When Nijinsky was born in Ontario, Canada, there was very little indication that he would be the one to influence horse racing on the other end of the world. In appearance, he was a beautiful horse with three white feet and a star. At a young age, he was bought by Charles W. Engelhard, Jr, who did so at the advice of one Vincent O’Brien, an experienced trainer from Ireland. Charles’s wife, Jane, was so taken by the horse that she decided to name him after Vaslav Nijinsky, the popular dancer. Soon after he was bought, the horse was transported to Ireland, where he would undergo training under O’brien and become one of the champions of the world in due time.
Life abroad
At the age of 3 , Nijinsky found himself with strong opposition at the Epsom Derby. His main challenger at this point was Gyr, and it was felt that the Canadian horse wouldn’t be able to pull it off but did anyways. He followed this up quickly by winning the Irish Derby a few months later. He would go on to rack up a staccato of wins and establish himself in the mainstream. He also worn the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes and the St. Leger stakes among many, many others.
Things appeared to have taken a dip when Nijinsky contacted ringworm. After being placed in a strictly diet that would ensure quick recovery, he was allowed to run in a handful of races. Master jockeys of the game seemed to concur that Nijinsky was not as good as he used to be, and the horse was eventually retired. His post-racing job was that of a stud, and he sired hundreds of foals. Nijinsky was put down in 1992 as a result of a series of health challenged that were associated with old age. He had earned close to $700,000 throughout his career.
