Tromos

Tromos (10 March 1976 – October 1982) was a British Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. In the autumn of 1978 he won the Clarence House Stakes by thirteen lengths and the Dewhurst Stakes by three. As a result of these performances he was rated the best two-year-old racehorse in Europe by both the independent Timeform organisation and the official International Classification. After being beaten in the Craven Stakes on his first run in 1979 he suffered from ill health and did not race again in Europe. He returned to racing as a four-year-old in the United States but was well beaten in both his races. Tromos was then retired to stud, but died only two years later. Background Tromos was a "fine, big, rangy" flaxen chestnut colt with a broad white blaze and four white stockings bred by his owner George Cambanis. His dam Stilvi was bought by Cambanis as a yearling and became a top-class racehorse, winning the King George Stakes and Duke of York Stakes and an outstanding broodmare. Before Tromos, she had produced the Middle Park Stakes winner Tachypous and went on to produce the Irish Derby winner Tyrnavos and the Coronation Stakes winner Tolmi. Tromos is a Greek word meaning "a trembling or quaking with fear". The colt was sent into training with Bruce Hobbs at his Palace House stables in Newmarket and was ridden in his British races by the lightweight jockey John "Kipper" Lynch. Racing career 1978: two-year-old season Tromos made his racecourse debut in the Ribero Stakes over six furlongs at Doncaster Racecourse in September. He appeared to be less than fully fit, but showed some promise to finish third, beaten two lengths and a neck by Indian Brave and Sandford Boy. Twelve days later the colt was sent to Ascot Racecourse for the six furlong Clarence House Stakes. Tromos raced close to the lead before going clear of the field in the last quarter mile and drawing away to win by thirteen lengths from the Queen's colt Milford. Lynch said that he thought that something must have happened to the horses behind him as "everything had suddenly gone quiet". In October, Tromos was moved up in class and distance to contest the Group One Dewhurst Stakes, Britain's most prestigious race for two-year-olds over seven furlongs at Newmarket Racecourse. He started at odds of 11/4, making him third favourite in a field of six runners behind R B Chesne and More Light, who had finished first and second in the Champagne Stakes.