Нижинский: Легендарный скакун и родоначальник чемпионов

Canadian bred Thoroughbred racehorse (1967–1992)

Nijinsky (21 February 1967 – 15 April 1992) was a Canadian bred, Irish trained champion Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. He was the outstanding two year old in Europe in 1969 when he was unbeaten in five races. In the following season, he became the first horse for thirty five years to win the English Triple Crown, a feat that has not been repeated as of 2023. He is regarded as one of the greatest European flat racehorses of the 20th century. He was also historically important for establishing the international reputation of his sire Northern Dancer, though Nijinsky was atypical of Northern Dancer progeny in size and conformation. Retired to stud, he became the leading sire in Great Britain & Ireland and the leading broodmare sire in North America. As a winner of top class races from 6 14 furlongs, Nijinsky is also considered to be among the most versatile of the great horses of the 20th century.

Nijinsky, a bay horse with a white heart on his forehead and three white feet, was bred at E. P. Taylor's Windfields Farm in Oshawa, Ontario, Canada. He was from the second crop of foals sired by Northern Dancer, the winner of the 1964 Kentucky Derby who went on to become one of the most influential sires of the 20th century. His dam, Flaming Page, by Bull Page, was a successful racemare, winning the 1962 Queen's Plate. At stud, she produced only two other foals. One of these was Fleur by Victoria Park, who produced the 1977 Epsom Derby winner The Minstrel by Northern Dancer; the other was Minsky, champion Irish two year old in 1970 and full brother to Nijinsky. Nijinsky was a big, powerful and handsome horse with great presence, standing high, resembling his dam rather than his sire in stature and conformation, traits he tended to pass on to his offspring. He was offered for sale at the Windfields Farm's annual yearling auction where he was bought for $84,000 (84000.0 in 1968 is equivalent to about <calculated amount> in recent years) by the American minerals magnate and industrialist Charles W. Engelhard Jr., acting on the advice of the Irish trainer Vincent O'Brien. It was Engelhard's wife Jane who decided that the colt should be named after the dancer Vaslav Nijinsky. Nijinsky was shipped to Ireland, where he was trained by O'Brien at Ballydoyle, County Tipperary.

Nijinsky's first four races were all at the Curragh. In June, he started at odds of 4/11 and won the six furlong Erne maiden race easily. He followed up with wins in the Anglesey Stakes and the Railway Stakes. On his fourth appearance, he was extended for the first time in the Beresford Stakes. He won decisively from Decies, a colt who went on to win the Irish 2000 Guineas in 1970. Having proved himself the best of the Irish two year olds, he was sent to England in October to contest the Dewhurst Stakes at Newmarket. Ridden for the first time by Lester Piggott, he was held up at the back of the six horse field before moving through to take the lead inside the final furlong, earning top rating in the British Free Handicap.

On his first appearance as a three year old, Nijinsky beat the four year old Deep Run in the Gladness Stakes at the Curragh in April. The colt was then sent back to Newmarket for the 2000 Guineas over one mile. He started the 4/7 favourite against thirteen opponents. Nijinsky took the lead two furlongs from the finish and, without being put under any pressure by Piggott, pulled clear to win by two and a half lengths from Yellow God. The second had won the Ascot 2,000 Guineas trial and the previous year's Gimcrack Stakes, as well as finishing a close second in the Middle Park Stakes.

