One of the true turf greats dies at 26

[Indian Charlie]

He was one of my favorites.. From BRIS:

The outstanding turf horse MANILA (Lyphard), who was enshrined in the National Museum of Racing's Hall of Fame last August, has died in Turkey at the age of 26. According to the website of the Turkish Jockey Club, the bay stallion succumbed Saturday after suffering an aortic rupture.

Trained throughout his career by Leroy Jolley, Manila compiled a sparkling record of 12 wins and five runner-up efforts from 18 starts, with a bankroll of $2,692,799. His lone unplaced effort came on his career debut in a six-furlong sprint at Saratoga as a juvenile.

Manila initially raced for his breeder, Eduardo M. Cojuangco Jr. After failing to win in his first three starts on dirt, he was sold to Bradley "Mike" Shannon, for whom he would achieve stardom.

In his first outing for his new owner, Manila romped by eight lengths in an off-the-turf maiden at old Hialeah. He finally got the opportunity to race on the grass next time out in a Keeneland allowance, rolling to a 7 1/4-length victory. Manila stepped up into stakes company, finishing second in the Forerunner S. and Saranac S. (G2). He would not taste defeat again for more than a year.

Manila went on a tear, reeling off nine straight wins. Defeating fellow sophomores in the Cinema H. (G2) and Lexington S. (G2), the improving colt then dismissed his elders in the United Nations H. (G1) and the Ballantine's Scotch Classic (G3), the latter by 9 1/2 commanding lengths.

Manila cut it much closer in his next two, but he was along in time to claim the Turf Classic (G1) by a nose, and he overcame trouble that would have scuttled the hopes of a mortal in the 1986 Breeders' Cup Turf (G1) at Santa Anita. On that day, he won going away from future champion Theatrical (Ire) by a neck, with champion turf mare Estrapade another 3 3/4 lengths back in third and European phenom Dancing Brave a well-beaten fourth. For his efforts, Manila took home the Eclipse Award as champion turf horse.

In 1987, Manila kept his streak going with three-length scores in the Elkhorn S. and Early Times Turf Classic, and he defended his United Nations title by 2 1/2 lengths while conceding nine pounds to the runner-up. Assigned 127 pounds for the Bernard Baruch H. (G2), he missed by just a half-length to Talakeno, who got in with a mere 115. Manila promptly rebounded with an emphatic victory in the Arlington Million (G1), again mastering Theatrical, who was beaten more than four lengths in third.

Shannon and Jolley were contemplating an assault on the famed Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe (Fr-G1) at Longchamp, but injury foiled those dreams. The Million wound up being Manila's final start, and in his absence, Theatrical went on to earn champion turf horse honors.

At stud, Manila sired multiple Grade 1 turf star Bien Bien, an earner of more than $2.3 million; Italian Group 1 winner Great Palm; and French Group 3 queen and dual classic-placed Agathe, who is the dam of English and French highweight mare Aquarelliste (Danehill) and current multiple Grade 1 hero Artiste Royal (Ire) (Danehill). Manila was exported to Turkey in 1997.

Out of the *Le Fabuleux mare Dona Ysidra, Manila was a half-brother to Irish co-champion miler Stately Don (Nureyev), the winner of the 1987 Secretariat S. (G1) and Hollywood Derby (G1).

To put Manila's racing career in its proper perspective, it is worth remembering that the late Joe Hirsch paid him a profound compliment. In response to a reader's question about the best grass horses he'd ever seen, the dean of American turf writers answered thus:

"Round Table and Manila."