Ethereal (horse)

Ethereal
Ethereal
Sire	Rhythm (USA)
Grandsire	Mr. Prospector
Dam
Damsire	Sir Tristram
Sex	Mare
Foaled	16 November 1997
Country	New Zealand
Colour	Bay
Breeder	Peter J. Vela & Phillip M. Vela
Owner	Peter J. Vela & Phillip M. Vela
Trainer	Sheila Laxon
Record	21: 8-1-3
Earnings	A$4,762,135
Major wins
	Doomben Roses (2001); Queensland Oaks (2001); Caulfield Cup (2001); Melbourne Cup (2001); The BMW Stakes (2002)
Awards
	Waikato Horse of the Year Award (2002); Australian Champion Stayer (2002)
Honours
	New Zealand Racing Hall of Fame
	Last updated on 8 September 2007

Ethereal (foaled 16 November 1997)^[1] is a New Zealand thoroughbred racehorse. The mare is best known for winning the 2001 Melbourne Cup.

Background[]

Ethereal is a bay mare owned and bred by brothers Peter and Phillip Vela, who own Pencarrow Stud and New Zealand Bloodstock. Ethereal was sired by the 1989 U.S. Champion 2-Yr-Old Colt and Breeders' Cup Juvenile winner, Rhythm (USA). Her grandsire was the very influential Champion sire Mr. Prospector. Her dam was , a Hong Kong Cup winner and a daughter of leading sire Sir Tristram (IRE). Ethereal was trained during her racing career by Sheila Laxon.

Racing career[]

Ethereal won four Group One races, including three of the most important staying races in Australia, the Caulfield and Melbourne Cups in 2001^[2] and The BMW Stakes in 2002. An international campaign was considered to possibly include the Arc de Triomphe, but was abandoned due to the tough racing she had endured the previous season.

She was named Australian Champion Stayer, but was beaten to the title of New Zealand & Australian Horse of the Year by the champion mare Sunline.

Stud record[]

Immediately following her win in the 2002 BMW Stakes, Ethereal was retired from racing to serve as a broodmare for her owner's at Hamilton, New Zealand.

At stud, Ethereal has produced a Giant's Causeway filly named Uberalles who was third in the Group 2 and was third in the Group 1 New Zealand Derby. In 2007 Ethereal's colt by Stravinsky, sold for NZ$1,300,000 at the Karaka Premier sale in 2007.^[3]

References[]

^ "Ethereal (NZ) 1997". NZRacing. New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing Inc. Retrieved 25 May 2014.
^ 2001 Melbourne Cup result
^ Pencarrow Stud Retrieved 28 May 2009

External links[]

Ethereal's pedigree and partial racing stats

[1] "Ethereal (NZ) 1997". NZRacing. New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing Inc. Retrieved 25 May 2014.

[2] 2001 Melbourne Cup result

[3] Pencarrow Stud Retrieved 28 May 2009

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