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Nijinsky Stakes

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42-449: Nijinsky Stakes may refer to the following horse races, named after race horse Nijinsky : Nijinsky Stakes (Canada) King George V Cup , (known as Nijinsky Stakes from 2008 to 2012, and 2020 to 2021) Derrinstown Stud Derby Trial (known as Nijinsky Stakes between 1971 and 1983) Topics referred to by the same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with

84-508: A canter in the closing stages. In August, Nijinsky contracted ringworm , which seriously affected his training schedule. The horse lost most of the hair on his body. Nijinsky appeared to be recovering after being placed on a "rich" diet including raw eggs and Irish Stout , and was sent to Doncaster for the St. Leger in September. In the one mile and six furlongs race, he was attempting to become

126-479: A candidate in the 1955 New Jersey State Senate elections. He controlled an international mining and metals conglomerate , Engelhard , founded by his father. Engelhard made his fortune in the precious metals industry, where he operated a company founded by his father, Charles W Engelhard Sr. During World War II , he served with the United States Army Air Forces and, in 1947, Engelhard married

168-709: A colt who went on to win the Irish 2000 Guineas in 1970. Having proved himself the best of the Irish two-year-olds, he was sent to England in October to contest the Dewhurst Stakes at Newmarket . Ridden for the first time by Lester Piggott , he was held up at the back of the six-horse field before moving through to take the lead inside the final furlong, earning top rating in the British Free Handicap. On his first appearance as

210-399: A half lengths, with Stintino third. The winning time of 2:34.68 was the fastest Epsom Derby since 1936. Nijinsky's time for the last two furlongs of the race (10.6 and 11.25 seconds, respectively) was of sprint championship-winning standard. Piggott claimed that he was "always cantering", while Bill Williamson , who rode Gyr, said that "Nijinsky was just too good". Gyr subsequently franked

252-577: A love of Thoroughbred horse racing and became a major force in the industry with racing stables in England and South Africa, plus in Aiken, South Carolina where his Cragwood Stables was named for his estate in Far Hills, New Jersey . Primarily trained by future U.S. Racing Hall of Fame inductee, MacKenzie Miller in the U.S., he raced notable horses such as Red Reality , Assagai , Tentam , Alley Fighter , and

294-401: A slight lead. In the last strides, Nijinsky appeared to veer left away from Piggott's whip, and Sassafras, ridden by Yves Saint-Martin, produced a renewed effort to regain the advantage and win by a head. While many, including his trainer Vincent O'Brien, felt that Piggott had given Nijinsky too much ground to make up and had left his challenge too late, the jockey, who was heavily criticised by

336-591: A three-year-old, Nijinsky beat the four-year-old Deep Run in the Gladness Stakes at the Curragh in April. The colt was then sent back to Newmarket for the 2000 Guineas over one mile. He started the 4/7 favourite against thirteen opponents. Nijinsky took the lead two furlongs from the finish and, without being put under any pressure by Piggott, pulled clear to win by two and a half lengths from Yellow God. The second had won

378-494: A year to guide Gyr, a son of his champion Sea-Bird , through his three-year-old season. Nijinsky was held up by Piggott as usual before moving forward in the straight, by which time Gyr was in front and pulling clear of the Prix Lupin winner, Stintino. A furlong and a half from the finish, Piggott used his whip on Nijinsky. The favourite responded immediately, catching Gyr in a few strides and pulling ahead to win from him by two and

420-469: The King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Ascot . His five opponents included winners of major races: Blakeney (1969 Epsom Derby ), Karabas ( Washington, D.C. International Stakes ), Crepellana ( Prix de Diane ) and Caliban ( Coronation Cup ). Without being extended, Nijinsky moved through to take the lead a furlong from the finish and won by two lengths from Blakeney despite being eased down to

462-583: The Metropolitan Museum of Art where the Charles Engelhard Court can be found in its American Wing, built the library at Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government , and has been a generous supporter of a number of University of Montana academic programs. In 1967, he and his wife donated an elaborate 18th-century Neapolitan crêche to the White House . Engelhard developed

