Red Clubs

Content sourced from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

Red Clubs (17 January 2003 – 17 February 2010) was an Irish-bred Thoroughbred racehorse who later became a sire. He was by Red Ransom, out of Two Clubs, and was bred by Dr John Fike at Islanmore Stud in County Limerick. Conceived in Kentucky, he was sold for 40,000 guineas at Tattersalls as a weanling in 2004 and again for 40,000 guineas as a yearling to BBA Ireland and Barry Hills. He trained with Barry Hills at Lambourn and was ridden in most races by Hills’s son, Michael.

Red Clubs raced 25 times, winning 6 races and earning £526,087. As a two-year-old he won the Group Two Coventry Stakes in 2005. At three, he won two races at Group Three level, including the Greenham Stakes and the Diadem Stakes in 2006. His finest moment came at four when he captured the Group One Haydock Sprint Cup in 2007, a victory that helped him be named European Champion Sprinter at the Cartier Racing Awards that year. He was known for his toughness and consistency over a relatively short career from 2005 to 2007.

During his early career he showed promise but soon focused on sprint distances. After a partial Classic campaign in 2006, he found his best form in sprint races, finishing in the mix in several major sprints and earning a reputation as a reliable and hard-running sprinter.

Red Clubs retired to stud at the Tally-Ho Stud in Ireland, standing from 2008 to 2010. His first foals appeared in 2011, including Vedelago and Ceiling Kitty. In 2012 Sky Lantern became his first Group One winner by taking the Moyglare Stud Stakes, and she went on to win the 1000 Guineas at Newmarket in 2013.

Red Clubs died on 17 February 2010 after an accident while covering a mare. He is remembered as a promising young sire whose early death was a setback for the breeding industry.