Blushing Groom

Thoroughbred racehorse infobox
horsename = Blushing Groom


caption =
sire = Red God
grandsire = Nasrullah
dam = Runaway Bride
damsire = Wild Risk
sex = Stallion
foaled = 1974
country = France flagicon|France
colour = Chestnut
breeder = John McNamee Sullivan
owner = HH Aga Khan IV
trainer = Francois Mathet
record = 10: 7-1-2
earnings = $407,153
race = Prix Robert Papin (1976)
Prix Morny (1976)
Prix de la Salamandre (1976)
Grand Critérium (1976)
Prix de Fontainebleau (1977)
Poule d'Essai des Poulains (1977)
awards= French Champion Two-Year-Old Colt (1976)
European Champion 3-Year-Old Miler (1977)
Leading broodmare sire in Great Britain & Ireland (1988, 1995)
Leading sire in Great Britain & Ireland (1989)
honours =
updated= June 19, 2007

Blushing Groom (1974-1992) was a French Champion Thoroughbred racehorse. He was bred by American businessman, John McNamee Sullivan and raced by HH Aga Khan IV. A descendant of Nearco, Blushing Groom was sired by Red God and out of the mare, Runaway Bride.

Conditioned by Francois Mathet, Blushing Groom raced six times in 1976 at age two. He finished third in his debut then won the next five, including four Group One races, capturing the Prix Robert Papin, Prix Morny, Prix de la Salamandre, and the Grand Critérium. His performances earned him French Champion Two-Year-Old honors.

As a three-year-old, Blushing Groom extended his win streak to seven, winning the 1977 Prix de Fontainebleau and the GI Poule d'Essai des Poulains. Sent to England to compete in the Epsom Derby, Blushing Groom faced a 1½ mile challenge, a distance fifty percent longer than he had ever run before. Although he raced well, he was not suited for that distance and finished third to winner The Minstrel, a son of Northern Dancer. In his final race, Blushing Groom finished second in France's GI Prix Jacques Le Marois.

Champion sire

Although Blushing Groom met with considerable success in racing, he would become an even greater sire. He was sent to stand at stud at Gainesway Farm in Lexington, Kentucky where he produced winners at major tracks in Europe, North America, Australia, Japan, and Hong Kong. Like his sire Red God, Blushing Groom had been a champion miler but many of his offspring are renowned for their stamina and have been able to win consistently at longer distances. [http://www.thoroughbredinternet.com/newsmore.html?Id=14207]

A sire of 92 stakes winners, Blushing Groom's influence is still strongly felt to this day. Some of his notable progeny includes:

* Arazi - won three GI races in France in 1991 plus the Breeders' Cup Juvenile, voted 1991 European Horse of the Year and United States Champion 2-Year-Old Colt
* Baillamont - won Prix Jean Prat, Prix Ganay, Prix d'Ispahan
* Blush With Pride - won the Kentucky Oaks
* Blushing John - won Poule d'Essai des Poulains, Hollywood Gold Cup, 1989 U.S. Eclipse Award for Outstanding Older Male Horse
* Crystal Glitters - won Prix d'Ispahan (1983 & 1984)
* Gold Splash - won Coronation Stakes, Prix Marcel Boussac
* Groom Dancer - won Prix Lupin, sired Groom Tesse
* Nashwan - in 1989 won 2,000 Guineas, Eclipse Stakes, Epsom Derby, King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Stakes, sire of Bago, Swain
* Nassipour - won Canadian International Stakes, sired Let's Elope, Tie the Knot
* Rahy - sire of U.S. Racing Hall of Fame inductee Serena's Song, 2001 European Horse of the Year, Fantastic Light, Mariah's Storm, Noverre, Champion 3 yr old in England, and Dreaming of Anna, 2006 U.S. 2-Year-Old Champion Filly & Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies winner
* Rainbow Quest - won Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, Coronation Cup, the Leading broodmare sire in Great Britain & Ireland in 2003 & 2004
* Runaway Groom - Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame
* Sky Beauty - 1993 United States' Filly Triple Crown winner voted 1994 Champion Older Female
* Snow Bride - won Epsom Oaks
* Tawrrific - winner of the 1989 Melbourne Cup

Among others, Blushing Groom is the grandsire of Let's Elope, Cherokee Run, Silic, Congaree, Leroidesanimaux, Tie the Knot, Swain, Dreaming of Anna, Bago, Wekiva Springs, multiple European Champion March Groom and 2006 World Champion, Invasor. He is also the damsire of Awesome Again, Kahyasi, Lammtarra, Mayano Top Gun, 2000 Japanese Horse of the Year, T M Opera O, and Goldikova.

Blushing Groom died in 1992 and is buried at Gainesway Farm in Lexington, Kentucky.

References

* [http://www.pedigreequery.com/blushing+groom Blushing Groom's pedigree and partial racing stats]
* [http://www.agakhanstuds.com/history/hors.asp?hcode=197400013 Official website for Blushing Groom at AgaKhanStuds.com]