He was sired by the Caerleon, a son of the 1971 British Triple Crown champion, Nijinsky whose other progeny include the Epsom Derby winner Generous.

At the end of the season, Marienbard was bought by Sheikh Mohammed's Godolphin Racing and transferred to the stable of Saeed bin Suroor.

He finished fifth in the Ascot Gold Cup over two and a half miles, second in the Grand Prix de Deauville and third to winner Vinnie Roe in the Group I Irish St. Leger.

At the end of 2001, Marienbard finished seventh behind Ethereal, to whom he was conceding seven pounds, in the Melbourne Cup.

In Germany he won the Grosser Preis von Baden and the Deutschland-Preis then capped off his racing career with a three-quarter length victory over Sulamani and High Chaparral in France's most prestigious race, the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe.