01/03/2025
The Pentagon 03/11/2002 - 24/02/2025
💔 RIP our little champion 😢
Bred as a foal for foal agreement by Steve & Ceri at Ampulla Lodge on the advice of the late, great pedigree consultant Diane Neylon, by resident stallion Super Jet (USA) & first foal from Wicked Way (by Red Anchor). Upon the death of his dam, in foal to Super Jet with our clients foal, we offered our client a half share in the little weanling that became The Pentagon.
It was our partner's choice to send the tiny c**t to SA for breaking in & to be trained by Mark Kavanagh. When Ceri took him off the truck at Morphetteville in February as a yearling & put him in a stable at Kavanagh's, she could only see his ears over the door, as small as he was.
The Pentagon was broken in, gelded & spelled in SA but didn’t make it back to Kavanagh’s stable, as it was decided that he would be sent to Mick Kent at Cranbourne. Given time to grow (he made it to 15hh 🤣) & mature, his first race start came at Cranbourne in January 2007 over 1400m, ridden by Michelle Payne he was beaten almost 10 lengths. Michelle was instrumental in The Pentagon being trained as a stayer, she had always insisted after his early trials that even though he was small, he was a stayer not a sprinter. The Pentagon won at his 4th lifetime start over 2037m at Kyneton in February 2007.
Shortly thereafter The Pentagon began schooling & trialling over the jumps. He finished 2nd on the flat at Sandown over 3000m in mid 2007 & after a wind operation, it took another 12 months of education to see him make his hurdle debut, defeating the already accomplished jumper Kingston Scene to win at Cranbourne. The Pentagon then ran 2nd at Moe, beaten by Big Noise after having a fallen horse hamper him (he actually hurdled it too 😮). He won his 3rd jumps start defeating the QLD Derby winner Desert Master in a neck for neck, head bobbing, exciting finish at Sandown in July 2008!
Next prep he turned his hoof to the big fences, having 2 steeplechase starts (even though he couldn’t see over them!) before succumbing to the 1st of his 4 tendon injuries. Upon his return to racing in mid 2009 he ran 2nd in a Moonee Valley hurdle - after which he needed another wind operation.
The Pentagon was pre trained & rehabbed many times in his life by Ampulla Lodge, Kim Schick, Robert Palm & Katja Weimann.
Come June 2010 he was set on a Grand National Hurdle campaign - winning 2nd up at Sale on the flat over 2211m, a race which he was subsequently disqualified for a positive swab to ibuprofen (to treat tendon injuries) - one of the first to be discovered that the drug remains in the system to be released at random, it is now banned.
After overcoming 4 tendon injuries & 2 wind ops, The Pentagon’s 2010 campaign culminated in his terrific Grand National Hurdle win, coming from last & defeating the likes of Desert Master, Regal Heir, Vindicating etc. by 8 lengths on a bog track at Sandown, ridden by his regular & only jumps partner in Gerrad Gilmour🏆
It took almost 12 months for him to race again & then he only had 6 more starts in 2yrs before he was retired back to Ampulla Lodge. Here he loved life being a mate for racehorse spellers, a nanny for weanlings, even teaching our yearlings to swim & eventually becoming best friend to our HK champion G1 winner Seasons Bloom (Le Capitaine).
After the sale of the farm in 2021, The Pentagon & Seasons Bloom had a sea change, relocating to a lovely paddock with a great view in the lakeside Victorian town of Metung, living life to the max 🥰The Pentagon always being the first to gallop up the paddock for his dinner - right up to his last day 😃
Enjoy the big paddock in the sky Wicky, always loved & will be greatly missed by ourselves & your mate Captain 💔🐎
