Anzum (foaled 6 April 1991) was a British Thoroughbred racehorse best known for his performances in National Hunt racing. After failing to win in eight races on the flat he made an immediate impact when switched to hurdle races, winning his first six races over obstacles including the Summit Junior Hurdle and taking third place in the Triumph Hurdle. After winning only once in the next three years he established himself as a leading staying hurdler in 1999 with wins in the Stayers' Hurdle, Champion Stayers Hurdle and Long Walk Hurdle. He ran his last race in April 2001 and was retired with a record of ten wins and fourteen places from thirty-two starts.
Background
Anzum was a bay gelding with no white markings bred by the Herefordshire-based Cobhall Court Stud. He was sired by Ardross, an outstanding stayer who won thirteen Group races including two runnings of the Ascot Gold Cup and was British Horse of the Year in 1982. As a breeding stallion he made an impact as a sire of National Hunt horses including the Champion Hurdler Alderbrook, Young Kenny (Scottish Grand National), Avro Anson (Dipper Novices' Chase) and Burgoyne (West Yorkshire Hurdle): he is also the paternal grandsire of Coneygree. Anzum's dam Muznah was a fairly useful racehorse, winning two of her nine races and achieving a Timeform racing of 92 in 1983. She was a great-great-great granddaughter of the broodmare Lost Soul whose other descendants included Hethersett, Neasham Belle and Doyoun. Muznah had previously foaled the Top Novices' Hurdle winner Jazilah and went on to produce the Grade 2 winning hurdler Sh Boom.
As a foal, Anzum was sent to the November sale at Doncaster and was bought for 3,400 guineas by David Minton Bloodstock. A year later, he was offered for auction at Tattersalls and was sold for 9,800 guineas to Margaret O'Toole. During his racing career, the gelding was owned by The Old Foresters Partnership. He was initially sent into training with David Nicholson (best known as a trainer of steeplechasers) in Gloucestershire.
Racing career
Flat racing career
Anzum made little impression in four races as a two-year-old in 1993, producing his best effort on his final appearance when he finished third in a ten furlong maiden race at Nottingham Racecourse in October. He failed to win in four attempts as a three-year-old, but showed some signs of ability in maidens and minor handicap races, never finishing worse than third. His best effort probably came when he finished second to the future Chester Cup winner Silence In Court over fourteen furlongs at Nottingham in May.
1994/1995 National Hunt season: novice hurdle races
Anzum made his debut over obstacles in a novice hurdle at Bangor-on-Dee Racecourse on 28 October in which he was ridden by Warren Marston and won by nine lengths from Symbol of Success. Marston was again in the saddle when the gelding won a similar event at Newbury Racecourse on 9 November, beating Khatir by nine lengths at odds of 13/8. Two weeks later, ridden by Adrian Maguire he started odds-on favourite at Nottingham and completed his hat-trick, beating Tulu by one and a half lengths. On 10 December, Anzum was moved up in class for the Grade 2 Summit Junior Hurdle at Lingfield Park Racecourse in which he was ridden by Robert Massey. Starting the 10/11 favourite in a seven-runner field on heavy ground, he took the lead approaching the second last and held off the late challenge of the Toby Balding-trained Brave Tornado to win by three-quarters of a length.
Anzum took his winning run to five at Warwick Racecourse in January when Marston rode him to a six length win in the Red Rose Novices' Hurdle at odds of 4/9. The gelding's winning streak stretched to six in February when he led from the start in the Stroud Green Hurdle at Newbury and won by twenty lengths from the filly Karline Ka. On 16 March 1995, Anzum raced for the first time at the Cheltenham Festival where he was one of twenty-six four-year-olds to contest the Grade 1 Triumph Hurdle. Ridden by Marton he started the 9/1 third favourite behind Balanak (winner of the Dovecote Novices' Hurdle and Silver Wedge (Queen's Vase, Tolworth Hurdle). After losing ground at the fourth hurdle he made steady progress in the closing stages without ever looking likely to win and finished fourth behind Kissair, Silver Wedge and the subsequently disqualified Dr Leunt. On his final appearance of the season he was sent to Ireland and finished sixth behind Shaihar in the Champion Four Year Old Hurdle at Punchestown.