Commanche Run

Bred in England, he was out of the mare, Volley. His sire was Run the Gantlet, an American multiple Grade I winner and successful sire. He was purchased and raced by Ivan Allan, an owner and preeminent trainer in Asian horse racing for many years. He was trained at Bedford House Stables in Newmarket, Suffolk by Luca Cumani.

Commanche Run made his racing debut on 13 October 1983 with second-place finish at Newmarket Racecourse. He next started at age three in May 1984 at York Racecourse, in the Dante Stakes a Group 2 race and major trial for the Derby finishing tenth. He then got his first win twelve days later on 28 May at Doncaster Racecourse. Moving up in company, the colt ran third in the 1984 King Edward VII Stakesat Royal Ascot and the Princess of Wales's Stakes at Newmarket’s July Meeting. Commanche Run then was aimed at the Gordon at Goodwood racecourse. Luca Cumani’s stable jockey Darrell McHargue was suspended and ridden positively close to the leaders Commanche Run took the lead three furlongs out and won very impressively from Shernazar. With McHargue back in the saddle he won the March Stakesalso at Goodwood. Shortly before the St.Leger at Doncaster McHargue was replaced by Piggott at the owner Ivan Allen’s instigation. The horse also suffered an injury scare in the days running up to the race Leading four furlongs from home he won by a neck from Baynoun with Alphabatim in third Under jockey Lester Piggott.

At four Commanche Run went on to win two Group One races, capturing the Benson & Hedges Gold Cup, Irish Champion Stakes making three in total with the Classic St. Leger Stakes.He had also been a runaway winner of the Group 3 Brigadier Gerard Stakes at Sandown Park on his first run of the year. He was then third in the Prince of Wales’s Stakes after a duel with the top class filly Pebbles which saw them beaten by an outsider Bob Back. Commanche Run was withdrawn before the start of the Eclipse Stakes at Sandown Park in early July won by Pebbles and the injury he had sustained there prevented him from running in the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Diamond Stakes in late July.

In the Benson and Hedges Gold Cup at York ridden from the front by Piggott he beat a top class field including the fillies Triple Crown winner Oh So Sharp and multiple Group 1 winning filly Triptych with Palace Music the winner of the previous year’s Champion Stakes and Bob Back well behind.[1]

Retired to stud duty at Coolmore Stud in Ireland, Commanche Run met with limited success. In 1999 he was transferred to Astley Grange Stud in Leicestershire where he died in March 2005.[2] The sire of a number of steeplechase runners, he got fifteen stakes winners in all. His best flat racing runner was Lord Weinstock's colt Bonny Scot whose wins included the Great Voltigeur Stakes and the Gordon Stakes at Goodwood.