Zafonic
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| Zafonic | |
|---|---|
| Sire | Gone West |
| Grandsire | Mr. Prospector |
| Dam | Zaizafon |
| Damsire | The Minstrel |
| Sex | Stallion |
| Foaled | 1 April 1990[1] |
| Country | United States |
| Colour | Brown/Black |
| Breeder | Juddmonte Farms |
| Owner | Khalid Abdullah |
| Trainer | André Fabre |
| Record | 7: 5-1-0 |
| Earnings | £374,042 |
| Major wins | |
| Prix Morny (1992) Prix de la Salamandre (1992) Dewhurst Stakes (1992) 2,000 Guineas (1993) | |
| Awards | |
| European Champion Two-Yr-Old Colt (1992) Timeform rating: 130 | |
| Last updated on 29 June 2024 | |
Zafonic (1 April 1990 – 7 September 2002) was a European Thoroughbred racehorse bred in Kentucky. He was the 1992 European Champion Two-Year-Old Colt and won the following year's 2,000 Guineas.
Zafonic was sired by the Mr. Prospector stallion Gone West, out of the Seaton Delaval Stakes winner Zaizafon, a daughter of The Minstrel.[2] He was owned and bred by Khalid Abdullah and conditioned by the French trainer André Fabre.
Racing career
Racing at age two, Zafonic went undefeated. After winning a minor race at Deauville in August, he followed up with a win in the Group One Prix Morny at the same course ten days later.[3] Three weeks later in the Prix de la Salamandre at Longchamp, he took the lead in the straight and pulled clear to beat Kingmambo by three lengths.[4] He then was shipped to the Newmarket Racecourse in the United Kingdom where he won the Dewhurst Stakes by four lengths in "very impressive" style.[5] His 1992 performance earned him the Cartier Racing Award as Europe's Champion Two-Year-Old Colt.
At three, Zafonic started at 10-1 ON for his debut in the Prix Djebel but lost his unbeaten record when he was beaten a short head by Kingmambo. Sent back to Newmarket for the British Classic, the 2,000 Guineas, Zafonic won by 3½ lengths from Barathea and breaking a 45-year-old course record.[6][7] In the Sussex Stakes, the colt burst a blood vessel and finished seventh.