page_title: Kirkconnel (horse)
section_title: 1895: three-year-old season
hierarchical_section_title: Kirkconnel (horse) / Racing career / 1895: three-year-old season
caption_attribution_description: Caricature of John Watts (1861-1902). Caption read "Johnny Watts". Biography&#160;: http://www.horseracinghistory.co.uk/hrho/action/viewDocument?id=885
context_page_description: Kirkconnel was a British Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. He showed very good form as a two-year-old in 1894, winning the Bedford Stakes, July Stakes and Lavant Stakes as well a finishing second in the Dewhurst Stakes and fourth in the Middle Park Plate. In the following year he won the 2000 Guineas and finished a close third in the Epsom Derby but was never as good thereafter, failing to win again and being retired at the end of 1896. He later stood as a breeding stallion in Germany with limited success.
context_section_description: In early 1895 J. Day replaced Percy Peck as Maple's private trainer and took over the training of Kirkconnel. On 1 May, Kirkconnel, ridden by John Watts and equipped with blinkers, started at odds of 10/1 in an eight-runner field for the 87th running of the 2000 Guineas over the Rowley Mile. Raconteur started favourite while the best fancied of the other runners were Speedwell, Sir Visto and Laveno. Kirkconnel was restrained towards the rear of the field for most of the way before moving into fourth place behind Sir Visto, Raconteur and Laveno two furlongs from the finish. He produced a strong late run to take the lead well inside the final furlong and won by a length from Laveno, with two lengths back to Sir Visto in third. His winning time of 1:42.4 eualled the track record set by Isinglass in 1893. Although the colt won in "fine style", Watts was not very enthusiastic after the race, commenting "the best-trained horse won. One of the others might do better next time".
  The immediate aftermath of the race Kirkconnel was elevated to favouritism for the Derby Stakes and he was expected to confirm his position when he started 5/4 favourite for the ten-furlong Newmarket Stakes on 15 May. He failed to live up to expectations however and finished fourth of the seven runners behind his unfancied stablemate The Owl. In the Derby over one and a half miles at Epsom Racecourse two weeks later Kirkconnel was ridden by Walter Bradford and started at odds of 100/8. He made steady progress to join the leaders two furlongs out and kept on well to finish third of the fifteen runners, beaten three quarters of a length and half a length by Sir Visto and Curzon. On 9 June he was sent to France to contest the Grand Prix de Paris over 3000 metres at Longchamp Racecourse but made no impact and finished unplaced behind the filly Andree. At the end of June he was narrowly beaten when attempting to concede 22 pounds to the four-year-old Pomade Royale in the Clarence and Avondale Stakes Handicap at Sandown Park.
caption: John Watts,who rode Kirkconnel to victory in the 2000 Guineas
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