Double Trigger
{{Short description|Irish-bred Thoroughbred racehorse}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{Infobox racehorse
| horsename = Double Trigger
| image_name = Double Trigger.jpg
| caption = Bronze statue of Double Trigger at Doncaster Racecourse in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England.
| sire = Ela-Mana-Mou
| grandsire = Pitcairn
| dam = Solac
| damsire = Gay Lussac
| sex = Stallion
| foaled = {{Birth date|1991|03|24|df=y}}
| death_date = {{Death date and age|2020|02|23|1991|03|24|df=y}}
| country = Ireland
| colour = Chestnut
| breeder = Dene Investments
| owner = R W Huggins
| trainer = Mark Johnston
| record = 29: 14-2-1
| earnings = £559,102
| race = Zetland Stakes 1993
St Leger Italiano 1994
Sagaro Stakes 1995, 1996
Henry II Stakes 1995, 1996
Ascot Gold Cup 1995
Doncaster Cup 1995, 1996, 1998
Goodwood Cup 1995, 1997, 1998
| awards = Top European Stayer 1995
| honours =
|updated = 28 February 2020
}}
Double Trigger (24 March 1991 – 23 February 2020){{Cite web|url=https://www.racingpost.com/bloodstock/news/gold-cup-hero-double-trigger-dies-from-suspected-heart-attack-aged-29-aPezj6e9ZO0s/|title=Super stayer Double Trigger fondly remembered after death at Clarendon Farm Stud|first=Ollie|last=O'Donoghue|website=www.racingpost.com}} was a Thoroughbred racehorse and active sire. He was bred in Ireland, but trained in the United Kingdom throughout his racing career, which lasted from 1993 to 1998. A specialist stayer, he is best known for winning twelve group races, including the Stayers' Triple Crown in 1995.
Background
Double Trigger was bred in Ireland, a son of the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes winner Ela-Mana-Mou. His dam was the French-bred mare Solac, who also produced Double Trigger's full brother, the top-class stayer Double Eclipse.{{cite web|url=https://www.racingpost.com/profile/horse/88726/double-trigger |title=Double Trigger pedigree|publisher=Racing Post |date= |accessdate=2011-09-03}} He was trained throughout his career by Mark Johnston in North Yorkshire. His most regular jockey was Jason Weaver, who rode him in 21 of his 29 starts. He was an easily recognisable horse, being a light chestnut with a broad white blaze and a front-running racing style.{{cite web|last=Armytage |first=Marcus |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/horseracing/8660966/Glorious-Goodwood-2011-Why-Mark-Johnston-and-his-horses-love-the-Sussex-course.html |title=Why Mark Johnston and his horses love the Sussex course |work=Telegraph |date=2011-07-26 |accessdate=2011-09-03}}
Racing career
=1993–1994:early career=
Double Trigger showed himself to be a promising horse from the start, following a ten-length win in a Redcar maiden in September 1993 with a victory in the Listed Zetland Stakes at Newmarket a month later.{{cite web|url=https://www.racingpost.com/results/38/newmarket/1993-10-30/117590 |publisher=Racing Post |title=Zetland Stakes |date= |accessdate=2011-09-03}}
His three-year-old career was delayed by injury problems, but when he did re-appear, he was immediately tested at the highest level. A fifth place in the Great Voltigeur Stakes at York was followed by a third in the St. Leger Stakes. He then embarked on a brief international campaign, "easily"{{cite web|url=https://www.racingpost.com/results/295/turin/1994-11-04/122870 |title=St Leger Italiano|date= |publisher=Racing Post |accessdate=2011-09-03}} winning the St Leger Italiano (then a Group 3 race) and finishing seventh of fourteen to Red Bishop in the inaugural Hong Kong Vase.{{cite web|url=https://www.racingpost.com/results/416/sha-tin/1994-12-11/123043 |publisher=Racing Post |title=Hong Kong Vase|date= |accessdate=2011-09-10}}
=1995:four-year-old season=
Although Double Trigger was obviously Group class over middle-distances, his connections realised that he had the stamina for longer distances, and he was campaigned accordingly from then on.
