Mount Nelson (horse)

Mount Nelson (7 April 2004 – 1 November 2019) was a British-bred, Irish-trained Thoroughbred racehorse and sire best known for winning the Eclipse Stakes in 2008. Mount Nelson showed great promise as a two-year-old in 2006 when he won the Critérium International less than a month after his racecourse debut. Hopes that he would become a classic contender in 2007 ended when he sustained a serious foot injury early in the year. He returned as a four-year-old to win the Eclipse and ran well in defeat in several other major races. He was then retired to stud and sired several good winners both on the flat and over jumps.

Mount Nelson
SireRock of Gibraltar
GrandsireDanehill
DamIndependence
DamsireSelkirk
SexStallion
Foaled7 April 2004[1]
CountryUnited Kingdom
ColourBay
BreederCliveden Stud
OwnerDerrick Smith, Susan Magnier and Michael Tabor
TrainerAidan O'Brien
Record9: 3-1-2
Earnings£459,137
Major wins
Critérium International (2006)
Eclipse Stakes (2008)

Background

Mount Nelson was a bay horse with a white star and stripe bred by the Cliveden Park Stud in Buckinghamshire. Mount Nelson was from the first crop of foals sired by Rock of Gibraltar who won seven Group 1 races in a row, including the 2000 Guineas. He has gone on to sire a number of other top racehorses, including Society Rock, Eagle Mountain, Varenar (Prix de la Forêt) and Samitar (Irish 1000 Guineas).[2] Mount Nelson's dam, Independence, was a high-class racemare who won four races including the Matron Stakes and the Sun Chariot Stakes in 2001.[3] She was descended from Home on the Range, the dam of the Epsom Derby winner Reference Point.[4] Apart from Mount Nelson, Independence's best performer has been Monitor Closely, who won the Great Voltigeur Stakes and finished third in the St Leger Stakes.

As a yearling, the colt was consigned from the New England Stud to the Tattersalls sales at Newmarket. On 5 October he was bought for 330,000 guineas by the bloodstock agent Dermot "Demi" O'Byrne, acting on behalf of John Magnier's Coolmore organisation.[5] Like many Coolmore horses, the details of Mount Nelson's ownership varied from race to race: he was sometimes listed as being owned by Derrick Smith, while in other races he was listed as the property of a partnership of Smith, Susan Magnier and Michael Tabor. The colt was trained throughout his racing career by Aidan O'Brien at Ballydoyle.[6]

Racing career

2006: two-year-old season

Mount Nelson did not compete in a race until late autumn, but then ran three times in a little over three weeks. On 6 October he started at odds of 5/2 in a seven furlong maiden race at Gowran Park, County Kilkenny and finished second of the fourteen runners behind the Dermot Weld-trained Treasure Map. In a similar event at the Curragh Racecourse sixteen days later, the colt started 2/1 favourite against twenty-eight opponents. Ridden by Seamie Heffernan, Mount Nelson established a clear lead approaching the final quarter mile and drew away from the field in the closing stages to win impressively by six lengths.[7] Eight days after his win in the Curragh maiden race, the colt was moved up abruptly in class when he was sent to France to contest the Group One Critérium International over 1600 metres at Saint-Cloud Racecourse. He was coupled in the betting with his stable companion Yellowstone and went off at odds of 10.9/1, with the locally trained Spirit One being made the 3/5 favourite. Heffernan restrained Mount Nelson in the early stages before moving up to challenge the leaders in the straight. He took the lead approaching the last 200 metres and held off a sustained challenge of Spirit One to win by a short-head in a photo-finish, with Yellowstone in third.[8] Despite the soft ground, the winning time of 1:41.3 was a new course record. Commenting on the performance, O'Brien said "Our decision to run Mount Nelson twice in the period of a week was justified, but it was a big risk. He's a lovely horse who will be even better next year when he should stay further."[9] The trainer went on to mention the 2000 Guineas and the Poule d'Essai des Poulains as future targets, whilst bookmakers introduced him into the betting for the 2007 Epsom Derby at odds of 20/1.[10]

2007: three-year-old season

Mount Nelson was being prepared for his three-year-old campaign when he sustained a serious injury to his left front foot. According to O'Brien the colt "tore off a shoe... and took half of his foot off with it".[11] Both the hoof and bone were damaged, necessitating surgery and a long period of recuperation. He made his one and only appearance of the season at Newmarket Racecourse in October when he ran in the Champion Stakes. He started a 16/1 outsider and finished eleventh of the twelve runners, forty lengths behind the winner Literato.

2008: four-year-old season

On his return to racing as a four-year-old, Mount Nelson started odd-on favourite for the Mooresbridge Stakes at the Curragh in May, but was never in contention and finished sixth of the eight runners. A month later he showed improved form to finish third in the Prix du Chemin de Fer du Nord at Chantilly despite having difficulty obtaining a clear run in the straight. On 17 June, Mount Nelson returned to Group One level for the Queen Anne Stakes over one mile at Royal Ascot. Racing against leading milers he started at odds of 33/1 and finished fifth of the ten runners behind Haradasun, Darjina, Finsceal Beo and Cesare, beaten just over a length by the winner. For the second race in succession he encountered trouble in running, being "squeezed out"[12] approaching the final furlong.