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504-407: The U.S. Champion sire , Halo . His best known South African horse was Hawaii who won a number of important races in that country until being brought to compete in the U.S. in 1969 where he won several Grade 1 stakes and was voted the 1969 Eclipse Award for Outstanding Male Turf Horse . Following his death, his widow donated a large collection of racing trophies that were won by Cragwood horses in

546-811: The United Kingdom , and the United States. The Engelhard Dam on the Letaba River in Kruger National Park is named in his honor in gratitude for donations to the South African National Parks Board. The Charles Engelhard Foundation, headed by his wife after his death and by their children following her death in 2004, provides funding to a wide range of causes including education, medical research, cultural institutions, and wildlife and conservation organizations. It has made major donations to

588-626: The Arc, Nijinsky ran his last race in the Champion Stakes over ten furlongs at Newmarket. Although he had been known to sweat freely before some of his previous races, Nijinsky on this occasion appeared to become particularly nervous and anxious before the start. In the race itself, he ran well below his best form and was beaten 3/4 length at odds of 4/11 by the five-year-old English horse Lorenzaccio. O'Brien on this occasion concurred with Piggott, saying that Nijinsky appeared to have "lost his fire." Nijinsky

630-629: The Ascot 2,000 Guineas trial and the previous year's Gimcrack Stakes , as well as finishing a close second in the Middle Park Stakes . Nijinsky's opposition in the Derby at Epsom was stronger and he started at odds of 11/8 – the only time he was ever odds against. His rivals were headed by the French-trained colts Stintino and Gyr. The veteran French trainer Etienne Pollet had delayed his retirement for

672-694: The Millennium. Engelhard died in 1971 of a heart attack in Boca Grande, Florida . His funeral mass was held on March 5 at St. Mary's Abbey Church at the Delbarton School in Morris County, New Jersey. Former president Lyndon Johnson acted as an honorary pall-bearer. Also in attendance were US senators Hubert Humphrey , Ted Kennedy , Mike Mansfield and Harrison A. Williams Jr. , and former governors Robert B. Meyner and Richard J. Hughes . Engelhard

714-629: The National Committee of Business and Professional Men and Women for Kennedy and Johnson . In 1955, he ran for New Jersey State Senate against Malcolm Forbes in the "Battle of the Billionaires", but lost 19,981 to 19,611. Engelhard represented John F. Kennedy at the coronation of Pope Paul VI . As a young man, Engelhard worked in a metals processing business which had been founded in 1902 by his German American father, Charles Engelhard Sr., dealing in platinum , gold , and silver . Upon

756-755: The South African mining industry. Engelhard maintained a residence in South Africa and was elected to Anglo American's Board of Directors . At home, he was criticized by students at Harvard and Rutgers for indirectly supporting the country's apartheid regime. Engelhard Minerals had dealings with the silver empire of Nelson Bunker Hunt and W. Herbert Hunt and Japanese trading companies Mitsui and Mitsubishi through its trading arm Phillipp Brothers . The company remained very sizable for many years after Engelhard's death. Charles Engelhard supported numerous humanitarian and benevolent causes in South Africa,

798-571: The St Leger led to the horse not winning at Longchamps. The Manchester City footballer, Colin Bell, was given the nickname, Nijinsky, by his coach, Malcolm Allison, because of his (Bell's) unrivalled stamina. In 1970, a film was made about his racing career entitled A Horse Called Nijinsky . Narrated by Orson Welles , it was released in British cinemas and in 1988 released on VHS video . The Nijinsky team also

840-499: The U.S. between 1962 and 1976. While Engelhard was very successful racing Thoroughbreds in the United States, he and his wife also maintained a residence in London and it was in England where he had his greatest achievements in racing. His horses won British Classic Races six times including the St. Leger Stakes in 1964, 1967, 1968 and again in 1970 when he won it for the fourth time with

882-606: The Year , Nijinsky won the 2,000 Guineas , The Derby , and the St. Leger Stakes to become the first horse in thirty-five years to win the English Triple Crown , and only narrowly failed to win the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe by a short head to Sassafras . A 1970 motion picture was made about the colt titled A Horse Called Nijinsky and a 2000 Sun newspaper poll voted him Britain's Horse of

