Miswaki

Miswaki (February 22, 1978 – December 17, 2004) was an American bred Thoroughbred racehorse who was a Group One winner in France as well as a stakes race winner in the United States. He was an important sire of 97 stakes race winners^[1] and was the Leading broodmare sire in Great Britain & Ireland in 1999 and 2001.^[2]

Breeding and ownership

Bred in Florida, Miswaki was sired by the very important Mr. Prospector who would become a two-time leading sire in North America and a nine-time leading broodmare sire in North America. His dam was Hopespringseternal, a daughter of Buckpasser, the 1966 American Horse of the Year and Hall of Fame inductee who became a four-time leading broodmare sire in North America.^[3]

Miswaki was purchased and raced by Etti Plesch, a prominent horsewoman in Europe who, as at the end of 2011, is the only female to have won the Epsom Derby twice, doing it first in 1961 with Psidium then with Henbit in 1980. In addition, she won the 1970 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe with Sassafras.^[4]

Racing career

Miswaki was conditioned for racing by one of France's leading trainers, Francois Boutin. Raced at age two, he made four starts on grass in 1980, winning the Prix Yacowlef at Deauville-La Touques Racecourse in his debut. After a runner-up finish in Deauville's Group One Prix Morny, he won the Group One Prix de la Salamandre at Longchamp. Sent to England's Newmarket Racecourse for the Group One Dewhurst Stakes, Miswaki ran third to winner, Storm Bird. For his three-year-old campaign in 1981, Miswaki was sent to race in the United States where he made nine starts for Hall of Fame trainer, Woody Stephens. The colt won three Allowance races plus the ungraded Charles Hatton Stakes at Elmont, New York's Belmont Park.^[5]

At stud

Beginning in 1982, Miswaki spent his entire twenty-two-year stud career at Walmac International Farm in Lexington, Kentucky. Pensioned in August 2004,^[6] he died on December 17 that same year^[7] and was buried in the equine cemetery at Walmac International.^[8]

The two most notable of Miswaki's successful progeny are the great racing mare Urban Sea, who won the 1993 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe and is the dam of Galileo, Sea the Stars, and Black Tie Affair, the 1991 American Horse of the Year.

Miswaki sired:

• Bachelor Duke, won the 2004 Irish 2,000 Guineas
• Black Tie Affair, 1991 American Horse of the Year & Breeders' Cup Classic winner
• Etoile Montante, filly whose wins include the 2003 G1 Prix de la Forêt in France and the 2004 G2 Palomar Handicap in the United States.
• Germignaga, won the 1996 Oaks d'Italia
• Kistena, multiple stakes winner in France including the Group One Prix de l'Abbaye de Longchamp
• Marvelous Crown, won 1994 Japan Cup
• Misil, won three Group One races including the 1993 Gran Premio del Jockey Club
• Umatilla, won Karrakatta Plate, successful sire in Australia
• Urban Sea, 1993 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe winner

Miswaki was the damsire of:

• Dalakhani, won the 2003 G1 Prix du Jockey Club
• Daylami, 1999 European Horse of the Year, winner of the G1 Breeders' Cup Turf
• Galileo, 2001 European Champion Three-Year-Old Colt
• Hernando, won the 1993 G1 Prix du Jockey Club
• Jimwaki, won the 1997 Grande Premio Brasil
• Landseer, won 2002 G1 Poule d'Essai des Poulains
• My Typhoon, multiple stakes winner
• Sadowa, won the 2002 Premio Regina Elena
• Sea the Stars, 2009 European Horse of the Year, winner of the Epsom Derby and Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe
• Talkin Man, 1994 Canadian Champion Two-Year-Old Colt

References

• Horses & Husbands -The Memoirs of Etti Plesch (2007) Dovecote Press ISBN 978-1-904349-54-9