Sire Darshaan Dam Homage Foaled 26 March 1993 Species Equus caballus Trainer Saeed bin Suroor Earnings 365,139 GBP | Grandsire Shirley Heights Damsire Ajdal Country Ireland Parents Darshaan Sex Stallion | |
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Children Sir Percy, Ameerat, Reverence | ||
Mark of esteem the 1996 2 000 guineas stakes newmarket
Mark of Esteem (foaled 1993) is a retired Irish bred thoroughbred racehorse. In his two years of racing, he won four races and placed once from seven runs, with earnings of £365,139.
Contents
1996 ascot queen elizabeth ii stakes mark of esteem
Background
Mark of Esteem is a bay horse with a white blaze bred at the Dalham Hall Stud by Sheikh Mohammed. He was sired by the Prix du Jockey Club winner Darshaan. His dam Homage was a daughter of the July Cup winner Ajdal.
1995: two-year-old season
As a juvenile, Mark of Esteem finished second on his first start before winning a maiden race at Goodwood by three lengths.
1996: three-year-old season
His first three-year-old start came in the first Classic of the 1996 season: the 2000 Guineas Stakes at Newmarket. Mark of Esteem won by a short head in a photo finish from Even Top and Bijou d'Inde.
His next start in the St. James's Palace Stakes was a loss to Bijou d'Inde.
Mark of Esteem then won the Group Two Celebration Mile at Goodwood by three and a half lengths and the Group One Queen Elizabeth II Stakes at Ascot, where he scored by over a length from Classic-winning Henry Cecil filly Bosra Sham. This was the third win of the day for jockey Frankie Dettori at a major meeting when he famously went on to win all seven races. Official handicappers hailed it as the best performance of his generation over a mile for a decade. Mark of Esteem's final start was in America, but he failed to show the same acceleration from mid-division in the Breeders' Cup Mile at Woodbine.
Assessment
Mark of Esteem was retired with a Timeform rating of 137.
Stud career
Mark of Esteem stood at a stud under the Darley banner where he had much success including his siring of Derby winner Sir Percy and the 1000 Guineas winner Ameerat. His progeny also includes group winners High Accolade, Reverence and Ordnance Row.
In 2007, he retired from stud duty due to declining fertility.