page_title: La Cucaracha (horse)
section_title: 2005: four-year-old season
hierarchical_section_title: La Cucaracha (horse) / Racing career / 2005: four-year-old season
caption_attribution_description: English: A view of the Ebor stand at York Racecourse. Photo taken 18 June 2005 by John Slade and released into the public domain.
context_page_description: La Cucaracha was a British Thoroughbred racehorse and broodmare. Bred and owned by the Yorkshire businessman Guy Reed she was trained by Barry Hills at Lambourn. She was a specialist sprinter, who won both of her races as a juvenile but injury restricted her career to five races in two years until she emerged as a top class sprinter as a four-year-old. In 2005 she won four of her seven races including the Cammidge Trophy and Ballyogan Stakes before recording her biggest win in the Nunthorpe Stakes. La Cucaracha remained in training at five and recorded another major victory on her final racecourse appearance when she won the King George Stakes.
context_section_description: La Cucaracha returned from her second lengthy absence to contest the Listed Cammidge Trophy at Doncaster Racecourse on 2 April 2005 and started a 14/1 outsider in an eleven runner field headed by the veteran handicapper Smokin Beau. After being restrained by Hills in the early stages, the filly took the lead a furlong out and recorded her first important win, beating the five-year-old gelding The Kiddykid by half a length. After the race Barry Hills said "I thought she needed this race. Hopefully, she will progress from this... She has a lot of speed and won't want more than six furlongs".
  In the Duke of York Stakes five weeks later, the filly failed to reproduce her Doncaster form, finishing ninth of the eleven runners behind The Kiddykid. For her next race, La Cucaracha was sent to Ireland for the Group Three Ballyogan Stakes at Leopardstown Racecourse on 1 June and started 9/2 second favourite behind her fellow English raider Kind. After racing in fifth place, the filly took the lead approaching the final furlong and won by half a length and a head from Alexander Icequeen and Kind. Michael Hills commented" La Cucaracha is a good filly on fast ground like we had tonight. Things went against her in the race. She was drawn on the outside and had to race wide. She got on to the wrong lead on the final bend and that made it harder for her". La Cucaracha faced Kind again when she returned to England for the Summer Stakes at York on 8 July. After tracking the leaders, she took the lead approaching the final furlong but was overtaken in the closing stages and beaten three lengths by the Richard Hannon, Sr.-trained Lucky Spin. Over the same course and distance two weeks later, the filly was assigned top weight of 136 pounds in the Skybet Dash Handicap and started 9/2 favourite despite carrying at least ten pounds more than any of her fourteen opponents. Hills sent the filly into the lead a furlong out and she kept on well to win by three quarters of a length from the eight-year-old gelding Connect.
  After racing over six furlongs for most of her career, La Cucaracha was dropped back to five furlongs and stepped up to Group One class for the first time when she contested the Nunthorpe Stakes on firm ground at York on 18 August. The French challenger Chineur started favourite after winning the King's Stand Stakes at Royal Ascot ahead of Avonbridge with La Cucaracha next in the betting on 7/1 alongside The Tatling (winner of the King's Stand in 2004). The other runners included Balmont (Middle Park Stakes), Moss Vale (Sandy Lane Stakes), Benbaun, Fire Up The Band (King George Stakes), Boogie Street (Achilles Stakes), Majestic Missile (Molecomb Stakes, Cornwallis Stakes), Fayr Jag (Golden Jubilee Stakes), The Trader (Prix du Gros Chene), Orientor (Chipchase Stakes) and Bahamian Pirate (winner of the race in the previous year). Hills restrained the filly in the early stages as Boogie Street set the pace, but then made forward move in the last quarter mile. La Cucaracha accelerated into the lead inside the final furlong and held off a strong late challenge from The Tatling to win by a head, with Majestic Missile taking third ahead of Boogie Street and Benbaun. After the race Michael Hills said "It's a good feeling. She quickened so well for me. But as soon as she got to the front she thought she'd done enough - she nearly gave me a heart attack. I felt I had enough horse to keep in front, but she was just pulling up when I got to the lead. She's improved and improved and she loves this surface. The race went perfect, the split came with just a furlong to run and I had loads of horse under me". Barry Hills commented "She's good and she will get better. She likes it quick, there's no doubt about that, and it helps stop some of the others when it's on the fast side". Guy Reed, who was winning his first Group One race in 37 years as an owner had backed the filly at 33/1: he commented "I backed her first show, and my bookmaker will have been watching this. He's a decent chap."
  On her next appearance, La Cucaracha was moved back up to six 
caption: York Racecourse, where La Cucaracha won the Nunthorpe Stakes in 2005
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