Chief Contender (foaled 30 March 1993) was an Irish-bred British-trained Thoroughbred racehorse who recorded his best wins in France. He showed good form as a three-year-old when he won three races including the Listed Grand Prix de la Region des Pays de La Loire and was placed in the Gordon Stakes, Prix Kergorlay and Prix de Lutèce. In the following year he ran third in the Prix Kergorlay and the Prix Gladiateur before recording his biggest win when he defeated a very strong field of stayers to take the Prix du Cadran. He was then sold and exported to Australia where he had no success. Background Chief Contender was a bay horse bred in Ireland by Jayeff 'B' Stables & Calogo Bloodstock A G. As a yearling he was sent to the United States and offered for sale at Keeneland where he was bought for $385,000 by George Harris Bloodstock. He entered the ownership of a partnership including Susan Magnier, Robert Sangster and Richard Santulli. The colt was sent into training with Peter Chapple-Hyam at Manton, Wiltshire. He was from the eighth crop of foals sired by Sadler's Wells, who won the Irish 2000 Guineas, Eclipse Stakes and Irish Champion Stakes in 1984 and went on to be the Champion sire on fourteen occasions. Chief Condender's dam Minnie Hauk was a daughter of the influential broodmare Best In Show, whose other descendants included El Gran Senor, Try My Best, Xaar, Jazil, Rags to Riches and Redoute's Choice. Minnie Hauk had previously produced the successful racehorse and broodmare Aviance. Racing career 1996: three-year-old season Chief Contender did not race as a two-year-old and began his racing career by finishing ninth in a maiden race over one and a half miles at Newmarket Racecourse on 16 April 1996. On his next appearance on 5 May the colt ran in a maiden over the same distance at Salisbury Racecourse in which he was ridden by the apprentice jockey Robert Havlin and started at odds of 10/1 in a ten-runner field. He took the lead from the start and recorded his first success as he drew away from his opponents in the final furlong came home nine lengths clear of Wilawander. Havlin was again in the saddle when Chief Contender started 5/6 favourite for a minor race over the same course and distance. The colt again made all the running and won by three