Relko

Relko was a "strong, compact, perfectly balanced"{{cite web|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=OGxAAAAAIBAJ&sjid=haMMAAAAIBAJ&pg=5752,4858735&dq=relko&hl=en |title=Relko outclasses home colts |work=Glasgow Herald |date=30 May 1963 |access-date=2012-01-02}} bay horse standing just over 16.1 hands high with a narrow white stripe and three white socks.http://www.sporthorse-data.com/horse/570076/902/Horse_Relko-_2big.jpg Photograph of Relko He was bred by his owner François Dupré at his stud farm in Pont-d'Ouilly in the Basse-Normandie region. Relko was one of three outstanding colts produced by the broodmare Relance, the others being Match II and Reliance (Prix du Jockey Club).{{cite web |url=http://www.chef-de-race.com/articles/timeform_highweights.htm |title=Dosage |publisher=Chef-de-race.com |access-date=2012-01-02 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120522080411/http://www.chef-de-race.com/articles/timeform_highweights.htm |archive-date=2012-05-22 }} He was sired by the Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud winner Tanerko, a representative of the Teddy sire line. Relko was trained by Chantilly by François Mathet, who had previously handled the 1955 Derby winner Phil Drake.

Relko began his racing career by winning the Prix Gladiator over 1100m at Le Tremblay and then won the Prix Isard at Maisons-Laffitte. He was beaten into second place by the filly Neptune's Doll when favoured to win the Critérium de Maisons-Laffitte and then finished fourth to Hula Dancer in the Grand Critérium. On his final start of the year Relko finished second in the Prix Thomas Bryon.{{cite book | last1 = Mortimer | first1 = Roger |last2=Onslow|first2=Richard|last3=Willett|first3=Peter| title = Biographical Encyclopedia of British Flat Racing| publisher=Macdonald and Jane's | year = 1978| isbn = 0-354-08536-0}}

In the spring of 1963, Relko won the Prix de Guiche and the Poule d'Essai des Poulains at Longchamp and was then aimed at The Derby.

At Epsom on 29 May, Relko was sent off the 5/1 favourite in a field of twenty-six runners. Ridden by the 21-year-old Yves Saint-Martin, Relko tracked the leading group in the early stages before moving up into third place early in the straight. He was moved up to take the lead from Tarqogan{{cite web|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=UwIkAAAAIBAJ&sjid=LwUEAAAAIBAJ&pg=4919,6608851&dq=relko&hl=en |title=French horse wins 184th running of English Derby |work=Ocala Star-Banner |date=29 May 1963 |access-date=2012-01-02}} three furlongs from the finish and pulled away from the rest of the field to win easily by six lengths from Merchant Venturer and Ragusa. The slow winning time of 2:39.4 was explained by the rain-softened state of the turf.{{cite web|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=iSlIAAAAIBAJ&sjid=RAANAAAAIBAJ&pg=2672,4130055&dq=relko&hl=en |title=Relko, French horse, wins English Derby |work=Meriden Record |date=30 May 1963 |access-date=2012-01-02}}

Relko's Derby win was overshadowed for some time because of the revelation by the Daily Express{{cite web|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=mJMtAAAAIBAJ&sjid=j54FAAAAIBAJ&pg=7014,3330455&dq=relko&hl=en |title= No denial by officials|work=Montreal Gazette |date=19 July 1963 |access-date=2012-01-02}} that he had failed a drugs test. The incident took place in the context of a series of investigations into the "doping" of horses in British races.{{cite web|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=058yAAAAIBAJ&sjid=HOoFAAAAIBAJ&pg=1934,1413616&dq=relko&hl=en |title=More horses brought into dope scandal |work=Miami News |date=17 July 1963 |access-date=2012-01-02}} It was not until October that the Jockey Club confirmed Relko as the winner, stating that the substances detected could not be positively identified and therefore could not be proved to have affected the result.{{cite web|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=o5scAAAAIBAJ&sjid=u2UEAAAAIBAJ&pg=5425,703989&dq=relko&hl=en |title=Big scoop from London |work=Sarasota Herald-Tribune |date=3 October 1963 |access-date=2012-01-02}} At the end of June, Relko was scheduled to run in the Irish Derby and made 11/8 favourite, but was withdrawn from the race minutes before the start, after appearing to be lame, leading to further suspicions of foul play.{{cite web|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=oEE0AAAAIBAJ&sjid=DeoFAAAAIBAJ&pg=4601,57156&dq=relko&hl=en |title=Officials probe Relko mystery |work=Miami News |date=7 July 1963 |access-date=2012-01-02}}{{cite web|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=oUE0AAAAIBAJ&sjid=DeoFAAAAIBAJ&pg=3001,486651&dq=relko&hl=en |title=Relko still mystery |work=Miami News |date=2 July 1963 |access-date=2012-01-02}}

