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33-705: Cut Above was a bay horse with a white star bred by his owner Sir John Jacob "Jakie" Astor . He was sired by High Top , who won the 2000 Guineas in 1972 and later became a successful breeding stallion. His other progeny included the Oaks Stakes winner Circus Plume and the Prix du Jockey Club winner Top Ville. Cut Above's dam Cutle was descended from Felucca, the foundation mare of Dick Hollingsworth's stud whose other descendants included Bireme , Longboat , Bolas ( Irish Oaks ), Dash for Cash ( Australian Guineas ) and Daffodil ( AJC Oaks ). Cutle had previously produced Sharp Edge ,

66-459: A Thoroughbred horse named Birdcatcher , who had similar flecks of white on his flank and tail. Ticking or rabicano involves white flecks of hair at the flank, and white hairs at the base of the tail. The most minimal form can have only striped white frosting at the base of the tail, called a coon tail or skunk tail . Flecks of white on the root of the tail or scattered over the flanks may also be called Birdcatcher ticks . Scarring on

99-434: A base coat, there are other markings or patterns that are used to identify horses as with Appaloosa , Pinto or Brindle , as well as artificial markings such as branding . Facial markings are usually described by shape and location. There may be more than one distinct facial marking and if so, will be named separately. Occasionally, when a white marking extends over an eye, that eye may be blue instead of brown, though this

132-721: A colt who won the Irish 2,000 Guineas and the Prix Jean Prat in 1973. Astor sent his colt into training with Dick Hern at West Ilsley in Berkshire . Cut Above ran promisingly in two races a two-year-old. After finishing third on his debut he was moved up in class for the Group Three Horris Hill Stakes at Newbury where he finished second to the Guy Harwood -trained Kalaglow . Cut Above made his three-year-old debut in

165-600: A former governing body of French racing, had initially restricted its races to thoroughbreds born and bred in France. In 1863, it launched the Grand Prix de Paris , an event designed to bring together the best three-year-olds from any country. Thirty years later it introduced the Prix du Conseil Municipal , an international race for the leading horses of different age groups. It was run over 2,400 metres in October, with weights determined by

198-437: A horse usually results in white hairs growing in over the injured area, though occasionally there may be no hair growth over the scar at all. Horses can be uniquely identified by more than just markings or brands. A few other physical characteristics sometimes used to distinguish a horse from another are: Some horse coat colors are distinguished by unique patterns. However, even for horses with coat colors that are arranged in

231-502: A horse's previous performances. The creation of a third such race was proposed at a committee meeting on 24 January 1920. The new event would complement the Grand Prix de Paris and serve as a showcase for French thoroughbred breeding. It would have similar characteristics to the Prix du Conseil Municipal, but each horse would compete on equal terms, unpenalised for previous victories. Coming in

264-528: A manner unique to each individual horse, these patterns are not called "markings." Some coat colors partially distinguished by unique patterning include: Prix de l%27Arc de Triomphe The Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe is a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run at Longchamp Racecourse in Paris , France , over a distance of 2,400 metres (about 1½ miles) and scheduled to take place each year, usually on

297-551: A narrow advantage until the turn into the straight when he was overtaken by Shergar. Although he never had any chance with the winner, who was given a very gentle ride by Lester Piggott , Cut Above stayed on well to finish second, four lengths behind the winner. At Newbury in August, Cut Above was moved up in distance and matched against older horses in the Geoffrey Freer Stakes over thirteen furlongs. He appeared to be unsuited by

330-418: A pinching saddle that had been worn over a long period of time. Birdcatcher spots are small white spots, about the size of a dime to the size of a quarter. They have not been linked to any specific breed, but they do tend to run in families. These spots may occur late in a horse's life, or may occur and then disappear. The spots may look like scars, but they are not caused by skin damage. The name comes from

363-827: A rating of 130, ten pounds below the top-rated Shergar. In their book A Century of Champions , John Randall and Tony Morris rated Cut Above an "inferior" St Leger winner. Before the end of 1981, Cut Above was sold to Captain Tim Rogers for a sum of approximately £600,000. He was retired to Rogers' Airlie stud in Ireland, beginning his career as a breeding stallion at fee of IR£ 4,000. He stood in Ireland for four seasons with moderate results before being sold and exported to Brazil. His last reported foals were born in 1991. Star (horse marking) Markings on horses are usually distinctive white areas on an otherwise dark base coat color . Most horses have some markings, and they help to identify