In 1995 he was a Champion Stayer, winning the Sagaro and Henry II Stakes in spring before taking the Stayers' Triple Crown of the Ascot, Goodwood and Doncaster Cups. Although his best performance was probably at Ascot, where he beat the St Leger winner Moonax by five lengths,{{cite web|url=https://www.racingpost.com/results/2/ascot/1995-06-22/125323 |publisher=Racing Post |title=Gold Cup 1995 |date= |accessdate=2011-09-03}} his Goodwood triumph was even more notable, as he prevailed by a neck over his full brother Double Eclipse{{cite web|url=https://www.racingpost.com/results/21/goodwood/1995-07-27/126322 |publisher=Racing Post |title=Goodwood Cup 1995 |date= |accessdate=2011-09-03}} in a "thrilling" finish. Johnston called it "a hell of a performance."{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/johnston-shouts-home-his-double-take-1593599.html |title=Johnston shouts home his Double take |work=The Independent |date=1995-07-28 |accessdate=2011-09-10}}
At the end of the season he was sent to Australia, where he went off 7-2 favourite for the Melbourne Cup under top weight of 9 stone 7 pounds. He ran very poorly and finished seventeenth of the twenty runners.{{cite web|url=https://www.racingpost.com/results/297/flemington/1995-11-07/128368 |title=Melbourne Cup |date= |publisher=Racing Post |accessdate=2011-09-10}} Tests carried out after the race revealed no signs of "doping" and Johnston admitted that the performance was "a mystery".{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/racing-no-dope-found-in-trigger-1582374.html |title=No dope found in Trigger |work=The Independent |date=1995-11-17 |accessdate=2011-09-10}}
=1996–1998:later career=
Double Trigger was never quite so dominant again, but he continued to produce in top-class performances for the next three years. In 1996 he recorded his second win in the Henry II Stakes after being pushed along all the way and catching Grey Shot close to the finish.{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/trigger-back-on-winning-trail-after-walkabout-1345342.html |title=Trigger back on winning trail after walkabout|work=The Independent |date=1996-05-02 |accessdate=2011-09-10}} He added a repeat victory in the Sagaro Stakes,{{cite web|url=https://www.racingpost.com/results/15/doncaster/1996-09-12/206003 |publisher=Racing Post |title=Doncaster Cup 1996 |date= |accessdate=2011-09-03}} but was beaten by Classic Cliche in the Ascot Gold Cup. He had been affected by a hoof injury before the Ascot race, and the problem recurred, ruling him out of the Goodwood meeting. He returned in September to beat Celeric in the Doncaster Cup showing, according to Greg Wood writing in the Independent, "all his famous swagger and resolution" .{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/johnston-is-still-not-trigger-happy-1363112.html |title=Johnston is still not Trigger happy|work=The Independent |date=1996-09-13 |accessdate=2011-09-10}}
His 1997 campaign was his least successful and he began with two of his worst performances, finishing unplaced in both the Sagaro Stakes and the Gold Cup (won by Celeric), leading some to conclude that he was no longer a threat in major races.{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/double-trigger-primed-to-claim-distinction-1238607.html |title=Double Trigger primed to claim distinction|work=The Independent |date=1997-09-11 |accessdate=2011-09-10}} He did, however, produce one excellent performance to win his second Goodwood Cup,{{cite web|url=https://www.racingpost.com/results/21/goodwood/1997-07-31/241046 |publisher=Racing Post |title=Goodwood Cup 1997 |date= |accessdate=2011-09-03}} setting a "fierce pace" from the start and beating Classic Cliche by one and a half lengths.
In his final year (1998) he proved almost as good as ever, narrowly failing to defeat Kayf Tara in the Ascot Gold Cup, before adding a third win in the Goodwood Cup. In his final start he led from the start in what Johnston described as "classical Double Trigger" style, and stayed on to hold off the late challenge of Busy Flight and win a third Doncaster Cup.{{cite web|url=https://www.racingpost.com/results/15/doncaster/1998-09-10/255318 |publisher=Racing Post |title=Doncaster Cup 1998|date= |accessdate=2011-09-03}} The horse received an enthusiastic reception from his home crowd and his trainer praised him, saying "Over two miles at his best, Double Trigger is one of the best there has been".{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/racing-trigger-clicks-in-passingout-parade-1197399.html |title=Trigger clicks in passing-out parade |work=The Independent |date=1998-09-11 |accessdate=2011-09-10}}
A plan to run in the Prix du Cadran was abandoned and was then retired to stud.
