Roland Gardens

Roland Gardens
Sire	Derring-Do
Grandsire	Darius
Dam	Katricia
Damsire	Skymaster
Sex	Stallion
Foaled	9 May 1975^[1]
Country	United Kingdom
Colour	Bay
Breeder	Mrs. C. A. Ryan
Owner	John Hayter
Trainer	Robert Armstrong Duncan Sasse
Record	16:4-1-3
Major wins
Horris Hill Stakes (1977, disqualified) Blue Riband Trial Stakes (1978) 2000 Guineas (1978) Philip Cornes Trophy (1979)
Awards
Timeform rating 116 (1977), 122 (1978), 122 (1979)

Roland Gardens (foaled 9 May 1975 – after 1993) was a British Thoroughbred racehorse and sire best known for winning the classic 2000 Guineas in 1978. During a racing career which lasted from 1977 until 1979 he ran sixteen times and won four races. As a two-year-old he showed moderate form in his first three races before being disqualified after passing the post first in the Horris Hill Stakes. In the following spring he won the Blue Riband Trial Stakes before recording a 28/1 upset victory in the 2000 Guineas. He was beaten in his remaining five races that year and won once in four starts as a four-year-old. He later stood as a breeding stallion in South Africa where he had some success as a sire of winners.

Background

Roland Gardens was a tall bay colt with no white markings bred by C. A. Ryan. He was from the ninth crop of foals sired by Derring-Do, a horse whose wins included the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes in 1965 and whose other offspring included the 2000 Guineas winners High Top, and the St Leger Stakes winner Peleid.^[2] Roland Gardens dam, Katricia was a sprinter who went on the produce Anjuli, the dam of the Cartier Racing Award winner Kooyonga.^[3]

As a yearling, Roland Gardens was offered for sale and bought for the modest sum of 3,200 guineas. The colt entered the ownership of John Hayter and was sent into training with Robert Armstrong at Newmarket, Suffolk.^[4]

Racing career

1977: two-year-old season

In 1977, Roland Gardens finished unplaced in his first two races and then won the Knole Stakes, a minor event over seven furlongs at Lingfield Park in September, beating Sunday Morning by two lengths. In October, the colt was moved up in class for the Group Three Horris Hill Stakes over seven furlongs at Newbury Racecourse. Ridden by Geoff Baxter, he appeared to relish the soft ground and moved up on the outside in the straight to take the lead from the more fancied runners Derrylin and Persian Bold. In the closing stages, he veered to the left, away from Baxter's whip bumping Derrylin who in turn collided with Persian Bold. He crossed the line half a length ahead of his two rivals who dead-heated for second place. After an inquiry by the racecourse stewards, Roland Gardens was disqualified and placed third.^[4]

At the end of the year a quarter share in the colt was bought by Tim Sasse who had him moved to the stable of his son Duncan.^[5]

1978: three-year-old season

Roland Gardens began his three-year-old season in March, when he finished third to Camden Town and Roscoe Blake in the Roseberry Stakes over one mile at Stockton-on-Tees Racecourse. Three weeks later, in the Blue Riband Trial Stakes over eight and a half furlongs at Epsom Downs Racecourse, he took the lead at Tattenham Corner and held off the challenge of Royal Pinnacle to record his first Group race victory. On his next appearance, Roland Gardens was one of nineteen colts to contest the 171st running of the 2000 Guineas over the Rowley mile course at Newmarket Racecourse. Ridden by Frankie Durr, he started a 28/1 outsider in a race run on soft ground after several days of heavy rain. He was towards of the rear of the field as Tumbledownwind set a strong pace, before making steady progress in the centre of the wide Newmarket straight. He took the lead inside in the final furlong and accelerated away to win by one and half lengths from Remainder Man despite veering sharply to the right in the closing stages. Weth Nan and Tumbledownwind finished third and fourth with the favourite Try My Best finishing last.^[5]