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924-426: The best horses he had trained, placing Nijinsky first "for brilliance." Lester Piggott concurred: "I think Nijinsky probably on his day was the most brilliant horse I've ever ridden". Piggott added later that Nijinsky, during the summer of 1970 when he won the 2,000 Guineas, Epsom Derby, Irish Derby and King George VI and Queen Elizabeth II Stakes, was "an unbeatable horse" Piggott was adamant, however, that running in

966-507: The death of his father in 1950, Charles Engelhard inherited the family business. He substantially expanded operations to South Africa , South America and Europe and built it into one of the world's leading refiners of precious metals. In 1958, he consolidated the various operating companies into Engelhard Corporation and issued a public share offering on the New York Stock Exchange . In 1961, Time described him as, "one of

1008-547: The first horse since Bahram 35 years earlier to complete the English Triple Crown . He started the 2/7 favourite and won comfortably, although his margin of victory over Meadowville was only one length. As of 2023, he is the last horse to accomplish the feat of sweeping the English Triple Crown: since 1970 only Reference Point (1987), Nashwan (1989), Sea The Stars (2009) and Camelot (2012) have won two of

1050-534: The form by easily winning the Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud . On the day before the Derby, Nijinsky had overcome a severe bout of colic which could have threatened his life. On 27 June, Nijinsky followed up his Epsom win by taking the Irish Derby at the Curragh. Ridden by Liam Ward , he started at odds of 4/11 and accelerated late to win by three lengths from Meadowville. In July, Nijinsky raced against older horses in

1092-450: The horse that brought him international fame and made him that year's British flat racing Champion Owner . Purchased at Windfields Farm's annual yearling sale in Ontario , Canada, Nijinsky was sent to Ireland to be conditioned by Vincent O'Brien . The colt earned Champion Two-Year-Old honors for his undefeated 1969 racing campaign. The next year, en route to being voted European Horse of

1134-406: The media and racing public, said that in his opinion Nijinsky was past his peak for the year. It is beyond dispute that Nijinsky was a most unlucky loser. Piggott commented: "Certainly Nijinsky would have won had he not swerved almost in the shadow of the post, and certainly he would have won had his initial finishing run not been blocked on the final bend". Less than two weeks after his defeat in

1176-611: The most powerful businessmen in South Africa ". As a result of his company's need for gold acquisitions from South African suppliers, Engelhard became a major investor in the country, acquiring gold, copper and coal mining ventures as well as investing in industrial concerns. He set up a publicly traded holding company in the U.S. that raised capital for investments in South African business. The company made investments alone and in conjunction with South African business tycoon Harry Oppenheimer , whose Anglo American company dominated

1218-491: The most versatile of the great horses of the 20th century. Nijinsky, a bay horse with a white heart on his forehead and three white feet , was bred at E. P. Taylor 's Windfields Farm in Oshawa , Ontario, Canada. He was from the second crop of foals sired by Northern Dancer, the winner of the 1964 Kentucky Derby who went on to become one of the most influential sires of the 20th century. His dam, Flaming Page , by Bull Page ,

1260-525: The three races, but Oh So Sharp won the filly's version of the Triple Crown in 1985. In his next race, Nijinsky was sent to France for the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe at Longchamp in Paris in October. Piggott produced Nijinsky in the straight to make his challenge but was baulked twice before making his run on the wide outside. However, 150m from the finish he caught front runners Miss Dan and Sassafras and took

1302-511: The title Nijinsky Stakes . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Nijinsky_Stakes&oldid=1158656581 " Category : Disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages Nijinsky (horse) Nijinsky (21 February 1967 – 15 April 1992)

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1344-496: The widow Jane Mannheimer . Engelhard would adopt Mannheimer's daughter, Anne France Mannheimer , and eventually have four more daughters with his wife. Shortly before his death in 1971, Engelhard disposed of most of his South African businesses, selling them to Anglo-American companies. Charles Engelhard was a major contributor to the United States Democratic Party and in the 1960 presidential election organized

