Relkino (21 April 1973–25 December 1989) was a British Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. He was the highest-priced European yearling of his generation and won four of his sixteen races between July 1975 and October 1977. After winning one race as a two-year-old in 1975 he showed improved form in the early part of the following year, winning the 2000 Guineas Trial Stakes and finishing second to Empery in Epsom Derby. The rest of his three-year-old career was disappointing but he reached his peak in 1977, winning the Lockinge Stakes over a mile and then recording an upset victory in the Benson and Hedges Gold Cup. After his retirement from racing, he had some success as a breeding stallion.
Background
Relkino was a "very attractive, well-made"
bay horse with a white blaze and a white coronet on his right front foot
bred by Cleaboy Farms. He was sired by
Relko, the French-trained winner of the 1963
Epsom Derby. His dam, Pugnacity, was a "grand racemare"
(rated 117 by Timeform), whose wins included the
Lowther Stakes,
Falmouth Stakes and King George Stakes. She produced several other winners including Triumphant, who in turn produced the Irish Champion Stakes winner Timarida. As a descendant of the broodmare Ballisland, Pugnacity was a distant relative of the Irish 1,000 Guineas winner Tarascon.
As a yearling, the colt was offered for sale and bought for 58,000 guineas
Racing career
1975: two-year-old season
Relkino made his debut in the Ecchinswell
maiden race over six
furlongs at Newbury Racecourse in July,
in which he took the lead at half distance and drew away to win "very comfortably" by four
horse length. A month later, over the same course and distance, he started odds-on favourite for the Washington Singer Stakes but ran poorly and finished last of the five runners behind Lady Beaverbrook's other runner Homeboy.
1976: three-year-old season
On his three-year-old debut, Relkino won the 2000 Guineas Trial Stakes at
Ascot Racecourse in April, leading from the start to beat the Reg Akehurst-trained Loh by three-quarters of a length. In May he contested the 2000 Guineas over the Rowley Mile at Newmarket Racecourse and finished sixth of the seventeen runners behind Wollow, Vitiges, Thieving Demon, Patris and Frankie. On 2 June 1976, Relkino was one of twenty-three runners for the 197th running of the
Derby Stakes at Epsom Downs Racecourse. Starting a
Fractional odds outsider
he was among the leaders from the start, turned into the straight in third place behind Vitiges and moved to the front approaching the final quarter mile. He maintained his advantage until the final furlong, when he was overtaken by the French-trained
Empery and finished second, three lengths behind the winner and a head in front of Oats.
The rest of Relkino's second season was disappointing. He finished unplaced behind the subsequently disqualified Trepan in the Eclipse Stakes in which he appeared to be "thoroughly outpaced" and then finished fifth behind Hawkberry in the Great Voltigeur Stakes at York Racecourse. In the latter race he led in the straight but dropped away quickly after being headed a furlong and a half from the finish. In the Valdoe Stakes at Goodwood Racecourse in September, he was beaten a length by Obstacle, a three-year-old colt trained by Henry Candy, to whom he was conceding nine pounds. On his final appearance of the season, Relkino was badly-drawn in Starting gate for the Champion Stakes at Newmarket and finished eleventh of the twenty runners behind Vitiges.
1977: four-year-old season
Relkino began his third season in the
Westbury Stakes over ten furlongs at Sandown Park Racecourse in April, in which he led from the start, setting a very fast pace, before being overtaken in the closing stages and finishing second by three quarters of a length to the
Henry Cecil-trained
Lucky Wednesday. He was then dropped in distance for the Lockinge Stakes over one mile at Newbury in May in which he was ridden by
Willie Carson and started at odds of 4/1.
He was among the leaders from the start and got the better of a prolonged struggle with Jellaby and Thieving Demon to record his first win in over a year. In the
Diomed Stakes at Epsom in June, Relkino finished sixth in an unsatisfactory race in which he was forced into the rails and repeatedly bitten by the subsequently disqualified Marinsky.
He continued to campaign over a mile, but was well-beaten when finishing fourth to Jellaby in the Queen Anne Stakes after disputing the early lead. In the
Sussex Stakes at Goodwood in July he was beaten again, finishing third to the
Eclipse Stakes winner
Artaius.
In August started a 33/1
Assessment
In 1975, Relkino was not awarded a weight in the British Free Handicap, a ranking of the best two-year-olds to race in the United Kingdom, which was headed by
Wollow. He was given a rating of 104 by the independent
Timeform organisation, twenty-six pounds below their top-rated juvenile Manado.
In the following year, Relkino was rated sixteen pounds inferior to Vitiges in the British Free Handicap for three-year-olds. He was given a rating of 123 by Timeform, twelve pounds behind their Horse of the Year Youth: in their annual
Racehorse of 1976, Timeform commented that the colt seemed to be "no longer as keen on racing as he was".
In the inaugural International Classification in 1977, Relkino was rated equal with
Exceller as the sixth-best older horse in Europe behind Balmerino, Orange Bay, Buckskin, Gentilhombre and
Sagaro. Timeform gave him a rating of 131, two pounds behind their top-rated older male Balmerino.
Stud career
In the autumn of 1977, following his win at York, Relkino was syndicated at £8,000 a share, giving him a theoretical value of £320,000. He began his stud career in 1978 at the Barton Stud at Bury St Edmunds in
Suffolk and was later based at Chris Sweetings' Conduit Stud near
Chipping Norton in
Oxfordshire.
He had limited success as a sire of flat racers, with the best of his offspring being the
Scottish Derby winner Dazari. He was more successful as a
National Hunt stallion, siring Relkeel a three-time of the
Bula Hurdle who was described by David Nicholson as "the best horse I ever trained",
as well as Arctic Kinsman (Supreme Novices' Hurdle) and Buckhouse Boy (Rendlesham Hurdle).
His last foals were born in 1990.
Pedigree