Nijinsky's opposition in the Derby at Epsom was stronger and he started at odds of 11/8 – the only time he was ever odds against. His rivals were headed by the French trained colts Stintino and Gyr. The veteran French trainer Etienne Pollet had delayed his retirement for a year to guide Gyr, a son of his champion Sea Bird, through his three year old season. Nijinsky's time for the last two furlongs of the race (10.6 and 11.25 seconds, respectively) was of sprint championship winning standard. Piggott claimed that he was "always cantering", while Bill Williamson, who rode Gyr, said that "Nijinsky was just too good". Gyr subsequently franked the form by easily winning the Grand Prix de Saint Cloud. On the day before the Derby, Nijinsky had overcome a severe bout of colic which could have threatened his life. On 27 June, Nijinsky followed up his Epsom win by taking the Irish Derby at the Curragh. Ridden by Liam Ward, he started at odds of 4/11 and accelerated late to win by three lengths from Meadowville. In July, Nijinsky raced against older horses in the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Ascot. His five opponents included winners of major races: Blakeney (1969 Epsom Derby), Karabas (Washington, D. C. International Stakes), Crepellana (Prix de Diane) and Caliban (Coronation Cup). Without being extended, Nijinsky moved through to take the lead a furlong from the finish and won by two lengths from Blakeney despite being eased down to a canter in the closing stages. In August, Nijinsky contracted ringworm, which seriously affected his training schedule. The horse lost most of the hair on his body. and was sent to Doncaster for the St. Leger in September. In the one mile and six furlongs race, he was attempting to become the first horse since Bahram 35 years earlier to complete the English Triple Crown. He started the 2/7 favourite and won comfortably, although his margin of victory over Meadowville was only one length. As of 2023, he is the last horse to accomplish the feat of sweeping the English Triple Crown: since 1970 only Reference Point (1987), Nashwan (1989), Sea The Stars (2009) and Camelot (2012) have won two of the three races, but Oh So Sharp won the filly's version of the Triple Crown in 1985. In his next race, Nijinsky was sent to France for the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe at Longchamp in Paris in October. Piggott produced Nijinsky in the straight to make his challenge but was baulked twice before making his run on the wide outside. However, 150m from the finish he caught front runners Miss Dan and Sassafras and took a slight lead. In the last strides, Nijinsky appeared to veer left away from Piggott's whip, and Sassafras, ridden by Yves Saint Martin, produced a renewed effort to regain the advantage and win by a head. While many, including his trainer Vincent O'Brien, felt that Piggott had given Nijinsky too much ground to make up and had left his challenge too late, the jockey, who was heavily criticised by the media and racing public, said that in his opinion Nijinsky was past his peak for the year. It is beyond dispute that Nijinsky was a most unlucky loser. Piggott commented: "Certainly Nijinsky would have won had he not swerved almost in the shadow of the post, and certainly he would have won had his initial finishing run not been blocked on the final bend". Less than two weeks after his defeat in the Arc, Nijinsky ran his last race in the Champion Stakes over ten furlongs at Newmarket. Although he had been known to sweat freely before some of his previous races, Nijinsky on this occasion appeared to become particularly nervous and anxious before the start. In the race itself, he ran well below his best form and was beaten 3/4 length at odds of 4/11 by the five year old English horse Lorenzaccio. O'Brien on this occasion concurred with Piggott, saying that Nijinsky appeared to have "lost his fire."

Nijinsky was given a rating of 138 by Timeform, the second highest for a winner of the Epsom Derby up to that time. He was Timeform's Horse of the Year for 1970. Nijinsky was also voted British Horse of the Year by the Racecourse Association, gaining 38 of the 40 votes. In 2018 Nijinsky was rated the greatest ever Epsom Derby winner by a panel of experts assembled by the Daily Telegraph. In 2021, the Sporting Life ranked Nijinsky's Derby win no. 1, ahead of Sea Bird, in their top 40 runnings of the race. In their book A Century of Champions, John Randall and Tony Morris rated Nijinsky as a "great" Derby winner and the best Irish racehorse of the 20th century. Vincent O'Brien named Nijinsky and Sir Ivor as the best horses he had trained, placing Nijinsky first "for brilliance." Lester Piggott concurred: "I think Nijinsky probably on his day was the most brilliant horse I've ever ridden". Piggott added later that Nijinsky, during the summer of 1970 when he won the 2,000 Guineas, Epsom Derby, Irish Derby and King George VI and Queen Elizabeth II Stakes, was "an unbeatable horse" Piggott was adamant, however, that running in the St Leger led to the horse not winning at Longchamps. The Manchester City footballer, Colin Bell, was given the nickname, Nijinsky, by his coach, Malcolm Allison, because of his (Bell's) unrivalled stamina. In 1970, a film was made about his racing career entitled A Horse Called Nijinsky. Narrated by Orson Welles, it was released in British cinemas and in 1988 released on VHS video. The Nijinsky team also was voted winners of the 1970 BBC Sports Personality of the Year Team Award. Among the more unusual tributes, a Cabernet Sauvignon wine and a variety of winter wheat have been named in Nijinsky's honour. Bronze statues of him stand at Ballydoyle and at The Curragh racecourse.