Indian Ink (horse)

Indian Ink (foaled 2004) is an Irish-bred British-trained Thoroughbred racehorse and broodmare who was the highest-rated filly trained in the United Kingdom in 2007. As a two-year-old in 2006, she won three of her seven races, culminating in a victory in the Group One Cheveley Park Stakes. In the following year she was beaten in her first two races, but then defeated a strong international field by six lengths to win the Coronation Stakes at Royal Ascot. Throughout her racing career she demonstrated a marked preference for soft ground. At the end of her racing career she was sold for 2,000,000 guineas and retired to stud.

Indian Ink
Sire	Indian Ridge
Grandsire	Ahonoora
Dam	Maid of Killeen
Damsire	Darshaan
Sex	Mare
Foaled	19 March 2004[1]
Country	United Kingdom
Colour	Chestnut
Breeder	Killeen Castle Stud
Owner	Raymond Tooth
Trainer	Richard Hannon, Sr.
Record	9:4-2-0
Earnings	£422,733
Major wins
Watership Down Stud Sales Stakes (2006) Cheveley Park Stakes (2006) Coronation Stakes (2007)
Awards
Top-rated British-trained three-year-old filly (2007)

Background

Indian Ink was a chestnut filly with a faint white star bred in Ireland by the County Meath-based Killeen Castle Stud. Her sire, Indian Ridge, and was a sprinter who won the King's Stand Stakes at Royal Ascot in 1989 and later became one of the few successful stallions of modern times to emerge from the Byerley Turk sire-line. His other progeny included the Prix de l'Abbaye winner Namid and the Breeders' Cup Mile winners Ridgewood Pearl and Domedriver.[2] Her dam, Maid of Killeen won one minor race and has also produced the Bahrain Trophy winner Feel Like Dancing.

As a yearling, Indian Ink was sent to the Tattersalls sales in October at Newmarket where she was bought for 25,000 guineas by Peter Doyle Bloodstock.[3] The price was considered disappointing for her breeder, who had paid £75,000 to have Maid of Killeen covered by Indian Ridge.[4] The filly passed into the ownership of Raymond Tooth and was sent into training with Richard Hannon, Sr. at East Everleigh, Wiltshire. She was ridden in all of her races by Richard Hughes.

Racing career

2006: two-year-old season

Indian Ink began her racing career by finishing unplaced in a six furlong maiden race at Newbury Racecourse in June. Seventeen days later, over the same course and distance, she recorded her first success when she "comfortably"[5] won a similar event by two and a half lengths from twelve opponent. In July the filly was moved up in class for the Group Three Princess Margaret Stakes at Ascot Racecourse. She started the 4/1 favourite but finished fourth behind Scarlet Runner, Vital Statistics and Simply Perfect. A month later she was moved up in class again for the Group Two Lowther Stakes at York Racecourse. She led from the start but was caught in the closing strides and beaten half a length by the Barry Hills-trained Silk Blossom, with Scarlet Runner unplaced.[6]

Indian Ink next appeared in the Watership Down Stud Sales Stakes, a valuable event confined to fillies who had been offered for sale at Tattersall in October 2005. Racing over six and a half furlongs on soft ground, she was made 9/4 favourite in a field of twenty-two runners. She broke clear of the field in the final quarter mile and won by three lengths from Siamese Cat with the future Gamely Handicap winner Diamond Diva three lengths further back in third place.[7] According to the Daily Telegraph's correspondent, the winner "strolled home", in the race, with her rivals "strung out like washing".[8] A week after her win at Ascot, Indian Ink was moved up to Group One level for the first time when she was one of eleven fillies to contest the Cheveley Park Stakes at Newmarket Racecourse. Ridden as usual by Hughes, she was made 3/1 joint favourite alongside the French-trained Prix Morny runner-up Magic America. Indian Ink was settled behind the leaders before making progress in the final quarter mile, catching the outsider Dhanyata in the closing stages and winning "tenaciously"[4] by a neck.[9]

2007: three-year-old season

Indian Ink began her three-year-old season at Newbury where she contested the seven furlong Fred Darling Stakes, a trial race for the 1000 Guineas. She was made 15/8 favourite, but despite finishing strongly she failed by a neck to catch the 25/1 outsider Majestic Roi.[10] In the 1000 Guineas two weeks later she finished fifth of the twenty-one runners on fast ground behind the Irish filly Finsceal Beo.

