St Jovite is an Irish

Ireland

Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...

 Thoroughbred

Thoroughbred

The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word thoroughbred is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed...

 racehorse

Horse racing

Horse racing is an equestrian sport that has a long history. Archaeological records indicate that horse racing occurred in ancient Babylon, Syria, and Egypt. Both chariot and mounted horse racing were events in the ancient Greek Olympics by 648 BC...

. Bred and raced by American Virginia Kraft Payson, he was sired by Pleasant Colony

Pleasant Colony

Pleasant Colony was an American Thoroughbred racehorse who won the first two legs of the 1981 U.S. Triple Crown series....

, winner of the 1981 Kentucky Derby

Kentucky Derby

The Kentucky Derby is a Grade I stakes race for three-year-old Thoroughbred horses, held annually in Louisville, Kentucky, United States on the first Saturday in May, capping the two-week-long Kentucky Derby Festival. The race is one and a quarter mile at Churchill Downs. Colts and geldings carry...

 and Preakness Stakes

Preakness Stakes

The Preakness Stakes is an American flat Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds held on the third Saturday in May each year at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland. It is a Grade I race run over a distance of 9.5 furlongs on dirt. Colts and geldings carry 126 pounds ; fillies 121 lb...

. He was out of Ms. Payson's mare, Northern Sunset, a granddaughter of the preeminent sire of the 20th Century, Northern Dancer

Northern Dancer

Northern Dancer was a Canadian-bred Thoroughbred racehorse and the most successful sire of the 20th Century. The National Thoroughbred Racing Association calls him "one of the most influential sires in Thoroughbred history"....

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Sent to race on Europe

Europe

Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...

an turf

Grass

Grasses, or more technically graminoids, are monocotyledonous, usually herbaceous plants with narrow leaves growing from the base. They include the "true grasses", of the Poaceae family, as well as the sedges and the rushes . The true grasses include cereals, bamboo and the grasses of lawns ...

 courses under Irish trainer Jim Bolger

Jim Bolger (racehorse trainer)

James S. "Jim" Bolger is an Thoroughbred racehorse trainer and breeder based in Coolcullen in County Kilkenny. For many years now he has been recognised as one of the racing greats in Ireland...

, in 1991 St Jovite was voted the Champion 2-year-old in Ireland after winning the Anglesey

Anglesey Stakes

The Anglesey Stakes is a Group 3 flat horse race in Ireland open to two-year-old thoroughbreds. It is run at the Curragh over a distance of 6 furlongs and 63 yards , and it is scheduled to take place each year in July....

 and Futurity Stakes

Futurity Stakes (Ireland)

The Futurity Stakes is a Group 2 flat horse race in Ireland open to two-year-old thoroughbreds. It is run at the Curragh over a distance of 7 furlongs , and it is scheduled to take place each year in August.-History:...

. At three, the colt ran second to Dr Devious

Dr Devious

Dr Devious is an Irish-bred and British-trained Thoroughbred race horse, winner of the Epsom Derby in 1992.-Background:Bred by Lyonstown Stud, Dr Devious was sired by Ahonoora and out of the mare Rose of Jericho, a daughter of two-time Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe winner Alleged...

 in the 1992 Epsom Derby

Epsom Derby

The Derby Stakes, popularly known as The Derby, internationally as the Epsom Derby, and under its present sponsor as the Investec Derby, is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies...

. St Jovite then defeated Dr Devious by twelve lengths while setting a new Curragh Racecourse

Curragh Racecourse

The Curragh Racecourse, usually abbreviated to The Curragh, is Ireland's most important Thoroughbred race track. It is situated on the Curragh plain near Newbridge, County Kildare, Ireland.- History :...

 record in winning the Irish Derby. Following his win over older horses in the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes, St. Jovite ran second again by a fraction of a nose to Dr Devious in the Irish Champion Stakes

Irish Champion Stakes

The Irish Champion Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Ireland which is open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run at Leopardstown over a distance of 1 mile and 2 furlongs , and it is scheduled to take place each year in September.-History:The event was established in 1976, and...

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Sent to Longchamp Racecourse in Paris

Paris

Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...

, France

France

The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

 for the prestigious Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe

Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe

The Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe is a Group 1 flat horse race in France which is open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run at Longchamp over a distance of 2,400 metres , and it is scheduled to take place each year, usually on the first Sunday in October.Popularly referred to as the...

, St Jovite finished fourth to winner, Subotica

Subotica (horse)

Subotica is a French Thoroughbred racehorse. He was bred by Paul de Moussac at his Haras du Mezeray in Lower Normandy. Through his sire Pampabird, owned by de Moussac, Subotica is a descendant of the great Nearco...

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Retired to stud

Stud (animal)

A stud animal is a registered animal retained for breeding. The terms for the male of a given animal species usually imply that the animal is entire—that is, not castrated—and therefore capable of siring offspring...

 duty, St Jovite was purchased by Greentree Stud in Newtown, County Tipperary

Newtown, County Tipperary

This article is about the town of Newtown, County Tipperary, for the townland of Newtown see Newtown, Ormond LowerNewtown is a hamlet in North Tipperary, Ireland. It is located on the R494 regional road west of Nenagh. It is in the barony of Owney and Arra...

 in Ireland where he now stands. Among his notable offspring is Amerique, a winner in the United States of the San Juan Capistrano Invitational Handicap

San Juan Capistrano Invitational Handicap

The San Juan Capistrano Invitational Handicap is an American invitational handicap Thoroughbred horse race run annually on turf at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California. It is North America's longest graded stakes race. Open to horses age four and older, the Grade II event currently offers a...

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