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Moonax (1991–2004) was an Irish-bred, English-trained Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. In 1994 Moonax became the first horse to win both the Classic St Leger and the Prix Royal-Oak and was named European Champion Stayer. He remains the only three-year-old to have been honoured in this way. He stayed in training until the age of six, winning only two more races, but finishing second in four Conditions races races. In his later career he acquired a reputation for unpredictable and sometimes dangerous behaviour and was described as "the world's naughtiest horse". He was most unusual as a Classic winner who was raced over hurdles. He died in 2004 at the age of thirteen.
Moonax was sent by the County Limerick-based Newborough Stud as a yearling to the Goffs sales in October 1992, where he was bought for Irish pound37,000 by the Curragh Bloodstock Agency He entered the ownership of Sheikh Mohammed and was sent into training with Barry Hills at Lambourn. Recalling Monnax's temperament, Hills said "you couldn't let him near another horse. He would have attacked them" whilst one of his jockeys remembered that "he'd pin you up against the wall before you knew it". A sign outside the horse's stable warned visitors not to approach.
In May, Moonax was stepped up to Conditions races class for the Chester Vase, a recognised trial for Epsom Derby. Moonax raced prominently and stayed on well, but had no chance with the impressive winner Broadway Flyer and finished second, beaten five lengths. Plans to run Moonax in the Derby Italiano had to be abandoned when the colt was injured while being loaded onto the plane to Italy.
It was intended that Moonax would run in the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe but he was withdrawn from the race to make room in the field for another of Sheikh Mohammed's colts, Richard of York. On his final start of the season therefore, Moonax was moved up further in distance and took on older horses in the Prix Royal-Oak over 3100m at Longchamp in October. Eddery sent the colt to the front 1200m from the finish and maintained the lead into the straight. 300m from the finish he was headed by the gelding Always Earnest but "responded superbly" to regain the lead in the "last strides" to win by a short neck. He was the first, and is still the only St Leger winner to win the French race.
Plans for Moonax to join Sheikh Mohammeds's Godolphin Racing team were modified, and he stayed under Hills' care for the rest of his career. He did, however, spend the winter of 1994–5 in with the Godolphin horses in Dubai, and wonn his first race of 1995 in the Godolphin colours.
The rest of the season saw Moonax running well, but failing to win as he finished second in three Group One races. The first of these was the Gold Cup at Royal Ascot in June. He started 13/8 favourite, but although he stayed on in the straight he could never reach the lead and was beaten five lengths by Double Trigger. Moonax was off the course for three months before running in the Irish St. Leger at The Curragh. He raced prominently, and had every chance in the straight but was beaten a head by Strategic Choice. He then attempted to win a second French Group One in the Prix du Cadran at Longchamp and as in the previous year's Prix Royal-Oak he disputed the finish with Always Earnest. On this occasion however, it was the French-trained gelding who prevailed by a short head. The race also helped to give Moonax a reputation for unpredictable behaviour: he turned his head and attempted to bite Always Earnest in the closing stages.
Before the Prix du Cadran at Longchamp in October Moonax behaved poorly, bucking violently and almost unseating his rider Frankie Dettori. In the race he tracked the leaders before challenging them in the straight. 200m from the finish he lost his chance of winning when he swerved to the left without warning and was beaten a length by Nononito. The explanation offered was that he was attempting to run for the exit leading to the stables. A second attempt at the Prix Royal-Oak ended in disappointment: he led for most of the race and defeated both Nononito and Always Earnest but was caught in the closing stages and beaten half a length by the mare Red Roses Story. The slow pace of the race and the resulting sprint finish were given as reasons for his defeat.
Instead of ending the horse's season, his connections decided to try Moonax over hurdles, with the intention of running him in the Champion Hurdle in March. Those plans were modified after he was beaten at odds-on on his National Hunt debut, finishing second to Sharpical at Huntingdon in December although other races at the Cheltenham Festival were still being considered.
On his return to flat racing, Moonax ran in the Group Three Ormonde Stakes at Chester. He demonstrated a range of unappealing behaviours: he "slavered rabidly", refused to leave the paddock, walked backwards when being taken to the start and had to be blindfolded to enter the starting stalls. The fact that his groom was dressed in a body protector and padded arm-guards gave the impression that Moonax had become a thoroughly dangerous individual. In the race itself he put up a reasonable effort to finish third. He was then aimed at the Ascot Gold Cup. Moonax started 16/1 and never threatened the leaders, finishing ninth of the thirteen runners behind Celeric in what proved to be his last race.
Timeform assessed Moonax at a figure 121 in 1994, 122 in 1995 and 120 in 1996. They rated him the joint-best European stayer of 1995, but also awarded him their § or "squiggle" symbol to indicate that he could not be relied upon to produce his best form.
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