Major wins
| class = "wikitable sortable" | border="1" cellpadding="1" style="text-align:centre; margin-left:1em; float:centre; border-collapse: collapse; font-size:90%" |
| style="background:#dacaa4; text-align:center;"
! style="background:#dacaa4;"| Date ! style="background:#dacaa4;"| Race ! style="background:#dacaa4;"| Dist (f) ! style="background:#dacaa4;"| Course ! style="background:#dacaa4;"| Class ! style="background:#dacaa4;"| Prize (£K) ! style="background:#dacaa4;"| Odds ! style="background:#dacaa4;"| Runners ! style="background:#dacaa4;"| Margin ! style="background:#dacaa4;"| Runner-up ! style="background:#dacaa4;"| Time ! style="background:#dacaa4;"| Jockey ! style="background:#dacaa4;"| Trainer |
| {{dts|format=dmy|1998|September|10}}
|18 |3 |20 |9-4 |6 |1 | Busy Flight |3:50.92 |
| {{dts|format=dmy|1996|September|12}}
|18 |3 |19 |Evens |6 |2 |3:53.00 |
| {{dts|format=dmy|1995|September|7}}
|18 |3 |21 |4-11 |6 |3 |3:58.74 |
| {{dts|format=dmy|1998|July|30}}
|16 |2 |40 |11-2 |9 |0.75 |Canon Can |3:29.19 |
| {{dts|format=dmy|1997|July|31}}
|16 |2 |38 |16-1 |10 |1.5 |3:24.81 |
| {{dts|format=dmy|1995|July|27}}
|16 |2 |36 |2-1 |9 |Neck |Double Eclipse |3:25.86 |
| {{dts|format=dmy|1996|May|27}}
|16 |3 |25 |5-6 |5 |7 |3:41.15 |
| {{dts|format=dmy|1995|May|29}}
|16 |3 |25 |5-4 |7 |6 |Old Rouvel |3:33.01 |
| {{dts|format=dmy|1996|May|1}}
|16 |3 |25 |11-8 |7 |Head |Grey Shot |3:27.64 |
| {{dts|format=dmy|1995|May|3}}
|16 |3 |25 |9-2 |7 |Head |Poltarf |3:28.90 |
| {{dts|format=dmy|1995|June|22}}
|20 |1 |111 |9-4 |7 |5 |4:20.25 |
| {{dts|format=dmy|1994|November|4}}
|15 |3 |30 |11-8 |6 |3.5 |Michel Georges |3:20.80 |
| {{dts|format=dmy|1993|October|30}}
|10 |Listed |8 |3-1 |10 |1.5 |Barbaroja |2:07.84 |
Assessment
Double Trigger won the Cartier Racing Award for Top European Stayer in 1995. He was given a rating of 123 by Timeform.
He has been honoured with a bronze statue at Doncaster Racecourse.{{cite web|url=http://www.doubletrigger.co.uk/news.html|title=Double Trigger website|publisher=Double Trigger|accessdate=2011-08-28|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20010406135948/http://www.doubletrigger.co.uk/news.html|archivedate=2001-04-06}}
Assessing Double Trigger in the Racing Post Tony Morris wrote {{cquote|Few horses in history have displayed in such full measure the class, courage, stamina and durability that were his hallmarks.{{cite web|url=http://www.doubletrigger.co.uk/tonymorris.html|title=Double Trigger profile|publisher=Double Trigger|accessdate=2011-09-03|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110930091029/http://www.doubletrigger.co.uk/tonymorris.html|archivedate=2011-09-30}}}}
Stud career
Like many stayers, Double Trigger struggled to attract top quality mares at stud. He had some success with jumpers, his most notable winner being Russian Trigger, winner of the Midlands Grand National.{{cite web|url=https://www.racingpost.com/profile/horse/88726/double-trigger |title=Double Trigger stud record|publisher=Racing Post |date= |accessdate=2011-08-28}} He died at the age of 29 of a suspected heart attack at Clarendon Farm Stud in Wiltshire in February 2020. Mark Johnston said "It seems that, no matter what champions I trained or might be lucky enough to train in future, I will always be remembered more for having trained Double Trigger than for anything else. He captured the public's imagination like no other animal that I have been associated with, and rightly so".{{Cite web |title=Famed Stayer Double Trigger Dies at 29 |url=https://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/articles/238694/famed-stayer-double-trigger-dies-at-29 |access-date=2023-10-05 |website=www.bloodhorse.com}}
Pedigree
{{Pedigree
|name = Double Trigger (IRE), chestnut stallion, 1991{{cite news|url=http://www.equineline.com/Free-5X-Pedigree.cfm?page_state=ORDER_AND_CONFIRM&reference_number=2450796®istry=T&horse_name==Double%20Trigger%20(IRE)&dam_name=Solac%20(FR)&foaling_year=1991&nicking_stats_indicator=Y |title=Double Trigger |website=Equineline|date=2012-05-08 |accessdate=2012-07-02}}
|inf =
|f = Ela-Mana-Mou (IRE)
1976
|m = Solac (FR)
1977
|ff = Pitcairn
1971
|fm = Rose Bertin
1970
|mf = Gay Lussac
1969
|mm = Soragna
1965
|fff = Petingo
|ffm = Border Bounty
|fmf = High Hat
|fmm = Wide Awake
|mff = Fabergé
|mfm = Green As Grass
|mmf = Orvieto
|mmm = Savigny
|ffff = Petition
|fffm = Alcazar
|ffmf = Bounteous
|ffmm = B Flat
|fmff = Hyperion
|fmfm = Madonna
|fmmf = Major Portion
|fmmm = Wake Island
|mfff = Princely Gift
|mffm = Spring Offensive
|mfmf = Red God
|mfmm = Greensward
|mmff = Machiero
|mmfm = Fior d'Orchidea
|mmmf = Mistral
|mmmm = Sernaglia (Family: 19-b)}}
Namesake
In September 1999, train operator Great North Eastern Railway named locomotive 91022 at Doncaster railway station after the horse.GNER names Double Trigger Rail issue 366 22 September 1999 page 6