In autumn, Relko returned to the racecourse to record an impressive win in the Prix Royal Oak on 15 September, easily defeating Sanctus, the winner of the Prix du Jockey Club and the Grand Prix de Paris. In the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, Relko became highly agitated before the start and ran poorly, finishing sixth behind Exbury.{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=k9MjAQAAMAAJ&q=relko |title=Réalités – Google Books |date=2003-01-01 |access-date=2012-01-02}}

Relko was unbeaten in three starts as a four-year-old. He began by winning the Prix Ganay at Longchamp and then returned to Epsom where he won the Coronation Cup on heavy ground in June. On his final start he won the Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud in July.

In their book A Century of Champions, John Randall and Tony Morris rated Relko the fifteenth best French horse of the 20th Century and the second best Derby winner of the 1960s.{{cite book|last1 = Morris | first1 = Tony |last2=Randall|first2=John|title=A Century of Champions|publisher= Portway Press|year=1999|isbn=1-901570-15-0}} Timeform gave Relko an end of season rating of 136.{{cite book | last1 = Morris | first1 = Tony |last2=Randall|first2=John| title = Horse Racing: Records, Facts, Champions| publisher=Guinness Publishing | year = 1990| isbn = 0-85112-902-1| edition = Third }}

After winning a number of important races in France and in England, Relko was retired in September 1964 after a fetlock injury.{{cite web|url=https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/chicagotribune/access/578125372.html?dids=578125372:578125372&FMT=CITE&FMTS=CITE:AI&type=historic&date=Sep+17%2C+1964&author=&pub=Chicago+Tribune&desc=Twisted+Fetlock+Puts+Relko+Out+of+Racing&pqatl=google |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121024031042/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/chicagotribune/access/578125372.html?dids=578125372:578125372&FMT=CITE&FMTS=CITE:AI&type=historic&date=Sep+17,+1964&author=&pub=Chicago+Tribune&desc=Twisted+Fetlock+Puts+Relko+Out+of+Racing&pqatl=google |url-status=dead |archive-date=October 24, 2012 |title=Twisted Fetlock Puts Relko Out of Racing |publisher=Pqasb.pqarchiver.com |date=1964-09-17 |access-date=2011-12-24}} In 1965, he was sent to stand at the Lavington stud in England. Although he was a top-class sire of middle-and-long distance horses, including Relkino, Give Thanks, Olwyn, Floyd and Lanfranco, he had little success as a sire of sires.{{cite book|author=Avalyn Hunter |title=American Classic Pedigrees (1914–2002) |date=2003-05-25 |publisher=Eclipse Press |isbn=978-1581500950|author-link=Avalyn Hunter }} Of his daughters, My Sierra Leone produced the Champion filly Royal Heroine who won the inaugural running of the Breeders' Cup Mile in North American record time. Relko died on 30 March 1982 and was buried at the Malthouse Stud in Berkshire.{{cite web|url=http://www.tbheritage.com/TurfHallmarks/Graves/GraveMattersIndex.html |title=Grave Matters Thoroughbreds |publisher=Tbheritage.com |access-date=2012-01-02}}

{{Pedigree

|name = Relko (FR), bay stallion, 1960{{cite web|url=http://www.chef-de-race.com/classic_winners/english_derby/relko.htm |title=English Derby Winner: Relko |publisher=Chef-de-race.com |access-date=2012-01-02}}

|inf =

|f = Tanerko (FR)
1953

|m = Relance (FR)
1952

|ff = Tantieme
1947

|fm = La Divine
1943

|mf = Relic
1945　

|mm = Polaire
1947　

|fff = Deux-Pour-Cent

|ffm = Terka

|fmf = Fair Copy

|fmm = La Diva

|mff = War Relic

|mfm = Bridal Colors

|mmf = Le Volcan

|mmm = Stella Polaris

|ffff = Deiri

|fffm = Dix Pour Cent

|ffmf = Indus

|ffmm = La Furka

|fmff =Fairway

|fmfm = Composure

|fmmf = Blue Skies

|fmmm = La Traviata

|mfff = Man o' War

|mffm = Friars Carse

|mfmf =Black Toney

|mfmm = Vaila

|mmff =Tourbillon

|mmfm = Eroica

|mmmf = Papyrus

|mmmm = Crepuscule (Family: 16)}}

{{reflist|2}}

{{Epsom Derby Winners}}

Category:1960 racehorse births

Category:1982 racehorse deaths

Category:Racehorses bred in Calvados (department)

Category:Racehorses trained in France

Category:Thoroughbred family 16-h

Category:Chefs-de-Race

Category:Epsom Derby winners