BALLYMOSS

Ballymoss

chestnut colt by Mossborough out of Indian Call

Foaled:   1954

Trainer:  Vincent O'Brien

The first truly great flat race horse to be trained by Vincent O’Brien. This chestnut colt had an outstanding record becoming the first racehorse to complete the treble of winning the Irish Derby, King George VIth and Queen Elizabeth Diamond Stakes and the Prix de’l’Arc de Triomphe.  He paid a tribute to Crepello.(Crepello’s racing career was shortened due to an accident)He was certainly the best horse to be trained in Ireland in the 50’s.

In the Epsom Derby he finished 2nd to Crepello.  He went on to score convincing victories in the Irish Derby and the St.Leger. In the latter race he beat the class horse Court Harwell by a length.  Ballymoss started his 4 year old career with a bang in the Coronation Cup where he beat the French horse Fric most convincingly.  At Sandown Park in the Eclipse Stakes he simply annihilated the opposition,defeating Restoration by 6 lengths with Arctic Explorer, the previous year’s winner third.A fortnight later he slammed formidable opposition in the King George 6th and Queen Elizabeth Diamond Stakes beating the Queen’s high class filly Almeria by 3 lengths.He ended the season like a true King winning the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe by beating Fric.

No horse has emulated Ballymoss’s feat of winning the Irish Derby, King George, Eclipse Stakes and the ‘Arc.’  It is possible that Ballymoss was fortunate that Crepello.a truly great horse broke down after the Derby. That however doesn’t mean we should deny Ballymoss his stature as a truly great horse.

He was retired to the Whitsbury Manor Stud in Hampshire where he died in 1979.  At Stud he produced the top class Royal Palace, winner of the 1967 2000 Guineas and Derby and the 1968 Eclipse Stakes (where he beat Sir Ivor.)
and King George.

Steve Parrott