Sariska (horse)

Sariska
	Sariska: 2009 Epsom Oaks winner and European Champion Three-year-old filly, painting by Charles Church
Sire	Pivotal
Grandsire	Polar Falcon
Dam	Maycocks Bay
Damsire	Muhtarram
Sex	Filly
Foaled	2006
Country	Great Britain
Colour	Bay
Breeder	Carole, Lady Bamford
Owner	Carole, Lady Bamford
Trainer	Michael Bell
Record	11: 5-2-1
Earnings	£728724
Major wins
	Musidora Stakes (2009); Epsom Oaks (2009); Irish Oaks (2009); Middleton Stakes (2010)
Awards
	European Champion 3-Y-O Filly (2009)

Sariska (foaled 14 February 2006, in England) is a British Thoroughbred racehorse. The horse is best known for her win in The Oaks in 2009, a year in which she was named European Champion 3-Y-O Filly.

Background

Bred and raced by Lady Bamford, she was named for the Sariska Tiger Reserve in the Alwar district of the Indian state of Rajasthan. She was trained by Michael Bell.

Racing career

Sariska made her racing debut on 1 November 2008, winning a maiden race for fillies at Newmarket Racecourse. She did not return to the track until 18 April 2009, when she ran fourth to winner Lahaleeb in the Fred Darling Stakes at Newbury Racecourse. In her next start, Sariska won the Musidora Stakes at York Racecourse. Made the betting favourite for The Oaks, under jockey Jamie Spencer, who had ridden her in all of her previous starts, Sariska outfought Midday down the stretch to win the Classic by a short head.[1]

She followed that up with another victory in the Irish Oaks. Her next start was her first against older horses in the Yorkshire Oaks where she went off a short priced favourite only to be out battled by the four-year-old Dar Re Mi, who prevailed by a short head. She then finished third behind Twice Over in her first race against the colts in the Champion Stakes at Newmarket.

Sariska trained on as a four-year old and started her campaign with an easy victory over old rival Midday in the Group Two Middleton Stakes at York. She was then second in Epsom's Group One Coronation Cup, behind Fame and Glory. In the Yorkshire Oaks, Sariska was to face Midday and a younger horse, that season's dual Oaks winner, Snow Fairy. However, Sariska refused to budge from the stalls as the field raced away from her with Midday, a horse she'd beaten three times, winning. This was the first time Sariska had shown any negative temperament in public, although she had nearly killed her trainer Michael Bell a month previously when kicking him with both hooves in the back, narrowly missing his kidneys and sending him flying across the stable.

Retirement

Connections gave her one last chance in the Prix Vermeille at Longchamp, but she again refused to budge from the stalls in a race where Midday again took the honours. After the race, her trainer Michael Bell compared her to "a Ferrari with no keys" due to her appearing to be "in great form" but refusing to run.[2] Sariska was then retired.[3] She is currently a broodmare at Daylesford Stud and was bred to Galileo in 2011 for a 2012 foal.[4]

Stud Record

2013 Snow Moon (GB) : Bay filly, foaled 25 February, by Oasis Dream (GB) - won once and placed third from 2 starts to date in England 2015-16.
2015 Foaled a colt by Frankel (GB)
2016 Covered by Dubawi (IRE)

Pedigree

Pedigree of Sariska
Sire Pivotal	Polar Falcon	Nureyev	Northern Dancer
		Nureyev	Special
		Marie D'Argonne	Jefferson
		Marie D'Argonne	Mohair
	Fearless Revival	Cozzene	Caro
		Cozzene	Ride The Rails
		Stufida	Bustino
		Stufida	Zerbinetta
Dam Maycocks Bay	Muhtarram	Alleged	Hoist The Flag
		Alleged	Princess Pout
		Ballet de France	Northern Dancer
		Ballet de France	Fabulous Native
	Beacon	High Top	Derring-Do
		High Top	Camenae
		Mountain Lodge	Blakeney
		Mountain Lodge	Fiddlededee

References

"Sariska seals Epsom Oaks victory". BBC Sport. 2009-06-05. Retrieved 2010-07-12.
Kerr, Tom (13 September 2010). "Bell hails 'Ferrari' Sariska after racing retirement". Racing Post. Archived from the original on 27 October 2014. Retrieved 13 January 2012.
"Sariska romps to Classic double". BBC Sport. 2009-07-12. Retrieved 2010-07-12.
Kimberley, George (16 December 2010). "Sariska booked to Galileo for first covering". Racing Post. Archived from the original on 27 October 2014. Retrieved 13 January 2012.

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[1] "Sariska seals Epsom Oaks victory". BBC Sport. 2009-06-05. Retrieved 2010-07-12.

[kerr-2] Kerr, Tom (13 September 2010). "Bell hails 'Ferrari' Sariska after racing retirement". Racing Post. Archived from the original on 27 October 2014. Retrieved 13 January 2012.

[3] "Sariska romps to Classic double". BBC Sport. 2009-07-12. Retrieved 2010-07-12.

[Kim-4] Kimberley, George (16 December 2010). "Sariska booked to Galileo for first covering". Racing Post. Archived from the original on 27 October 2014. Retrieved 13 January 2012.