Sixties Icon

Sixties Icon
Sire Galileo
Grandsire Sadler's Wells
Dam Love Divine
Damsire Diesis
Sex Stallion
Foaled 16 February 2003
Country United Kingdom
Colour Bay
Breeder Lordship Stud
Owner Susan Roy
Trainer Jeremy Noseda
Record 17: 8-1-1
Earnings £533,336
Major wins
Gordon Stakes (2006)
St. Leger Stakes (2006)
Jockey Club Stakes (2007)
Glorious Stakes (2008)
Geoffrey Freer Stakes (2008)
Cumberland Lodge Stakes (2008)

Sixties Icon (foaled 14 February 2003), is a retired British Thoroughbred racehorse and active sire. In a career which lasted from April 2006 until November 2008, he ran seventeen times and won eight races. He recorded his most important victory when winning the Classic St. Leger Stakes as a three-year-old. He won five other Group Races before being retired to stud.

Background

Sixties Icon is a bay horse bred by the Newmarket-based[1] Lordship Stud. He is exceptionally well-bred, being sired by the 2001 Epsom Derby winner Galileo out of the 2000 Epsom Oaks winner Love Divine. In October 2004, Sixties Icon was sent as a yearling to the Tattersalls sales at Newmarket, where he was bought for 230,000 guineas by John Warren Bloodstock.[2] The colt was sent into training with Jeremy Noseda at Newmarket.

Racing career

2006: three-year-old season

Sixties Icon began his racing career by finishing sixth of the twelve runners in maiden race at Newmarket in April 2006. Three weeks late he started 6/4 favourite for a similar event at Windsor and won by three-quarters of a length from Fleeting Memory.[3]

Sixties Icon was then sent to Epsom to contest the Epsom Derby. Starting a 66/1 outsider he stayed on in the closing stages to finish seventh, five and a half lengths behind Sir Percy. Later in June he finished third to Papal Bull in the King Edward VII Stakes at Royal Ascot. In August, Sixties Icon recorded his first Group Race win in the Gordon Stakes at Goodwood. Ridden by Frankie Dettori he was settled in fourth place before taking the lead in the straight and winning by one and three quarter lengths from Jadalee.[4]

Sixties Icon started 11/8 favourite for the 2006 St Leger Stakes which was run at York as Doncaster Racecourse was being redeveloped. Dettori restrained the colt at the back of the eleven runner field before moving up to take the lead in the final furlong. He produced a "powerful late burst"[5] and went clear to win by two and a half lengths from the 50/1 outsider The Last Drop with Red Rocks a length further back in third.[6] Noseda was unable to attend the race as he was viewing yearlings in Kentucky, but described himself as being "absolutely delighted, over the moon"[7] at the result. On his final start of the year, Sixties Icon finished seventh of the eight runners in the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe.

2007: four-year-old season

Sixties Icon made his four-year-old debut in the Jockey Club Stakes at Newmarket on 6 May. Dettori took the colt into the lead two furlongs from the finish and he "stayed on strongly"[8] to win by three lengths from Admiral's Cruise, with Papal Bull in fourth. Sixties Icon started 11/8 favourite for the Coronation Cup at Epsom in June but weakened badly in the closing stages and finished last of the seven runners behind Scorpion. He started favourite again in the Princess of Wales's Stakes at Newmarket in July but finished tenth of the twelve runners behind Papal Bull. Sixties Icon did not race again in 2007 and had a "wind operation" intended to improve his performance.[9]

2008: five-year-old season

Sixties Icon returned after a break of almost ten months to finish second to Getaway in the Jockey Club Stakes. Later in may, the horse was dropped in class for the Listed Festival Stakes at Goodwood and won by five lengths at odds of 8/13. Sixties Icon was moved back up to Group One class for the Prince of Wales's Stakes at Royal Ascot in June, but finished last of the twelve runners behind Duke of Marmalade.

