liverpool Echo. Retrieved 12 March 2014.
- ^ Jonathan Mullin (19 March 2013). "Barry Connell snaps up Champion favourite Our Conor". Racing Post. Archived from the original on 13 May 2013. Retrieved 12 March 2014.
- ^ Ian McClean (21 April 2013). "His stock keeps on rising". Irish Independent. Retrieved 12 March 2014.
- ^ "Irish Champion Hurdle result". Racing Post. 26 January 2014. Retrieved 12 March 2014.
- ^ Kevin Garside (12 March 2013). "Cheltenham Festival 2014: Our Conor death after fall in Champion Hurdle fails to dampen spirits at Cheltenham". The Independent. Archived from the original on 24 May 2022. Retrieved 12 March 2014.
- ^ "Our Conor dies on the first day of Cheltenham Festival". Animal Aid. 11 March 2014. Archived from the original on 12 March 2014. Retrieved 12 March 2014.