Mon Fils

Mon Fils
Sire	Sheshoon
Grandsire	Precipitation
Dam	Now What
Damsire	Premonition
Sex	Stallion
Foaled	1970
Country	United Kingdom
Colour	Brown
Breeder	Brenda Davis
Owner	Brenda Davis
Trainer	Richard Hannon, Sr.
Record	10: 3-1-1 (incomplete)
Major wins
Mill Reef Stakes (1972) 2000 Guineas (1973)

Mon Fils (foaled 1970) was a British Thoroughbred racehorse and sire, best known for winning the classic 2000 Guineas in 1973. As a two-year-old, Mon Fils won two of his seven races including the Mill Reef Stakes. In 1973 he won the 2000 Guineas on soft ground, but ran poorly when strongly fancied for the Epsom Derby. His racing career was ended by injury in the autumn of 1973 and he was retired to stud, where he made no impact as a sire of winners. He was the first classic winner to be trained by Richard Hannon, Sr..

Background

Mon Fils was a big, tall brown horse with a small white star and a white coronet on his left hind foot,^[1] bred by his owner Mrs Brenda Davis. He was sired by Sheshoon, an outstanding stayer who won the Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud and the Ascot Gold Cup in 1960. As a breeding stallion his overall record was disappointing but he did sire the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe winner Sassafras. Mon Fils' dam Now What also produced the Prix Messidor winner Son of Silver and was a granddaughter of Nonats, a broodmare whose other descendants included the leading sprinter Silly Season and the Irish 1000 Guineas winner Saoire.^[2]

The colt was sent into training with the twenty-seven-year-old Richard Hannon, Sr. at his stables at East Everleigh in Wiltshire.

Racing career

1972: two-year-old season

Mon Fils was highly-tried as a two-year-old in 1972, running seven times and winning twice. He won the Warminster Stakes at Salisbury Racecourse and recorded his most important win of the year when taking the inaugural running of the Mill Reef Stakes over six furlongs at Newbury Racecourse. He also finished second in the Chesham Stakes at Royal Ascot. In his final race of the season he was tried over one mile in the Observer Gold Cup in which he finished unplaced behind Noble Decree. In the Free Handicap, a rating of the year's best two-year-olds, he was assigned a weight of 116 pounds, fourteen pounds behind the top-rated Noble Decree.^[3]

1973:three-year-old season

On his three-year-old debut, Mon Fils ran in the Greenham Stakes at Newbury, in which he finished third to Boldboy (who as a gelding, was not eligible for the classics) and the Dewhurst Stakes winner Lunchtime.^[3] On 5 May, Mon Fils was one of eighteen colts to contest the 175th running of the 2000 Guineas over Newmarket's Rowley Mile course. On rain-softened ground he started a 50/1 outsider and was ridden by the forty-six-year-old veteran Frankie Durr.^[4] Mon Fils led from the start and although briefly overtaken by Noble Decree, he rallied inside the final furlong to regain the lead and win by a head.^[5]

Mon Fils was then moved up in distance to contest the Derby Stakes over one and a half miles at Epsom Downs Racecourse. He was strongly fancied for the race,^[4] but struggled to cope with the firm ground and the distance, finishing eighteenth of the twenty-five runners behind Morston. After his defeat at Epsom, Mon Fils was sent to be trained in Ireland by Vincent O'Brien. He developed tendon trouble and did not race again.^[3]

Assessment

In their book A Century of Champions, based on a modified version of the Timeform system, John Randall and Tony Morris rated Mon Fils an "inferior" winner of the 2000 Guineas.^[6]

Stud record

Mon Fils was retired to the Hamilton Stud at Newmarket and was exported to France in 1975. He had little impact as breeding stallion in either location. His last recorded foals were born in 1978.

Pedigree

Pedigree of Mon Fils (GB), brown stallion, 1970^[7]
Sire Sheshoon (GB) 1956	Precipitation (GB) 1933	Hurry On	Marcovil
		Hurry On	Tout Suite
		Double Life	Bachelor's Double
		Double Life	Saint Joan
	Noorani (GB) 1950	Nearco	Pharos
		Nearco	Nogara
		Empire Glory	Singapore
		Empire Glory	Skyglory
Dam Now What (GB) 1956	Premonition (GB) 1950	Precipitation	Hurry On
		Precipitation	Double Life
		Trial Ground	Fair Trial
		Trial Ground	Tip the Wink
	Orange Flash (GB) 1951	Court Martial	Fair Trial
		Court Martial	Instantaneous
		Nonats	King Salmon
		Nonats	Whitebait (Family 1-g)^[2]

Mon Fils was inbred 2 x 3 to Precipitation, meaning that this stallion appears in both the second and third generations of his pedigree. He was also inbred 4 x 4 to Fair Trial.

References

↑ "20Th April 1973 Sport Horse Racing Frankie Durr On Mon Fils". Gettyimages.co.uk. Retrieved 2013-06-16.
1 2 "Thoroughbred Bloodlines - Problem - Family 1-g". Bloodlines.net. Retrieved 2013-06-16.
1 2 3 Mortimer, Roger; Onslow, Richard; Willett, Peter (1978). Biographical Encyclopedia of British Flat Racing. Macdonald and Jane’s. ISBN 0-354-08536-0.
1 2 "Moore in Derby". The Age. 6 June 1973. Retrieved 2013-06-16.
↑ "Mon Fils wins at Newmarket". Montreal Gazette. 7 May 1973. Retrieved 2013-06-16.
↑ Morris, Tony; Randall, John (1999). A Century of Champions. Portway Press,. ISBN 978-1-901570-15-1.
↑ "Mon Fils pedigree". equineline.com. 2012-05-08. Retrieved 2013-06-16.

2000 Guineas winners

1809 Wizard 1810 Hephestion 1811 Trophonius 1812 Cwrw 1813 Smolensko 1814 Olive 1815 Tigris 1816 Nectar 1817 Manfred 1818 Interpreter 1819 Antar 1820 Pindarrie 1821 Reginald 1822 Pastille ♥ 1823 Nicolo 1824 Schahriar 1825 Enamel 1826 Dervise 1827 Turcoman 1828 Cadland 1829 Patron 1830 Augustus 1831 Riddlesworth 1832 Archibald 1833 Clearwell 1834 Glencoe 1835 Ibrahim 1836 Bay Middleton 1837 Achmet 1838 Grey Momus 1839 The Corsair 1840 Crucifix ♥ 1841 Ralph 1842 Meteor 1843 Cotherstone 1844 The Ugly Buck 1845 Idas 1846 Sir Tatton Sykes 1847 Conyngham 1848 Flatcatcher 1849 Nunnykirk 1850 Pitsford 1851 Hernandez 1852 Stockwell 1853 West Australian ₩ 1854 The Hermit 1855 Lord of the Isles 1856 Fazzoletto 1857 Vedette 1858 Fitz-Roland 1859 The Promised Land 1860 The Wizard 1861 Diophantus 1862 The Marquis 1863 Macaroni 1864 General Peel 1865 Gladiateur ₩ 1866 Lord Lyon ₩ 1867 Vauban 1868 Formosa ♥ Moslem 1869 Pretender 1870 Macgregor 1871 Bothwell 1872 Prince Charlie 1873 Gang Forward 1874 Atlantic 1875 Camballo 1876 Petrarch 1877 Chamant 1878 Pilgrimage ♥ 1879 Charibert 1880 Petronel 1881 Peregrine 1882 Shotover ♥ 1883 Galliard 1884 Scot Free 1885 Paradox 1886 Ormonde ₩ 1887 Enterprise 1888 Ayrshire 1889 Enthusiast 1890 Surefoot 1891 Common ₩ 1892 Bona Vista 1893 Isinglass ₩ 1894 Ladas 1895 Kirkconnel 1896 St. Frusquin 1897 Galtee More ₩ 1898 Disraeli 1899 Flying Fox ₩ 1900 Diamond Jubilee ₩ 1901 Handicapper 1902 Sceptre 1903 Rock Sand ₩ 1904 St. Amant 1905 Vedas 1906 Gorgos 1907 Slieve Gallion 1908 Norman 1909 Minoru 1910 Neil Gow 1911 Sunstar 1912 Sweeper 1913 Louvois 1914 Kennymore 1915 Pommern ₩ 1916 Clarissimus 1917 Gay Crusader ₩ 1918 Gainsborough ₩ 1919 The Panther 1920 Tetratema 1921 Craig an Eran 1922 St Louis 1923 Ellangowan 1924 Diophon 1925 Manna 1926 Colorado 1927 Adam's Apple 1928 Flamingo 1929 Mr Jinks 1930 Diolite 1931 Cameronian 1932 Orwell 1933 Rodosto 1934 Colombo 1935 Bahram ₩ 1936 Pay Up 1937 Le Ksar 1938 Pasch 1939 Blue Peter 1940 Djebel 1941 Lambert Simnel 1942 Big Game 1943 Kingsway 1944 Garden Path ♥ 1945 Court Martial 1946 Happy Knight 1947 Tudor Minstrel 1948 My Babu 1949 Nimbus 1950 Palestine 1951 Ki Ming 1952 Thunderhead 1953 Nearula 1954 Darius 1955 Our Babu 1956 Gilles de Retz 1957 Crepello 1958 Pall Mall 1959 Taboun 1960 Martial 1961 Rockavon 1962 Privy Councillor 1963 Only for Life 1964 Baldric 1965 Niksar 1966 Kashmir 1967 Royal Palace 1968 Sir Ivor 1969 Right Tack 1970 Nijinsky ₩ 1971 Brigadier Gerard 1972 High Top 1973 Mon Fils 1974 Nonoalco 1975 Bolkonski 1976 Wollow 1977 Nebbiolo 1978 Roland Gardens 1979 Tap On Wood 1980 Known Fact 1981 To-Agori-Mou 1982 Zino 1983 Lomond 1984 El Gran Senor 1985 Shadeed 1986 Dancing Brave 1987 Don't Forget Me 1988 Doyoun 1989 Nashwan 1990 Tirol 1991 Mystiko 1992 Rodrigo de Triano 1993 Zafonic 1994 Mister Baileys 1995 Pennekamp 1996 Mark of Esteem 1997 Entrepreneur 1998 King of Kings 1999 Island Sands 2000 King's Best 2001 Golan 2002 Rock of Gibraltar 2003 Refuse to Bend 2004 Haafhd 2005 Footstepsinthesand 2006 George Washington 2007 Cockney Rebel 2008 Henrythenavigator 2009 Sea the Stars 2010 Makfi 2011 Frankel 2012 Camelot 2013 Dawn Approach 2014 Night of Thunder 2015 Gleneagles

Legend - ₩ = Triple Crown Winners, ♥ = Filly

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