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27-524: The name "Nikoli" comes from the racehorse who won the Irish 2,000 Guineas in 1980; the founder of Nikoli, Maki Kaji , was fond of horseracing and betting. Nikoli is notable for its vast library of "culture independent" puzzles. An example of a language / culture -dependent genre of puzzle would be the crossword , which relies on a specific language and alphabet . For this reason Nikoli's puzzles are often purely logical, and often numerical. Nikoli's Sudoku ,

54-480: A Group Three event he finished strongly to take third, beaten a neck and half a length by Final Straw and 1979's leading juvenile Monteverdi . The Middle Park Stakes winner Known Fact finished fourth with the William Hill Futurity winner Hello Gorgeous in fifth. On 3 May Posse started at odds of 12/1 for the 2000 Guineas over Newmarket's Rowley Mile with the undefeated French colt Nureyev being made

81-656: A lengthy legal dispute which was eventually settled out of court in November. The colt never ran again and was retired to stud at the end of the year. In the Irish Free Handicap for the two-year-olds of 1979 Nikoli was assigned a weight of 108 pounds, 25 pounds behind the top-rated Monteverdi . The independent Timeform organisation gave him a rating of 96p, the "p" indicationg that he was likely to make more than normal progress. In their annual Racehorses of 1983 Timeform described him as "a well-related colt who will make into

108-458: A short head from Last Fandango. Nikoli's win at the Curragh made him a leading contender for The Derby and he received considerable sentimental support as his highly respected trainer was terminally ill and unlikely to saddle another runner in the race. Concerns were expressed however about the colt's ability to handle the course and his nervous temperament. At Epsom he started the 4/1 favourite for

135-580: A smart 3-y-o over 1m or more". In the International Classification for 1980 Nikoli was rated on 85, six pounds behind the top-rated Moorestyle and was the highest-rated Irish three-year-old. Timeform gave him a rating of 125, eleven pounds behind Moorestyle, who was their Horse of the Year. At the end of his racing career, Nikoli was exported to the United States to become a breeding stallion. He

162-615: A strong late run but showed his inexperience ("ran very green") in the final furlong and finished second, beaten two and a half lengths by the Irish-trained Night Alert with the future Epsom Oaks winner Bireme three lengths back in third. On his three-year-old debut, Posse was sent to Newbury Racecourse in England for the Greenham Stakes , an important trial race for the 2000 Guineas . In an exceptionally strong field for

189-544: A training gallop. He appeared the likely winner two furlongs from the finish but eventually finished fourth behind Nikoli , Last Fandango and Final Straw, beaten less than a length. While some observers felt that Posse had failed through lack of courage, Timeform suggested that the colt had not recovered sufficiently from his exertions at Newmarket. Posse reappeared in the St James's Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot in June. Shortly before

216-551: The Curragh on 17 May and started the 5/1 third favourite behind Monteverdi and Posse . The other ten runners included Final Straw (who had beaten Monteverdi in the Greenham Stakes ), Huguenot ( Beresford Stakes ), Last Fandango ( Blue Riband Trial Stakes ), Current Charge ( Tetrarch Stakes ) and Johnny O'Day ( Larkspur Stakes ). Final Straw, Nikoli, Last Fandango and Posse entered the final furlong almost level, but Nikoli, ridden by Christy Roche stayed on better than his rivals and won by

243-452: The "p" indicating that he was likely to make more than the normal improvement between two and three years of age. The prediction proved true as Posse was rated 130 by Timeform in 1980, seven pounds below their top-rated horse Moorestyle . In the official International Classification he was rated the fifth-best three-year-old colt in Europe behind Moorestyle, Argument , Known Fact and Nureyev, and

270-447: The 13/8 favourite. Eddery tracked the leaders on Posse and appeared to have a good chance three furlongs from the finish when he was badly hampered and almost fell when Philippe Paquet on Nureyev barged his was through the centre of the field to make his challenge. Posse recovered well and made up a great deal of ground in the final furlong to finish third, beaten a neck and three-quarters of a length by Nureyev and Known Fact. An inquiry by

297-625: The 1980 Epsom Derby but finished seventh and ran poorly on his only subsequent start. After his retirement from racing he stood as a breeding stallion in the United States and Uruguay but had little success as a sire of winners. Nikoli was a "strong, most attractive" bay horse with no white markings bred in Ireland by the McGrath Trust Co. at the Brownstown Stud. As a yearling he was put up for auction and sold for 52,000 guineas . He entered

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324-508: The Derby but never looked likely to win, finishing eighth behind Henbit . Paddy Prendergast died on the 20 June and his son Kevin took over as Nikoli's trainer. In the Irish Derby at the Curragh on 28 June, the colt was made the second favourite but became highly agitated before the start and finished unplaced behind Tyrnavos . In the latter part of 1980 the ownership of Nikoli was the subject of

351-577: The Posse's Grade Three winning full-brothers Late As Usual (Swoon's Son Stakes) and Hot Rodder ( Oettingen-Rennen ). Phipps sent the colt to race in England where he was trained by John Dunlop at Arundel , West Sussex . Posse made his only appearance as a two-year-old in October 1979 when he contested the Houghton Stakes over seven furlongs at Newmarket Racecourse . Starting at odds of 14/1 he produced

