The outstanding turf horse MANILA (Lyphard), who was enshrined in the
National Museum of Racing’s Hall of Fame last August, has died in Turkey at the
age of 26. According to the website of the Turkish Jockey Club, the bay stallion
succumbed Saturday after suffering an aortic rupture.
Trained throughout his career by Leroy Jolley, Manila compiled a sparkling
record of 12 wins and five runner-up efforts from 18 starts, with a bankroll of
$2,692,799. His lone unplaced effort came on his career debut in a six-furlong
sprint at Saratoga as a juvenile.
Manila initially raced for his breeder, Eduardo M. Cojuangco Jr. After
failing to win in his first three starts on dirt, he was sold to Bradley “Mike”
Shannon, for whom he would achieve stardom.
In his first outing for his new owner, Manila romped by eight lengths in an
off-the-turf maiden at old Hialeah. He finally got the opportunity to race on
the grass next time out in a Keeneland allowance, rolling to a 7 1/4-length
victory. Manila stepped up into stakes company, finishing second in the
Forerunner S. and Saranac S. (G2). He would not taste defeat again for more than
a year.
Manila went on a tear, reeling off nine straight wins. Defeating fellow
sophomores in the Cinema H. (G2) and Lexington S. (G2), the improving colt then
dismissed his elders in the United Nations H. (G1) and the Ballantine’s Scotch
Classic (G3), the latter by 9 1/2 commanding lengths.
Manila cut it much closer in his next two, but he was along in time to claim
the Turf Classic (G1) by a nose, and he overcame trouble that would have
scuttled the hopes of a mortal in the 1986 Breeders’ Cup Turf (G1) at Santa
Anita. On that day, he won going away from future champion Theatrical (Ire) by a
neck, with champion turf mare Estrapade another 3 3/4 lengths back in third and
European phenom Dancing Brave a well-beaten fourth. For his efforts, Manila took
home the Eclipse Award as champion turf horse.
In 1987, Manila kept his streak going with three-length scores in the Elkhorn
S. and Early Times Turf Classic, and he defended his United Nations title by 2
1/2 lengths while conceding nine pounds to the runner-up. Assigned 127 pounds
for the Bernard Baruch H. (G2), he missed by just a half-length to Talakeno, who
got in with a mere 115. Manila promptly rebounded with an emphatic victory in
the Arlington Million (G1), again mastering Theatrical, who was beaten more than
four lengths in third.
Shannon and Jolley were contemplating an assault on the famed Prix de l’Arc
de Triomphe (Fr-G1) at Longchamp, but injury foiled those dreams. The Million wound up being Manila’s final start, and in
his absence, Theatrical went on to earn champion turf horse honors.
At stud, Manila sired multiple Grade 1 turf star Bien Bien, an earner of more
than $2.3 million; Italian Group 1 winner Great Palm; and French Group 3 queen
and dual classic-placed Agathe, who is the dam of English and French highweight
mare Aquarelliste (Danehill) and current multiple Grade 1 hero Artiste Royal
(Ire) (Danehill). Manila was exported to Turkey in 1997.
Out of the *Le Fabuleux mare Dona Ysidra, Manila was a half-brother to Irish
co-champion miler Stately Don (Nureyev), the winner of the 1987 Secretariat S.
(G1) and Hollywood Derby (G1).
To put Manila’s racing career in its proper perspective, it is worth
remembering that the late Joe Hirsch paid him a profound compliment. In response
to a reader’s question about the best grass horses he’d ever seen, the dean of
American turf writers answered thus:
“Round Table and Manila.”