| Synchronised | |
|---|---|
 Racing silks of J P McManus | |
| Sire | Sadler's Wells |
| Grandsire | Northern Dancer |
| Dam | Mayasta |
| Damsire | Bob Back |
| Sex | Gelding |
| Foaled | 7 March 2003 |
| Country | Ireland |
| Colour | Bay |
| Breeder | Noreen McManus |
| Owner | J. P. McManus |
| Trainer | Jonjo O'Neill |
| Record | 20:9-1-3 |
| Earnings | £510,775 |
| Major wins | |
| Midlands Grand National (2010) Welsh National (2010) Lexus Chase (2011) Cheltenham Gold Cup (2012) | |
Synchronised (7 March 2003 – 14 April 2012) was an Irish-bred, British-trainedThoroughbred racehorse. A specialist long-distancesteeplechaser, he was best known for his performances in the 2011–2012National Hunt season, when he won the Grade ILexus Chase in Ireland before winning Britain's most prestigious steeplechase, theCheltenham Gold Cup, on 17 March.[1] He waseuthanized after incurring a leg fracture in theGrand National on 14 April 2012.
Synchronised, considered a small horse by steeplechasing standards, was a baygelding with a broad whiteblaze.[2] He was bred at the Martinstown Stud,County Limerick, Ireland by Noreen McManus, the wife of his ownerJ. P. McManus.[3] His sire,Sadler's Wells is best known for his success as a sire of flat racers, having beenChampion sire on 14 occasions, but has also got notable jumpers including the three-timeChampion HurdlerIstabraq,[4] and is the sire of the leading National Hunt stallionOscar.[5] Synchronised's dam, Mayasta, was a successful racehorse, winning nine races, including five hurdle races and a steeplechase.[6] McManus sent the horse into training withJonjo O'Neill at Jackdaws Castle, nearCheltenham.
Between February 2008 and March 2009, Synchronised was campaigned over hurdles and won three times from six starts. His most important success came atHaydock Park in February 2009 when he won a three-mile qualifying race for thePertemps Hurdle. In the final of the Pertemps series at theCheltenham Festival a month later he started at odds of9/1 in a field of twenty-two runners but seemed to be well beaten when falling at the last obstacle.[7]
Synchronised began his career as a steeplechaser by winning a minor race atMarket Rasen Racecourse in November 2009. Seventeen days later he was moved up in class to win a Grade II Novices' Chase atChepstow. The following spring, Synchronised bypassed the major novice races and was instead sent toUttoxeter to run against more experienced horses in the Midlands Grand National, ahandicap race over 4 miles1+1⁄2 furlongs in which he carried 159pounds. The race was run on heavy ground, making it an extreme test of stamina, and only three of the seventeen runners completed the course. Ridden byA. P. McCoy, Synchronised took the lead two fences from the finish and won by three-quarters of a length from the mare L'Aventure.[8]
Synchronised won only once from five races in the 2010/2011 season, but that win was his most important so far. After starting the season with two runs over hurdles, he again showed his aptitude for extreme stamina tests as he carried 160 pounds to victory over 3 miles,5+1⁄2 furlongs in theWelsh National in January. McCoy sent him into the lead three fences from the finish and he stayed on strongly to win by two and three quarter lengths.[9] He once again bypassed the Cheltenham Festival, but his attempt to win a second Midlands National ended in failure as he finished third to Minella Four Star under top weight of 166 pounds. On his final start of the season he made no show before being pulled up in theIrish Grand National. He ended the season with an official rating of 155, twenty-seven pounds behind the championLong Run.
The 2011/2012 season began with two more hurdle races before Synchronised was moved up to Grade I class for the first time in the Lexus Chase atLeopardstown Racecourse in December. The gelding established himself as a top-class steeplechaser by taking the lead at the last fence and pulling clear in the closing stages to beat Rubi Light in "impressive style"[10] by8+1⁄2 lengths at level weights.[11] The race also showed that Synchronised did not need slow, heavy ground to show his best form. McCoy praised his horse's performance but was not over-enthusiastic about his prospects against the best steeplechasers saying "I don't think Kauto Star and Long Run will be too worried".[12]
The betting for the 2012Cheltenham Gold Cup was dominated by the former winners Long Run andKauto Star, but Synchronised was also quietly fancied and started the 8/1 joint-third favourite with Weird Al in a field of fourteen runners. His task was made easier when Kauto Star injured himself and was pulled up at the tenth fence. Synchronised was still only sixth as the field approached the straight, but his stamina proved decisive as he stayed on strongly to dispute the lead at the last fence before pulling away to win by two and a quarter lengths from the 50/1 outsider The Giant Bolster.[13] The win gave a first Gold Cup to J. P. McManus as an owner and was the first for O'Neill as a trainer.[3] After the race the winner's connections were reported to be considering a run in theGrand National, in which Synchronised would carry top weight.[14]
Synchronised waseuthanised after he incurred a leg fracture during the2012 Grand National. Despite being the market leader in the weeks leading to up the race, he had started the race as third-favourite, behind Seabass and Shakalakaboomboom. He appeared nervous at the start when he unseated his jockey,Tony McCoy, as the horses were preparing to line up for the race. The start was delayed until the loose horse was caught.[15]
He fell atBecher's Brook, the sixth fence on the first circuit, unseating McCoy, who suffered a soft-tissue injury, but the horse did not appear to have sustained serious injury. He continued running riderless until attempting to jump the 11th fence where he incurred a fracture of thetibia andfibula in his right-hind leg and racecourse vets had toeuthanise him.[16]
Another runner at the 2012 Grand National, According To Pete, was also put down after being brought down at the same fence on the second circuit.[16]
Three days after the National, J. P. McManus issued a statement in which he described his "deep sadness and sense of devastation" at the death of Synchronised. He explained that, "losing any horse is very sad but one as brave as Synchronised is a very big loss for all involved." He also revealed that the horse had been buried at Jackdaws Castle.[17]
Speaking several weeks after the race, McCoy said that "Synchronised is a horse that I won't ever forget... it is one of those terrible things that you wish will never happen."[18] When he retired in 2015, McCoy described Synchronised as his favourite racehorse saying that "he probably wasn't the greatest horse I'd ridden but he had the greatest will to win." Remembering the horse's death, he said "I cried for days afterwards. That affected me more than any other horse."[19]
| Sire Sadler's Wells | Northern Dancer | Nearctic | Nearco |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lady Angela | |||
| Natalma | Native Dancer | ||
| Almahmoud | |||
| Fairy Bridge | Bold Reason | Hail to Reason | |
| Lalun | |||
| Special | Forli | ||
| Thong | |||
| Dam Mayasta | Bob Back | Roberto | Hail to Reason |
| Bramalea | |||
| Toter Back | Carry Back | ||
| Romantic Miss | |||
| Sarahcee | Prominer | Beau Sabreur | |
| Snob Hill | |||
| Celestial Gold | Golden Cloud | ||
| Cellular (family 11-a) |