His black-type genetics pre-programmed him to be a fast mover and his looks backed up his breeding. John Oxx, who trained many of the family for Namid’s owner-breeder Lady Clague, recalls: “He was a beautiful looking horse, a really solid square sprint-built horse with lots of quality, very nice horse. He always showed us an awful lot, right from the start.”
Namid was bred by Lady Clague out of Dawniso, a 1990-born daughter of Tate Gallery. She had been a stakes horse over 5f and had gained Listed success in the 5f Topaz Sprint Stakes, had finished second in the Debutante Stakes (L) and third in the Tipperary Sprint (L) also over 5f.
She was a successful broodmare – her nine foals all made it to the racecourse and all were winners, four of whom added black-type to their names over sprint distances.
Her first foal, Natalis, a colt born in 1995 and by Selkirk, won 10 races and took third in the Futurity Stakes (G3), while her third by Warning and born in 1997 was named Mandama and was a best-placed third in the 6f Blenheim Stakes (L).
They bookended the birth of Namid in 1996, a son of the champion sire, the Group 2 King’s Stand Stakes winner and lightening quick Indian Ridge. The Irish National Stud sire was then a young stallion and had only had three previous crops of runners, but he developed into a significant influence on both sides of the pedigree.
Lady Clauge’s breeding stock was based at Newberry Stud, Kilcullen in County Kildare.
She had been a native of the Isle Of Man, but arrived in Ireland from Hong Kong where she had lived with her husband Sir Douglas Clague. He died in 1981 having been a celebrated war hero and a highly successful businessman and public figure in the Far East.
As a young officer with the Royal Artillery he had been posted to Hong Kong in 1941, but was imprisoned by the Japanese when the nation’s forces overran the region. Clague led a successful escape from Sham Shui Po Camp and fled to China; he was awarded the military cross for that daring exploit.
His wartime heroism did not end there and as an officer he was sent to Thailand in 1945. He personally took the initial Japanese surrender in Bangkok, and then, in the tense aftermath of the Japanese capitulation in the Far East, ensured the safe recovery of Allied POWs many terrified of the treatment that the departing Japanese might inflict after surrender.
After the war, Sir Douglas, by then holding the rank of Colonel, settled in Hong Kong and became an important businessman playing a leading role in the economic, business life and public affairs in Hong Kong supported by his wife.
Both became involved in the horseracing in the country and Sir Douglas spent time as chairman of the Hong Kong Jockey Club.
After her husband’s death Lady Clague moved to back to Europe and spent most time in the Isle of Man and Ireland, with regular visits back to Hong Kong.
Namid’s family joined the breeder via her purchase of his dam Dawnsio, who was bred by Collinstown Stud.
“I trained a lot of the family and many of Lady Clague’s horses,” recounts Oxx. “In the 90s and into the noughties Lady Clague used to love coming to the yard in the mornings to watch the horses work, she lived only 20 minutes away. She loved her horses – she was very forgiving and took her defeats well. She was such a nice person, a generous person, and we were delighted to have such a good horse as Namid for her.”
Namid, though built physically strong, once a look underneath the surface had been taken by his trainer the young horse had a few issues that had to be considered through the training programme.
Oxx says: “On x-ray his knees were a bit rough and where the things should have been smooth there were lots of angles.
“We only ran him twice as a two-year-old. He had always shown that speed at home and I fancied him for the Railway Stakes first time out – he finished third which was still a good performance. He then won the Anglesey Stakes, which was a fine performance
“At three, he was not quite right all year, and only ran a couple of times when second in the Tetrarch Stakes (G3) and third in the Listed Waterford Testimonial Stakes
“But through the winter between three and four, he really developed, started moving well and working beautifully, and he had a terrific year as a four-year-old.”
Namid was given a third start of his four-year-old season in the Greenlands Stakes, the colt having previously finished third on his seasonal debut in the Gladness Stakes (G3) to the unbeaten three-year-old Giant’s Causeway and then winning the Listed Cork Sprint Stakes.
Oxx took him to The Curragh for the Greenlands where he was sent off the 3/1 favourite. The race was run on yielding ground, the colt was held up by Johnny Murtagh, ridden to lead a furlong out and then went clear in the final furlong to win with ease from Social Harmony and Rossini.
It was Namid’s was the first real test against solid sprinting opposition and he confirmed that he that he could take top order over the minimum trip.