Sixties Icon won his next three races. On 1 August he "stayed on well"[10] in the closing stages to win the Group Three Glorious Stakes at Goodwood in what was described as a "triumphant return to form".[11] Two weeks later he justified his position as favourite for the Geoffrey Freer Stakes at Newbury, getting up in the "last stride"[12] to beat Tempelstern. His jockey, Johnny Murtagh called Sixties Icon "a class horse" after his win while Noseda described him as "a tough, honest horse".[13] In September he went clear in the closing stages of the Cumberland Lodge Stakes at Ascot and won by two and a quarter lengths from Sugar Ray.[14]

In October, Sixties Icon was sent to California to contest the Breeders' Cup Marathon at Santa Anita Park. He was made 11/8 favourite, but finished fifth, beaten two and three quarter lengths by Muhannak. On his final appearance, Sixties Icon finished thirteenth of the seventeen runners in the Japan Cup where he appeared to be unsuited by the hard ground.[15] He was then retired to stud.

Stud career

Sixties Icon retired to stand as a breeding stallion at the Norman Court Stud at West Tytherley, near Salisbury in Wiltshire. His first foals began racing in 2012. He currently stands at a stud fee of £4,500.[16] His first winner was the filly Vanessa, who won a race at Musselburgh Racecourse in April 2012,[17] and Chilworth Icon gave his sire a first Group race win when taking the Premio Primi Passi three months later.[18]

Pedigree

Pedigree of Sixties Icon (GB), bay stallion, 2003[19]
Sire
Galileo (IRE)
1998		 Sadler's Wells
1981　		 Northern Dancer Nearctic
Natalma
Fairy Bridge Bold Reason
Special
Urban Sea
1989　		 Miswaki Mr. Prospector
Hopespringeternal
Allegretta Lombard
Anatevka
Dam
Love Divine (GB)
1997		 Diesis
1980		 Sharpen Up Atan
Rocchetta
Doubly Sure Reliance
Soft Angels
La Sky
1988		 Law Society Alleged
Bold Bikini
Maryinsky Northern Dancer
Extra Place (Family: 14-c)

References

  1. ↑ "Lordship Stud, Stud Farm & Stallions, Suffolk, UK". Directoryoftheturf.com. Retrieved 2012-05-06.
  2. ↑ "Tattersalls | Racing Post". Bloodstock.racingpost.com. Retrieved 2012-05-06.
  3. ↑ "Results from the 7.50 race at WINDSOR - 8 May 2006". Racing Post. Retrieved 2012-05-05.
  4. ↑ "Gordon Stakes". Racing Post. Retrieved 2012-05-05.
  5. ↑ "BBC SPORT | Other Sport... | Horse Racing | Sixties Icon romps to Leger win". BBC News. 2006-09-09. Retrieved 2012-05-06.
  6. ↑ "St Leger Stakes". Racing Post. Retrieved 2012-05-05.
  7. ↑ "ICON DELIGHT FOR NOSEDA". Sporting Life. 2010-03-12. Retrieved 2012-05-06.
  8. ↑ "Jockey Club Stakes". Racing Post. Retrieved 2012-05-06.
  9. ↑ Marcus Townend (2008-08-01). "Sixties Icon back in the swing of things and ready to shine in California | Mail Online". Dailymail.co.uk. Retrieved 2012-05-06.
  10. ↑ "Glorious Stakes". Racing Post. Retrieved 2012-05-06.
  11. ↑ "Quick resumption planned for Icon - RTÉ Sport". Rte.ie. 2008-08-06. Retrieved 2012-05-06.
  12. ↑ "Geoffrey Freer Stakes". Racing Post. Retrieved 2012-05-06.
  13. ↑ "ICON EDGES FREER THRILLER". Sporting Life. 2010-03-12. Retrieved 2012-05-06.
  14. ↑ "Cumberland Lodge Stakes". Racing Post. Retrieved 2012-05-06.
  15. ↑ "LEGER HERO ICON RETIRED". Sporting Life. 2010-03-12. Retrieved 2012-05-06.
  16. ↑ "Sixties Icon | Details | Bloodstock Stallion Book | Racing Post". Bloodstock.racingpost.com. 2012-02-15. Retrieved 2012-05-05.
  17. ↑ "Results from the 1.50 race at MUSSELBURGH - 8 April 2012". Racing Post. Retrieved 2012-05-06.
  18. ↑ "Chilworth Icon". Racing Post. 2011-06-02. Retrieved 2012-08-17.
  19. ↑ "Sixties Icon". equineline.com. 2012-05-08. Retrieved 2012-07-03.