On 5 July, Mount Nelson started the 7/2 second favourite in for the Eclipse Stakes at Sandown Park Racecourse. The field for the weight-for-age event appeared to be well below the usual standard:[13] none of Mount Nelson's seven opponents had won at Group One level.[11] Ridden by Johnny Murtagh, the colt was held up in the early stages before making progress in the straight. Despite hanging to the right a furlong from the finish he caught the leader Phoenix Tower in the last stride and won by a short-head.[14] Commenting on the colt's victory, O'Brien said that "the whole team did a great job to get him back, and they need to take all the credit. He is an amazing horse to come back, and we didn’t think he would make it."[11]

After a break of two months, Mount Nelson was sent to the United States to contest the Arlington Million over one and a quarter miles at Arlington Park. Murtagh positioned the colt in second place for most of the race, but he could make no progress in the straight and finished third behind Spirit One and Archipenko.[15]

Assessment

In the 2008 edition of the World Thoroughbred Racehorse Rankings, Mount Nelson was given a rating of 119, making him the fifty-second best racehorse in the world.[16]

Stud record

Mount Nelson was retired from racing to become a breeding stallion at Newsells Park Stud in Hertfordshire, where he stood at a fee of £6,000 along with Nathaniel and the leading sprinter Equiano. The best of his first crop of foals was the filly Purr Along, which won the Prix du Calvados at Deauville Racecourse in August 2012. At Royal Ascot in June 2013, Berkshire, a colt from Mount Nelson's second crop won the Listed Chesham Stakes by two and a half lengths.[17] The most successful of his subsequent offspring was the sprinter Librisa Breeze (British Champions Sprint Stakes).

He later moved to the Boardsmill Stud in County Meath where he stood as a National Hunt stallion, siring the Stayers' Hurdle winner Penhill. After a "prolonged battle with lymphangitis" he died in 2019 at the age of fifteen.[18]

Pedigree
Pedigree of Mount Nelson (GB), bay stallion, 2004[1]
Sire
Rock of Gibraltar (IRE)
b. 1999		 Danehill (USA)
b. 1986		 Danzig (USA)
b. 1977		 Northern Dancer*
Pas de Nom
Razyana (USA)
b. 1981		 His Majesty
Spring Adieu
Offshore Boom (IRE)
ch. 1985		 Be My Guest (USA)
ch. 1974		 Northern Dancer*
What a Treat
Push a Button (IRE)
b. 1980		 Bold Lad
River Lady
Dam
Independence (GB)
b. 1998		 Selkirk (USA)
ch. 1988		 Sharpen Up (GB)
ch. 1969		 Atan
Rocchetta
Annie Edge (IRE)
ch. 1980		 Nebbiolo
Friendly Court
Yukon Hope (USA)
b. 1993		 Forty Niner (USA)
ch. 1985		 Mr. Prospector
File
Sahara Forest (GB)
b. 1988		 Green Desert
Home on the Range (Family: 10-d)[4]

Note: b. = Bay, ch. = Chestnut

* Mount Nelson is inbred 4x4 to Northern Dancer. This means that the stallion appears twice in the fourth generation of his pedigree.

References
  1. "Mount Nelson pedigree". Equineline. 2012-05-08. Retrieved 2013-07-04.
  2. "Rock Of Gibraltar Stud Record". Racing Post. 2012-02-15. Retrieved 2013-07-05.
  3. "Independence race record". Racing Post. 2011-06-02. Retrieved 2013-07-05.
  4. "Thoroughbred Bloodlines – Braxey – Family 10-d". Bloodlines.net. Retrieved 2013-07-04.
  5. "Tattersalls sales October 2005". Racing Post. 7 October 2005. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 2013-07-04.
  6. "Mount Nelson race record". Racing Post. Retrieved 2013-07-05.
  7. "Charlie Keatley Memorial EBF Maiden". Racing Post. 22 October 2006. Retrieved 2013-07-05.
  8. "Critérium International result". Racing Post. 29 October 2006. Retrieved 2013-07-05.
  9. Schweitzer, Mary (29 October 2006). "Mount Nelson Lands Critérium International". BloodHorse. Retrieved 2013-07-05.
  10. staff (30 October 2007). "Plain sailing for Nelson". Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 2013-07-05.
  11. Schweitzer, Mary (6 July 2008). "Mount Nelson Scales Eclipse Heights". BloodHorse. Retrieved 2013-07-05.
  12. "Queen Anne Stakes result". Racing Post. 17 June 2008. Retrieved 2013-07-05.
  13. Geoffrey Riddle (5 July 2008). "Nelson lords it at the Eclipse". The National (Abu Dhabi). Retrieved 2013-07-05.
  14. "Eclipse Stakes result". Racing Post. 5 July 2008. Retrieved 2013-07-05.
  15. "Spirit One leads wire-to-wire in claiming Arlington Million". USA Today. 8 September 2008. Retrieved 2013-07-05.
  16. "2008 World Thoroughbred Rankings". International Federation of Horse Racing Authorities. 13 January 2009. Retrieved 6 March 2011.
  17. "Chesham Stakes winner for Mount Nelson". Racing Post. 2013-06-22. Archived from the original on 2013-12-03. Retrieved 2013-07-05.
  18. Peacock, Tom (1 November 2019). "Penhill sire Mount Nelson dies aged 15". Racing Post.
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