“The Greenlands Stakes is a very important in Ireland because it's a good sprint and it's at a nice time of the year,” says the former trainer. “In late May the horses might have already had a seasonal debut run so they're ready to run well, ready to show something of their true ability, it helps you decide on targets for the rest of the year.
“So it's a really important race –I never had too many sprinters in my life but I had some good ones and the race was lucky for me.”
He adds: “Namid was very impressive that day in the Greenlands and really proved to us we could step up to Group 1 level, but he was lame when we got home – one of the chips on his knees had come away.
“All of the plans for the summer had to be abandoned. We operated on him, got him back into work and, though it was tight to get there, we ran him in the Flying Five as a prep for the Abbaye. He won by a short-head, I did not expect the win as he was only half fit.”
In France, Namid went on to claim a brilliant victory winning the Abbaye in 0.55.10sec, which is still the sixth-fastest recorded time to date.
He beat the champion juvenile filly of that year, Superstar Leo, the daughter of stallion and fellow Greenlands Stakes winner College Chapel.
It was a superb day for Oxx – he also won the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe with the Aga Khan’s Sinndar. Both horses were ridden by Murtagh and made up two parts of a fabulous Group 1 hat-trick for the jockey who took the Prix de l’Opera on Petrushka for Sir Michael Stoute and Highclere Thoroughbred Racing.
Namid ended his career with a Timeform rating of 128 and he is just one of 20 sprinters this century to achieved that mark or higher.
“He always won his races by wide margin and in good times,” recalls Oxx, continuing: “He had a lovely temperament, that was the great thing about him and it's the same with most really good horses, they always have marvellous temperaments. He was just a lovely horse to deal with.”
After France it was hinted in the press that Oxx might take Namid to the Breeders’ Cup or to Hong Kong, which would have been a welcome option for Lady Clague, but neither plan came to fruition and the son of Indian Ridge joined the stallion roster at Rathbarry Stud.
His first two-year-olds hit the track in 2004, and that 2002 crop proved to be his most successful featuring the Norfolk Stakes (G2) winner Blue Dakota, Belle Artiste, who won the Derrinstown 1,000 Guineas Trial (G3), Resplendent Glory, winner of the Sandown Sprint (G3), Redstone Dancer, winner of the Brownstown Stakes (G3), and Pout, who took the Ridgewood Pearl Stakes (G2).
Through his career he sired one Group 1 winner – the 2006-born Total Gallery who emulated her sire with success in the Longchamp sprint– eight Group race winners and 17 stakes winners. There were 302 winners from 622 starters, achieved at a 48.1 per cent strike rate.
His leading earner was Hamish McGonagall, who won over £419,000 and was placed four times at Group 1 level, including when second, third and fourth in the Nunthorpe Stakes in 2011, 2012 and 2013. He was third in the Abbaye to Wizz Kid in 2012.
Namid stood for nine seasons at Rathbarry Stud, moved to Haras du Hoguenet in 2010, Haras des Faunes for 2012 and to the Qatar Racing and Equestrian Club in 2017.
After the success of her star sprinter, understandably, Lady Clague returned her mare to Indian Ridge, by then a leading European sire, and produced Noelani, winner of the Concorde Stakes (G3) and the Renaissance Stakes (G3).
She was subsequently bought at the Tattersalls December Sale twice – in 2008 for 420,000gns by Charlie Gordon-Watson and then in 2012 for 60,000gns by Atlantic Bloodstock. She went through the ring once more when bought for €12,000 by Howson & Houldsworth Bloodstock at Arqana at the February Mixed Sale in 2019.
Her influence is still being felt and her 2006 Selkirk daughter Dawn To Dance, bred by Newberry Stud Company, has produced the Group 3 winner Policy Of Truth and the Grade 3-placed Siberian Iris. She is still breeding, was bought by John Gunther in 2018 for 32,000gns and has a juvenile colt by Sioux Nation to run this year and last spring produced a colt by Without Parole.
At the base of the pedigree, the speed influence still dominates and features another Prix de l’Abbaye winner – the 2018 heroine Mabs Cross hailing from another angle of the Lady Clague breeding dynasty.
She had a filly in 2021, who has been called Star Cross and is by Zoustar, a Wootton Bassett colt in 2022, a Mehmas filly in April and she visited Frankel this spring.