378-578: The back of the field and he was still only in fifth place with a furlong and a half to run. Posse then moved up on the outside, and produced what Timeform described as a "dazzling turn of speed" to overtake Final Straw well inside the final furlong and win very easily by one and a half lengths. In the Sussex Stakes at Goodwood Racecourse in July, Posse was matched against older horses for the first time, but Final Straw appeared to be his most serious opponent and he

405-548: The interest in the race focused on the Vincent O'Brien -trained Monteverdi , the top-rated juvenile of 1979 in Britain and Ireland who was made the 1/3 favourite. Nikoli, however, upset the odds, winning by a length and a half from Monteverdi, who was carrying seven pounds more. The ground was much firmer when Nikoli was stepped up to Group One level for the Irish 2000 Guineas over one mile at

432-470: The leading miler of 1979, both of whom had missed the summer with training problems. Shortly after his win at Goodwood however, Posse contracted a respiratory infection from which he failed to recover sufficiently for him to take part in the major autumn races. He did not run again and was retired to the Derisley Wood Stud. In 1979, the independent Timeform organisation gave Posse a rating of 108 p,

459-512: The most popular logic problem in Japan, was popularized in the English -speaking world in 2005, though that game has a history stretching back hundreds of years and across the globe. The magazine has invented several new genres of puzzles, and introduced several new games to Japan . Some of the popular Nikoli puzzles, along with their Japanese names; terms in parentheses are published English titles for

486-553: The ninth-best horse of any age. Posse began his stud career in England where he was based for six years before being exported to Japan. Despite the fact that he had been known as a miler, Posse's offspring tended to thrive over longer distances. The best of his progeny was probably Sheriff's Star , who won the Coronation Cup and the Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud as a four-year-old in 1989, as well as siring Seiun Sky in Japan, who won

513-580: The ownership of Lord Iveagh and was sent into training with the veteran Paddy Prendergast . He was sired by Great Nephew, a British stallion who won the Prix du Moulin in 1967 before becoming an outstanding sire whose other progeny included Grundy , Mrs Penny , Shergar , Tolmi and Carotene . His dam Aliceva made little impact as a racehorse but produced several other winners including Captain James ( Waterford Crystal Mile ) and Sutton Place ( Coronation Stakes ). She

540-400: The race a half-share in the colt was sold for $ 1 million to the Derisley Wood Stud, despite the fact that he was still a maiden after four races. At Ascot he was again opposed by Last Fandango and Final Straw, but the lightly-raced Dalsaan was made the odds-on favourite, with Posse starting the 11/2 third choice in the betting. Eddery rode the colt with great confidence, restraining him towards

567-427: The racecourse stewards ruled that Paquet had been guilty of "reckless" riding and, under the rules of racing at the time, had no option but to disqualify the favourite and relegate him to last place. The race was awarded to Known Fact, with Posse being promoted to second. Two weeks later, Posse started 7/2 second favourite behind Monteverdi for the Irish 2,000 Guineas at the Curragh , despite having performed poorly in

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594-481: The same puzzles. This publishing -related article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Nikoli (horse) Nikoli (foaled 8 March 1977) was an Irish Thoroughbred racehorse and sire . After winning his only race as a juvenile he won the McCairns Trial Stakes on his three-year-old debut and then recorded his biggest win in the Irish 2000 Guineas . He started favourite for

621-511: Was a champion in his native Argentina before becoming a successful breeding stallion in the United States. His best-known offspring was Forego , the three-time American Horse of the Year , but he was also successful in Europe with hores such as Thatch . His dam, In Hot Pursuit, bred and raced by Phipps, was a leading two-year-old the United States in 1973 when her wins included the Fashion Stakes . She produced several other winners including

648-575: Was a half-sister to Feemoss, the dam of Levmoss , Le Moss and Sweet Mimosa ( Prix de Diane ). Nikoli made his racecourse debut in a seven furlong maiden race at Phoenix Park Racecourse in October. He started favourite and won by three quarters of a length from Musical Boy after taking the lead in the closing stages. On his first appearance as a three-year-old Nikoli contested the Group Three McCairns Trial Stakes over seven furlongs on soft ground at Phoenix Park. Most of

675-434: Was made the 8/13 favourite. Eddery again held the colt up for a late challenge but in the straight he appeared unlikely to obtain a clear run as he was trapped on the inside. In the closing stages Posse was switched to the outside and again produced a striking burst of acceleration to catch Final Straw in the last stride and win by a head. There was considerable anticipation of a race between Posse and either Known Fact or Kris

702-510: Was moved to stand in Uruguay in the late 1980s. The best of his offspring included Air Display who won the Volante Handicap in 1986. Posse (horse) Posse (15 May 1977 – 22 May 1991 ) was an American-bred, British-trained Thoroughbred racehorse and sire . He ran only six times, winning twice, in a racing career which lasted from October 1979 until July 1980. As a three-year-old he

729-547: Was promoted to second after a controversial race for the 2000 Guineas but showed his best form in summer when he established himself as one of the leading milers in Europe with wins in the St James's Palace Stakes and Sussex Stakes . He was retired to stud at the end of the year and had some success as a sire of winners. Posse was a chestnut horse with a white star , bred in Kentucky by his owner Ogden Mills Phipps . His sire Forli

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