At Royal Ascot on 22 June Indian Ink was the 8/1 fourth choice in the betting for the Group One Coronation Stakes over one mile: she had been offered at 25/1 on the morning of the race, but attracted strong support as heavy showers of rain led to a softening of the ground.[11] Her opponents included Finsceal Beo, Majestic Roi, Silk Blossom, Mi Emma (winner of the German 1,000 Guineas) and Darjina, a French filly who had defeated Finsceal Beo in the Poule d'Essai des Pouliches. Hughes restrained the filly in the early stages before making ground approaching the straight. Indian Ink took the lead a furlong from the finish and accelerated clear of her opponents to win by six lengths from Mi Emma who beat Darjina by a head for second place.[12] After the race, Hannon explained that "The ground made a big difference. All her best runs last year were on easier ground. Just a bit of give in the ground is fine. In the 1,000 Guineas, the ground was very fast and she got into a bit of trouble."[13] Hughes said that Indian Ink "has an explosive turn of foot. I have to be careful when to kick on. It was just a matter of not going too soon."[14]

Despite plans to run the filly in the Falmouth Stakes or the Matron Stakes, Indian Ink did not race again. At the end of the year Indian Ink was sent to the Tattersalls December Mares Sale and was sold for 2,000,000 guineas to Hamdan Al Maktoum's Shadwell Estate.[15]

Assessment

In the 2007 World Thoroughbred Racehorse Rankings Indian Ink was given a rating of 121 making her the 29th best racehorse in the world and the fourth best three-year-old filly behind Rags to Riches, Darjina and Peeping Fawn.[16]

Stud record

Indian Ink was retired from racing to become a broodmare for her new owner. The first of her foals to reach the racecourse was Wahaab, a chestnut colt by Tamayuz, who won a maiden race at Goodwood on his debut in May 2013.[17]

Pedigree

Pedigree of Indian Ink (IRE), chestnut mare, 2004[1]

Sire Indian Ridge (IRE) 1985	Ahonoora (GB) 1975	Lorenzaccio	Klairon
			Phoenissa
		Helen Nichols	Martial
			Quaker Girl
	Hillbrow (GB) 1975	Swing Easy	Delta Judge
			Free Flowing
		Golden City	Skymaster
			West Shaw
Dam Maid of Killeen (IRE) 1996	Darshaan (GB) 1981	Shirley Heights	Mill Reef
			Hardiemma
		Delsy	Abdos
			Kelty
	Sovereign Touch (IRE) 1989	Pennine Walk	Persian Bold
			Tifrums
		Sovereign Dona	Sovereign Path
			Dogana (Family:4-n)

References

1. "Indian Ink pedigree". equineline.com. 2012-05-08. Retrieved 2013-07-24.
2. "Indian Ridge Stud Record". Bloodstock.racingpost.com. 2012-02-15. Retrieved 2013-07-24.
3. "Tattersalls sales October 2005". Bloodstock.racingpost.com. 2013-07-16. Retrieved 2013-07-24.
4. Marcus Armytage (30 September 2006). "Dutch Art masters Middle Park rivals". Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 2013-07-25.
5. "EBF Pelican Maiden Fillies' Stakes result". Racing Post. 27 June 2006. Retrieved 2013-07-25.
6. "Lowther Stakes result". Racing Post. 24 August 2006. Retrieved 2013-07-25.
7. "Watership Down Stud Sales Stakes result". Racing Post. 22 September 2006. Retrieved 2013-07-25.
8. Marcus Armytage (23 September 2013). "Indian Ink makes her mark in style". Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 2013-07-25.
9. "Cheveley Park Stakes result". Racing Post. 29 September 2006. Retrieved 2013-07-25.
10. "Fred Darling Stakes result". Racing Post. 21 April 2007. Retrieved 2013-07-25.
11. Greg Wood (23 June 2007). "Indian Ink is a soft touch and leaves indelible mark". The Guardian. Retrieved 2013-07-25.
12. "Coronation Stakes result". Racing Post. 22 June 2007. Retrieved 2013-07-25.
13. "Indian Ink wins Coronation Stakes". BBC News. 22 June 2007. Retrieved 2013-07-25.
14. "Indian Ink wins Coronation Stakes by 6 lengths at Royal Ascot". USAToday. 22 June 2007. Retrieved 2013-07-25.
15. "Tattersalls December Mares Sale 2007". Bloodstock.racingpost.com. 2013-07-16. Retrieved 2013-07-24.
16. "The 2007 World Thoroughbred Racehorse Rankings". Horseracingintfed.com. Retrieved 2013-07-25.
17. "Wahaab Race Record". Racing Post. 2011-06-02. Retrieved 2013-07-25.