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396-565: A two-month break and was given a most challenging task when he was matched against the Aga Khan 's colt Shergar in the Irish Sweeps Derby at the Curragh on 27 June. Shergar had created an enormous impression when winning The Derby by a record ten lengths and started the 1/3 favourite, with Cut Above third in the betting on 14/1. Carson sent Cut Above into the lead from the start and maintained

429-419: Is not consistently seen in all cases. Common facial markings are: Additional terms used to describe facial markings include the following: Leg markings are usually described by the highest point of the horse's leg that is covered by white. As a general rule, the horse's hoof beneath a white marking at the coronary line will also be light-colored ("white"). If a horse has a partial marking or ermine spots at

462-415: The splashed white , dominant white , or sabino alleles . Horses may develop white markings over areas where there was an injury to the animal, either to cover scar tissue from a cut or abrasion, or to reflect harm to the underlying skin or nerves. One common type of scarring that produces patches of white hairs are "saddle marks," which are round or oval marks on either side of the withers , produced by

495-597: The 2016 and 2017 editions of the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe took place in Chantilly . Most successful horse (2 wins): Leading jockey (6 wins): Leading trainer (8 wins): Leading owner (6 wins): Fastest winning time – Found (2016), 2m 23.61s (at Chantilly) Widest winning margin – Ribot (1956), Sea Bird (1965) and Sakhee (2001), 6 lengths Oldest winning horse – Motrico (1932), aged 7 years Most runners – 30, in 1967 Fewest runners – 7, in 1941 Cadum finished first in 1925, but he

528-584: The Derby runner-up Glint of Gold. The best hope of the Hern stable appeared to be Bustomi, the winner of the King Edward VII Stakes and Gordon Stakes who was third in the betting on 13/2 while Cut Above, ridden by the veteran Joe Mercer started at odds of 28/1. Mercer settled the colt in the middle of the field and turned into the straight in fourth place behind Bustomi, Glint of Gold and Shergar. Two furlongs from

561-604: The White Rose Stakes over ten furlongs at Ascot Racecourse in April. Ridden by Willie Carson , he started the 10/11 favourite and won by one and a half lengths from Ridgefield, having taken the lead one and a half furlong from the finish. In the late spring and early summer of 1981 many horses in the Dick Hern stable, including Cut Above, suffered from a viral infection and the trainer had very few runners. Cut Above returned from

594-412: The coronary band, the hoof may be both dark and light, corresponding with the hair coat immediately above. Where the leopard gene is present, the hoof may be striped even if markings are not visible at the coronary band. From tallest to shortest, common leg markings are: Additional terms used to describe white leg markings include: A horse's genes influence whether it will have white markings, though

627-585: The exact genes involved could differ between breeds. Chestnut horses generally have more extensive white markings than bay or black horses. Horses with the W20 allele typically have white face and leg markings. Horses may have isolated body spots that are not large or numerous enough to qualify them as an Appaloosa , Pinto or Paint . Such markings are usually simply called "body spots," sometimes identified by location, i.e. "belly spot," "flank spot," etc. When this type of isolated spotting occurs, it may involve one of

660-412: The finish, Shergar began to struggle and dropped back as Mercer produced Cut Above with a strong run down the centre of the track. He overtook Glint of Gold a furlong out and won decisively by two and a half length with Bustomi four lengths back in third and Shergar another five lengths away in fourth. The win came sixteen years after Provoke , owned by Astor, trained by Hern and ridden by Mercer had beaten

693-431: The first Sunday in October. Popularly referred to as the "Arc", it is the world's most prestigious all-aged horse race. Its roll of honour features many highly acclaimed horses, and its winners are often subsequently regarded as champions. It is currently the world's seventh-richest turf race and tenth richest horse race on any surface, with a purse of €5,000,000. Over 60,000 visitors attend the "Arc"-Weekend every year and

