| Sadler's Wells | |
|---|---|
| Sire | Northern Dancer |
| Grandsire | Nearctic |
| Dam | Fairy Bridge |
| Damsire | Bold Reason |
| Sex | Stallion |
| Foaled | 11 April 1981 |
| Died | 26 April 2011 (aged 30) |
| Country | United States |
| Colour | Bay |
| Breeder | Swettenham Stud |
| Owner | Robert Sangster |
| Trainer | Vincent O'Brien |
| Record | 11: 6–4–0 |
| Earnings | $663,423[1] |
| Major wins | |
| Beresford Stakes (1983) Derrinstown Stud Derby Trial (1984) Irish 2,000 Guineas (1984) Eclipse Stakes (1984) Phoenix Champion Stakes (1984) | |
| Awards | |
| Champion Miler in France (1984) Leading sire in Britain & Ireland (1990, 1992–2004) Leading sire in France (1993, 1994, 1999) Leading broodmare sire in Britain & Ireland (2005–2011) Leading broodmare sire in North America (2008–2010) Timeform rating: 132 | |
Sadler's Wells (11 April 1981 – 26 April 2011) was an American-bred, Irish-trained champion Thoroughbred racehorse and outstanding sire. He was the 1984 European Champion miler after winning the Irish 2,000 Guineas, Eclipse Stakes and Phoenix Champion Stakes in that year. He also finished second in the French Derby and the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes.
Despite his success as a runner, it is as a sire that Sadler's Wells is best known. He was the leading sire in Great Britain and Ireland a record-setting 14 times, including 13 titles in a row. At the time of his death, he had sired 323 stakes winners. Only Danehill, who was operational across both hemispheres, sired more. Sadler's Wells was also a notable sire of sires, including Galileo and Montjeu in Europe, and El Prado in the United States.[2] He helped reverse a trend from the middle of the twentieth century where many of Europe's most successful racehorses were exported to stand in the United States and later Japan.