1386-468: Was a Canadian-bred, Irish-trained champion Thoroughbred racehorse and sire . He was the outstanding two-year-old in Europe in 1969 when he was unbeaten in five races. In the following season, he became the first horse for thirty-five years to win the English Triple Crown , a feat that has not been repeated as of 2023. He is regarded as one of the greatest European flat racehorses of the 20th century. He

1428-500: Was a favourite of Queen Elizabeth II and she visited him as often as possible at Claiborne Stud. Nijinsky was euthanised in April 1992 as a result of "the infirmities of old age" after suffering from laminitis since 1985. He is buried at Claiborne Farm . Charles W. Engelhard Jr. Charles W. Engelhard Jr. (February 15, 1917 – March 2, 1971) was an American businessman, a major owner in Thoroughbred horse racing , and

1470-565: Was a successful racemare, winning the 1962 Queen's Plate. At stud, she produced only two other foals. One of these was Fleur by Victoria Park , who produced the 1977 Epsom Derby winner The Minstrel by Northern Dancer ; the other was Minsky, champion Irish two-year-old in 1970 and full brother to Nijinsky. Nijinsky was a big, powerful and handsome horse with great presence, standing 16.3  hands (67 inches, 170 cm) high, resembling his dam rather than his sire in stature and conformation, traits he tended to pass on to his offspring. He

1512-521: Was also historically important for establishing the international reputation of his sire Northern Dancer , though Nijinsky was atypical of Northern Dancer progeny in size and conformation. Retired to stud, he became the leading sire in Great Britain & Ireland and the leading broodmare sire in North America . As a winner of top-class races from 6-14 furlongs, Nijinsky is also considered to be among

1554-525: Was an excellent sire. He sired 155 Stakes/Group winners (18.1% of 862 total foals) and 519 individual winners (60.2%), ranging over the full range of distances at which he excelled as a racehorse. He is the only sire to have a winner of the Kentucky and Epsom Derbies in the same year (1986). The horse was champion sire in Great Britain and Ireland in 1986 and champion broodmare sire in the United States in 1993 and 1994. His notable progeny included: Nijinsky

1596-538: Was offered for sale at the Windfields Farm's annual yearling auction where he was bought for $ 84,000 (equivalent to $ 740,000 in 2023) by the American minerals magnate and industrialist Charles W. Engelhard Jr. , acting on the advice of the Irish trainer Vincent O'Brien . It was Engelhard's wife Jane who decided that the colt should be named after the dancer Vaslav Nijinsky . Nijinsky was shipped to Ireland, where he

1638-553: Was rated the greatest-ever Epsom Derby winner by a panel of experts assembled by the Daily Telegraph . In 2021, the Sporting Life ranked Nijinsky's Derby win no. 1, ahead of Sea Bird , in their top-40 runnings of the race. In their book A Century of Champions , John Randall and Tony Morris rated Nijinsky as a "great" Derby winner and the best Irish racehorse of the 20th century. Vincent O'Brien named Nijinsky and Sir Ivor as

1680-585: Was retired to stand at stud at Claiborne Farm near Paris, Kentucky having been syndicated in August for $ 5,440,000. Nijinsky was given a rating of 138 by Timeform , the second-highest for a winner of the Epsom Derby up to that time. He was Timeform's Horse of the Year for 1970. Nijinsky was also voted British Horse of the Year by the Racecourse Association, gaining 38 of the 40 votes. In 2018 Nijinsky

1722-623: Was trained by O'Brien at Ballydoyle , County Tipperary . Nijinsky's first four races were all at the Curragh . In June, he started at odds of 4/11 and won the six- furlong Erne maiden race easily. He followed up with wins in the Anglesey Stakes and the Railway Stakes . On his fourth appearance, he was extended for the first time in the Beresford Stakes . He won decisively from Decies,

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1764-514: Was voted winners of the 1970 BBC Sports Personality of the Year Team Award . Among the more unusual tributes, a Cabernet Sauvignon wine and a variety of winter wheat have been named in Nijinsky's honour. Bronze statues of him stand at Ballydoyle and at The Curragh racecourse. Having been sent to stand at stud in the United States, Nijinsky was registered there as Nijinsky II. The horse

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