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726-423: The horse as a unique individual. Markings are present at birth and do not change over the course of the horse's life. Most markings have pink skin underneath most of the white hairs, though a few faint markings may occasionally have white hair with no underlying pink skin. Markings may appear to change slightly when a horse grows or sheds its winter coat, however this difference is simply a factor of hair coat length;

759-475: The odds-on Meadow Court in the 1965 St Leger in what was described as "one of the biggest upsets in British horse racing history". Three weeks after his classic victory, Cut Above was sent to France to contest the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe over 2400 metres at Longchamp Racecourse . Ridden by Brian Taylor he started a 38/1 outsider and finished fourteenth of twenty-four runners, approximately seventeen lengths behind

792-412: The race itself is broadcast live to 50 countries all over the globe. A slogan of the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, first used on a promotional poster in 2003, describes the event as " Ce n'est pas une course, c'est un monument " – "It's not a race, it's a monument". The Prix is sponsored by Qatar Racing and Equestrian Club, as part of Qatar's international soft power policy . The Société d'Encouragement,

825-571: The slow pace and finished third of the four runners behind Ardross and Castle Keep. On 12 September at Doncaster Racecourse , Cut Above was one of six colts to oppose Shergar in the 205th running of the St Leger. Since winning in Ireland, the Aga Khan's colt had recorded an emphatic four-length win over older horses in the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes and started the 4/9 favourite ahead of

858-481: The underlying pattern does not change. On a gray horse , markings visible at birth may become hidden as the horse turns white with age, but markings can still be determined by trimming the horse's hair closely, then wetting down the coat to see where there is pink skin and black skin under the hair. Recent studies have examined the genetics behind white markings and have located certain genetic loci that influence their expression . In addition to white markings on

891-504: The wake of World War I, it was decided that the race would be named after the Arc de Triomphe , a famous monument which had been the scene of a victory parade by the Allies in 1919. The chosen title had been previously assigned to a minor event at Longchamp. Another suggested title was the "Prix de la Victoire". The Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe was first run on Sunday 3 October 1920. The inaugural running

924-455: The winner Gold River . Despite having been placed in a Group Three race, Cut Above was not rated in the 1980 Free Handicap, a rating of the season's best two-year-olds. In 1981 the official International Classification, rated Cut Above the third-best three-year-old colt in Europe, behind Shergar and Bikala , and the fifth best horse of any age. The independent Timeform organisation gave Cut Above

957-575: Was doubled from €2 million to €4 million. Now, the prize for the Arc is worth €5 000 000 which makes it the richest flat race on turf. Arc Weekend now includes seven races classed at Group 1 level, and four with Group 2 status. It also features the Arabian World Cup , the world's richest race for purebred Arabian horses with €1 000 000 prize-money. Due to renovations at the Hippodrome de Longchamp

990-511: Was finally discontinued after the 1982 running. Since then the "Arc" has had several sponsors, including Trusthouse Forte , CIGA Hotels and Groupe Lucien Barrière . The present sponsor of the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe is the Qatar Racing and Equestrian Club (QREC) as part of Qatar's international soft power policy. The sponsorship agreement was signed in Doha in 2008, and as a result the prize fund

1023-435: Was relegated to second place for hampering Priori. The 1943 and 1944 editions were run at Le Tremblay over 2,300 metres. Midnight Sun dead-heated for first in 1959, but he was placed second for hampering Saint Crespin. Sagace finished first in 1985, but he was demoted to second for bumping Rainbow Quest. The 2016 and 2017 runnings took place at Chantilly while Longchamp

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1056-466: Was run at Le Tremblay with a distance of 2,300 metres in 1943 and 1944. Government funding of the race resumed in 1949, with money obtained through the Loterie Nationale. Offering an attractive jackpot of 50 million francs, this enabled a rapid increase of the prizes for both the "Arc" and its supporting races. By the 1970s, however, the assistance of the lottery had diminished, and the system

1089-401: Was won by Comrade , a three-year-old colt owned by Evremond de Saint-Alary . The winner's prize was 150,000 francs. In 1935, the event secured state funding by the means of a lottery , which awarded prizes according to the race result and the drawing of lots. The system was first used in 1936, and it continued until 1938. The "Arc" was cancelled twice during World War II, in 1939 and 1940. It

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