The bulk of this colt's brief career took place during the summer and fall of 2021. Based on the West Coast during that period, he would later arrive in the East for one start. And in between all of that, he was named champion of his division.

Like so many two-year-olds before him, Corniche was first spotted at Del Mar. Debuting against maiden special weight company by the beach in early September 2021, the bay Thoroughbred made good on his 1-2 odds. Starting from post ten, the Quality Road colt took charge early and built a comfortable lead by the time he reached the far turn. No one could match him, and the stout Corniche and Mike Smith won handily in a terrific debut.

The performance was highly rated, for Corniche made the giant leap to the Grade I ranks next time out. Meeting six rivals in Santa Anita's American Pharoah Stakes on October 1, Corniche was also asked to try a mile and one-sixteenth. For this race, he went from the extreme outside post to the rail, and had slightly different odds at 2-5.

But the result was the same, and the encore performance was another strong one.

Running well at the start, Corniche and Smith again took the early lead. No one else could grab it as the field moved along Santa Anita's main oval, and no one could keep up with Corniche in the stretch. Once more, he was well ahead of the runner up when he met the wire.

Start number three entailed a return to San Diego County. Back at Del Mar for the Grade I Breeders' Cup Juvenile, Corniche sought another score at a mile and a sixteenth. And this time, he was back at the far outside post when he entered the starting gate.

Corniche and Smith had ten rivals to defeat. At odds of 7-5, exiting from the eleven slot was no problem. They easily cleared the opposition and secured the inside before they reached the clubhouse turn, and had the lead to themselves as they navigated the Del Mar dirt surface. Some tried to get the better of the race favorite after completing the last turn, but Corniche was strongest in the stretch and again had no challengers at the finish.

The return engagement to Del Mar was the perfect way to cap off the season, and it also sealed Champion-Two-Year-Old honors for Corniche. But it would be months before the colt appeared on track again.

None of the Triple Crown races would feature Corniche. Instead, the colt would make his return in July 2022 at Saratoga Race Course. Now with a new trainer in Todd Pletcher after being conditioned by Bob Baffert, Corniche made his three-year-old debut in the Grade II Amsterdam Stakes. Back in a sprint, the assignment consisted of six and one-half furlongs. Favored again at 1.65-1, Corniche began from the seven hole with Luis Saez taking the reins. Initially stalking the leaders in third place, Corniche began to lose ground in the turn. He would not recover, and went on to finish ninth at the Spa.

Corniche never made another start after the Amsterdam. Later retired due to injury, he has since begun a stallion career. No one knows whether he will be a success at stud, but anyone who watched Corniche during the 2021 season saw a powerful horse who refused to lose.