A look back at the racing career of Champion Stakes winner Farrh
His early career was disrupted by injury and he made only one appearance in each of his first two seasons. He went straight into my notebook (and that of my old mate Matt) on debut at two winning by six lengths over 7f at Newmarket. His only start as a three-year-old was also a winning one, in a handicap again at Newmarket; the colt clearly had potential and it was hoped he would be able to run more regularly as a four-year-old.
The start to his 2012 campaign was again a winning one taking the Thirsk Hunt Cup Handicap over a mile in the May. Bigger questions needed to be asked and he was duly moved up to the highest level for the G.1 1m2f Prince of Wales's Stakes at the Royal meeting that year. Ridden for the first time by Frankie Dettori he was slowly away and finished a closing third behind So You Think and Carlton House. He followed that effort with a second place finish in the 1m2f G.1 Coral-Eclipse at Sandown going down by half- a-length to Nathaniel. For his next two starts he faced the mighty Frankel, finishing second to him at Goodwood in the one-mile G.1 Sussex Stakes before they filled the same positions again in the 1m2f G.1 Juddmonte International at York. His four-year-old campaign came to an end in France where he was second again in the mile G.1 Qatar Prix Du Moulin missing out by a head behind Moonlight Cloud.
His five-year-old campaign consisted of just the two runs but proved once and for all just what a talented horse he was. In May he won the G.1 Lockinge Stakes over a mile at Newbury ridden by Silvestre de Sousa, by four lengths making the final furlong a procession. Sadly he picked up a further injury in the weeks following his Lockinge romp and wasn't seen again on a racetrack for five months; but it was worth the wait!
Champions Day Ascot 19th October 2013 was Farrh's date with destiny. He took keen hold early but De Sousa, riding again, got him in a perfect pitch tracking the leader, and stablemate, Hunters Light where he stayed till things heated up. They got down to business and went for home about one-and-a-half furlongs out and the three main protagonists went clear of the field. The 2011 winner Cirrus des Aigles and 2013 Derby victor Ruler Of The World threw everything at Farrh in one of the most thrilling finishes the race has ever seen but Farhh kept finding more on the front end and held off the late challenges to gamely win by a neck. At the line Cirrus Des Aigles was second with Ruler Of The World a half length back in third.
His trainer said afterwards "this horse is a great fighter. He had a break after winning the Lockinge and he has been a miler in the past but a mile and a quarter was great for him today on that ground. He was the best horse in the race today. I am very proud of him and this is good for Godolphin. Every year, he has had problems. Luckily, he has won a pair of Group 1's on his last two races. He is a great horse and I am so happy. He's been a very tough horse since he was a two-year-old but we've just had to look after him with a different programme to keep him sound. His last piece of work was brilliant and the ground was a concern but he handled it well."
Farhh retired from racing to stand as a stallion at Dalham Hall Stud at HQ in 2014. Farhh retired with a record of five wins, two of them Group One's, four seconds (two to Frankel) and a third from 10 career starts and an official rating of 124.