Kooyonga

Kooyonga was an Irish champion Thoroughbred racehorse who raced from 1990 to 1992. After showing good form as a juvenile, she had a highly successful three-year-old campaign, winning the Group One Irish 1000 Guineas and the Coronation Stakes and being named European Champion Three-Year-Old Filly at the Cartier Racing Awards. She stayed in training as a four-year-old and became the second filly (after Pebbles) to win the Eclipse Stakes.

Background

Kooyonga was bred in Ireland by Sean Collins at the Ovidstown Stud, near Maynooth, County Kildare. Her sire, Persian Bold was a successful racehorse who won the Richmond Stakes in 1977. He went on to be a “good” stallion, getting important winners such as Falcon Flight (Prix Hocquart), Persian Heights (St. James's Palace Stakes) and Bold Russian (Celebration Mile). Kooyonga’s dam, Anjuli, was an unraced half sister of the 2000 Guineas winner Roland Gardens.

Kooyonga was trained throughout her career by Michael Kauntze at Ashbourne, County Meath and ridden in all but three of her races by Warren O'Connor. Her name was derived from that of a Golf Club in South Australia.