Racing Career
The colt was unbeaten as a two-year-old. He won the Railway Stakes (Gr3) and National Stakes (Gr2) at The Curragh in Ireland. For his final race that year, he was sent to Newmarket in England for the Dewhurst Stakes (Gr1), the most prestigious two-year-old race in that country. His easy defeat of Rainbow Quest earned him an unusually high two-year-old rating of 131 from Timeform.
As a three-year-old, El Gran Senor again raced four times. Injury ended his season mid-summer. He easily won the Gladness Stakes (L) at The Curragh and then returned to Newmarket in England, where he competed in the 2,000 Guineas Stakes (Gr1), the first Classic of the year. El Gran Senor beat Chief Singer, Lear Fan and Rainbow Quest in that race. In the months that followed El Gran Senor's win at Newmarket, Chief Singer took the St. James's Palace Stakes (Gr1) and Sussex Stakes (Gr1) over a mile and the July Cup (Gr1) over six furlongs. Lear Fan, who later became a very successful stallion, won the Prix Jacques le Marois (Gr1) over a mile at Deauville in France. Rainbow Quest, who became one of the best stallions in England, won the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe (Gr1) at Longchamp in France and the Coronation Cup (Gr1) at Epsom in England.
Despite doubts over his stamina, stemming from the amount of speed in the distaff side of his pedigree and the speed he had shown at Newmarket, El Gran Senor was an odds-on favourite for the Derby (Gr1) over 12 furlongs at Epsom. In the stretch, he engaged in a battle with another Irish-trained colt in Secreto and lost narrowly. Secreto had finished third in the Irish 2,000 Guineas (Gr1) over a mile at The Curragh in his previous race. Both colts, trained by father and son, were sired by the same stallion, were bred at the same stud farm and, it has been reported, had shared a paddock when they were a year old.
Secreto was subsequently injured and never raced again. He became a reasonably successful stallion. El Gran Senor went on to beat Rainbow Quest in the Irish Derby (Gr1) over 12 furlongs at The Curragh. He then sustained an injury and was retired to stud in America.
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