Committed (26 February 1980 – 3 May 2009) was an American-bred, Irish-trained Thoroughbred racehorse and broodmare. A specialist sprinter, she competed in four countries and won seventeen of her thirty races between 1982 and 1986. She showed promise as a two-year-old in 1982 and won six consecutive races in the following season, when she was campaigned exclusively in Ireland. As a four-year-old, she emerged as one of the leading sprinters in Europe, winning the Cork and Orrery Stakes and Nunthorpe Stakes in England and the Prix de l'Abbaye in France. In the following year she won the Ballyogan Stakes and Flying Five Stakes before becoming the third horse to win the Prix de l'Abbaye for a second time. She was retired from racing to become a broodmare in the United States and had considerable success as a dam of winners. She died in 2009 at the age of twenty-nine.
Background
Committed was a powerfully built bay mare with a white star and white socks on her hind legs bred by the Hickory Tree Farm in Virginia. She was sired by Hagley, a top-class racehorse who won the Withers Stakes in 1970 but whose record has a breeding stallion had been relatively mediocre. Her dam Minstinguette produced several minor winners and was a granddaughter of Leading Home, a half-sister of the Belmont Stakes winner Bounding Home.
Committed was sent to the sales as a yearling but attracted little interest and was sold for $52,000 to representatives of the British businessman Robert Sangster. The filly was sent to Ireland and was trained by Dermot Weld at the Curragh, County Kildare.
Racing career
1982 & 1983 seasons: early career
In 1982, Committed finished unplaced on her debut, and then recorded her first win in a seven furlong maiden race at Galway Racecourse in July. She won a minor event at Leopardstown Racecourse in August and was then moved up sharply in class for the Group One Moyglare Stud Stakes at the Curragh in the following month. Starting a 20/1 outsider for the six furlong race she finished third behind the British-trained Habibti.
Committed improved throughout her three-year-old season in 1983. After being beaten in her first two races she won minor races at Phoenix Park Racecourse and Dundalk Racecourse and then took the July Scurry Handicap at the Curragh. She then returned to Phoenix Park for three weight-for-age wins of increasing importance. She won the Hardwicke Cup over seven furlongs, the Orchardstown Stud Stakes over six and ended her season by winning the Swordlestown Stud Stakes over six in October.
1984: four-year-old season
On her four-year-old debut in May, Committed finished second to the British-trained three-year-old Reesh in the Group Three Greenlands Stakes at the Curragh, beaten half a length after making up a great deal of ground in the final furlong. She was then tried over a mile and finished second by half a length to the Vincent O'Brien-trained Argosy in the Kilfrush/What a Guest Stakes at Phoenix Park.
In June Committed was raced outside Ireland for the first time when she was sent to Royal Ascot to contest the Cork and Orrery Stakes in which she was ridden by the Australian Brent Thomson and started the 3/1 favourite against fourteen opponents. She took the lead two furlongs from the finish and won by two and a half lengths from Celestial Dancer, with the Duke of York Stakes winner Gabitat, four lengths back in third. Committed was then moved up to Group One class for the first time since 1982 when she faced an exceptional field which included Habibti (the champion sprinter of 1983), Never So Bold (the champion sprinter of 1985) and Chief Singer in the July Cup at Newmarket Racecourse. She disputed the lead until the final furlong and eventually finished third of the nine runners behind Chief Singer and Never So Bold. The filly then returned to Ireland and won a second Hardwicke Cup, this time as odds-on favourite. In August, Committed ran over the minimum distance of five furlongs for the first time in her career when he ran in the Group One William Hill Sprint Championship at York Racecourse. Ridden again by Thomson, she started at 5/1 against a field which included Habibti, Reesh, Anita' Prince (King George Stakes) and Sayf El Arab (King's Stand Stakes). Committed took the lead approaching the final furlong and drew away from her opponents to win by four lengths in what Timeform described as "a devastating performance".