Sierra Nevada v Sierra Nevada: two horses with same name set for confusing clash

A most unusual clash is set to take place at Gowran Park on Sunday as two horses with the same name have been declared to run against each other.

Two fillies named Sierra Nevada, one a three-year-old trained by Jessica Harrington and the other aged four trained by Charles O'Brien, have been declared for the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Fillies Maiden (4.50), creating the potential for confusion among punters and betting shop staff.

It is believed that this would be the first time two horses of the same name have run against each other in Britain or Ireland since 1994.

The last example came in a conditions race at Yarmouth just shy of 28 years ago when Averti, bred in Ireland, came fifth ahead of a US-bred runner also named Averti in sixth.

Jessica Harrington: trains the US-bred Sierra NevadaCredit: Patrick McCann (racingpost.com/photos)

Sunday's name clash has arisen due to one of the fillies being registered in the States and the other in Britain.

Horse Racing Ireland's director of racing Jason Morris said: "Britain and Ireland have a joint stud book so GB and IRE-suffixed horses cannot have the same name.

"However, horses born and registered in other racing jurisdictions or stud books can have the same name, with the suffix then being the distinguishing feature.

"In this case, the four-year-old has a GB suffix and the three-year-old has a USA suffix."

It's understood that no adjustments will be made to differentiate between the two in racecards should the clash materialise, with there being nothing in Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board rules or HRI directives to preclude such a scenario.

Jessica Harrington's Sierra Nevada, owned and bred by the Niarchos family's Flaxman Holdings Limited, looks one of the main contenders in Sunday's 1m1½f contest after running creditably to finish third and fourth on her opening two starts of the season.

Her namesake, trained by Charles O'Brien and owned by Sue Magnier, will need to improve a fair deal from her sole start at Gowran last October when beaten 28 lengths in 12th of 15 runners, not helped by a slow start on that occasion.

Charles O'Brien: trainer of the British-bred Sierra NevadaCredit: Patrick McCann (racingpost.com/photos)

Nicola McGeady of Ladbrokes told the Racing Post that all efforts will be made to avoid confusion this weekend.

McGeady said: "It's certainly an unusual one. Shop staff will be made aware of this so customers can specify which one they want a bet on, plus we will include a message on the race screens and audio around racetime ensuring there is no confusion.

"In addition, pre-race [officials] have confirmed they will add the countries to the names [displayed]."

Not for the first time

One of the more notable examples of two horses of the same name running in the same race came in a steeplechase at Keele Park on New Year's Eve in 1896 when two horses called Lambton finished first and second. Previously, there had been two horses named Ibrahim who were unplaced in the 1835 Derby.

In August 1979, Ginistrelli, trained by Henry Cecil, won a maiden race at Yarmouth with another horse of the same name finishing fourth. The winner went on to land the following year's Lingfield Derby Trial.

There have been more occasions when two namesakes have run on the same day but in different races, including in September 1996 when two horses called Tart won at both Yarmouth and Sandown.

Other notable examples of horses sharing the same name with a different breeding suffix include two Galileos. One bred in Ireland went on to win the 2001 Derby and become one of the sport's greatest stallions, while his Polish-bred namesake landed the 2002 Royal and SunAlliance Novices' Hurdle for Tom George.

The year after the French-bred Binocular won the 2010 Champion Hurdle for Nicky Henderson, a British-bred gelding by the same name won a Clonmel handicap hurdle while rated 107 for Pat Flynn.

More recently there have been two horses in Ireland both called
Sharjah. Susannah Ricci's Sharjah, trained by Willie Mullins, carries the French-bred suffix and was last seen winning his sixth career Grade 1 in the Matheson Hurdle in December, while the Irish-bred Sharjah was a Dundalk stalwart, recording nine of his 15 wins at the all-weather venue for Andy Slattery.

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