He was named European Champion Two Year Old at the Cartier Racing Awards and was officially rated the best two-year-old of 1996 by the International Classification.
Revoque, a "huge"[1] bay horse, standing 16.2 hands high,[2] was bred in Ireland by the County Cork based Minch Bloodstock.
[4] The intention was to sell the horse on at a profit as a yearling (a practice known as "pinhooking"[5]), but Revoque grew so quickly that Sangster decided that he was "too big and boat-like" to attract bidders.
Sent off the 7/2 second favourite he raced prominently before being moved into the lead inside the final furlong and running on strongly to win by half a length from Shii-Take.
Revoque was then moved up to Group One level to contest the Prix de la Salamandre at Longchamp in September, after a plan to run him in the Champagne Stakes was abandoned due to the unsuitably firm ground.
After seeming to be struggling early in the straight he stayed on strongly to take the lead inside the final furlong and win by two lengths from Majorien.
As the race entered the closing stages, Revoque was trapped behind horses and Reid had to switch him to the outside to find a clear run.
He then made rapid progress in the last two furlongs of the race to finish second, beaten three quarters of a length by Entrepreneur[17] Some observers considered him a rather unlucky loser.
[19] At The Curragh at the end of May however, he ran his first disappointing race, finishing sixth, beaten ten lengths by Desert King when favourite for the Irish 2,000 Guineas.
[21] The effects of the virus, and a recurring problem with lameness[22] meant that Revoque was off the course for almost four months before reappearing in a minor stakes race at Doncaster in September.