In the 199th running of the Derby Stakes at Epsom, Roland Gardens started at odds of 25/1, his pedigree having given him little prospect of staying the one and a half mile distance.^[5] He finished eighth of the twenty-five runners, nine lengths behind the winner Shirley Heights. He was sent to France later that month and finished fifth behind Carwhite in the Group One Prix d'Ispahan at Longchamp Racecourse. He was dropped in class for his remaining three races that year, but failed to win again. He finished fourth of the ten runners in the Prix Eugene Adam, when he was asked to concede four pounds to the winner Gay Mecene, and then ran third (conceding thirteen pounds to the winner) behind Green Girl and Boldboy in the Kiveton Park Stakes over seven furlongs at Doncaster Racecourse. On his final appearance he was sent to Germany and finished eighth in the Grosser Kauthof-Preis in Cologne.^[5]

1979: four-year-old season

Roland Gardens remained his training as a four-year-old and ran four times. He recorded his only success in the Philip Cornes Trophy over seven furlongs at Leicester Racecourse in April, beating Skyliner by a length. On the best of his other appearances he finished second to Formidable at Haydock Park in May, after having struggled to obtain a clear run in the closing stages.^[6]

Assessment

In the Free Handicap for 1977, Roland Gardens was given a rating of 122, nine pounds behind the top-rated two-year-old Try My Best. He was rated fourteen pounds behind the same colt by the independent Timeform organisation, who rated him on 116. Timeform opinion of the colt's abilities was reflected in their comment felt the worst aspect of his run in the Horris Hill was that he had ruined his handicap rating for the following year.^[4] In the following year, he was rated 122 by Timeform, sixteen pounds below the top-rated horse Alleged and eight pounds behind the leading miler Homing. In the official International Classification he was given a rating of 81, fourteen pounds below the leading three-year-old Ile de Bourbon.^[5] Roland Gardens was again rated 122 by Timeform in 1979.^[6]

In their book, A Century of Champions, based on the Timeform rating system, John Randall and Tony Morris rated Roland Gardens a "poor" winner of the 2000 Guineas.^[7]

Duncan Sasse, in a letter to the Racing Post, expressed his view that the horse had been under-rated by Timeform, and that his correct rating should have been closer to 130. Sasse also pointed out that the colt was never able to show his best form on firm ground "as he turned out his front feet like Charlie Chaplin".^[8]

Stud record

Roland Gardens was retired from racing as a four-year-old and exported to become a breeding stallion in South Africa. The best of his offspring was Enchanted Garden who won the Natal Oaks and the South African Oaks and was named South African Horse of the Year 1986. His last known foals were born in 1994.^[9]

Pedigree

Pedigree of Roland Gardens (GB), bay stallion, 1975^[1]
Sire Derring-Do (GB) 1961	Darius (GB) 1951	Dante	Nearco
		Dante	Rosy Legend
		Yasna	Dastur
		Yasna	Ariadne
	Sipsey Bridge (GB) 1954	Abernant	Owen Tudor
		Abernant	Rustom Mahal
		Claudette	Chanteur
		Claudette	Nearly
Dam Katricia (GB) 1968	Skymaster (GB) 1958	Golden Cloud	Gold Bridge
		Golden Cloud	Rainstorm
		Discipliner	Court Martial
		Discipliner	Edvina
	Anxious Call (IRE) 1963	Whistler	Panorama
		Whistler	Farthing Damages
		Julie	Denturius
		Julie	Justitia (Family 19)^[3]

References

1 2 "Roland Gardens pedigree". equineline.com. 2014-03-07. Retrieved 2014-05-19.
↑ "Top Ville: A top broodmare sire - just like his father". Thoroughbredinternet.com. 2009-06-30. Retrieved 2013-01-31.
1 2 "Thoroughbred Bloodlines - Davill's Old Woodcock Mare - Family 19". Bloodlines.net. Retrieved 2014-05-19.
1 2 3 Timeform staff (1978). Racehorses of 1977. Timeform. ISBN 0-900599-25-1.
1 2 3 4 5 Timeform staff (1979). Racehorses of 1978. Timeform. ISBN 0-900599-27-8.
1 2 Timeform staff (1980). Racehorses of 1979. Timeform. ISBN 0-900599-29-4.
↑ Morris, Tony; Randall, John (1999). A Century of Champions. Portway Press,. ISBN 978-1-901570-15-1.
↑ "Letter: Roland Gardens deserved better". Racing Post. 4 May 2004. Retrieved 2014-05-19.
↑ "Enchanted Garden". The Racing Museum. Retrieved 2014-05-19.

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 2016 Galileo Gold

Legend - ₩ = Triple Crown Winners, ♥ = Filly

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