Brigadier Gerard (racehorse)
Encyclopedia
Brigadier Gerard was one of the best and most popular British
Thoroughbred
race horses of the 20th century winning 17 of his 18 races, which included twelve races now ranked at Group One
level.
and foaled on the 5 March 1968, Brigadier Gerard was a son of the stallion Queen's Hussar, winner of the Sussex Stakes and the Lockinge Stakes, and the non-winning racemare, La Paiva, a daughter of Prince Chevalier. On his female side he traced back to the brilliant fillies' Triple Crown
winner, Pretty Polly, who was his fifth dam. This beautifully balanced bay colt was named after Arthur Conan Doyle
's swashbuckling hero. Brigadier Gerard had good conformation, an excellent temperament and stood 16 hands 2 inches high.
Brigadier Gerard was trained during his racing career by Major Dick Hern
and ridden in all his races by Joe Mercer
.
in late June 1970 which, starting at 100/7 the joint outsider of the five runners, he won by five lengths. Brigadier Gerard finished his first season unbeaten in four races including the prestigious Middle Park Stakes
. Even so he was rated below the more experienced My Swallow (undefeated in seven races) and Mill Reef
(whom My Swallow had narrowly defeated in the Prix Robert Papin
) in the Free Handicap - the end of season handicap for two year-olds.
, the Sussex Stakes
by five lengths, the Goodwood Mile
by ten lengths, the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes
by eight lengths, and the Champion Stakes
. At a mile he was unbeatable on anything but very soft ground (he only narrowly won the St James's Palace Stakes on heavy ground). He was kept out of the Epsom Derby
by his owners because they were unsure how far he would stay as his pedigree was more that of a miler than a middle distance horse (Mill Reef went on to win the race and was never defeated again). At the end of his three year old season he was undefeated in ten races at distances between five furlongs and a mile and a quarter.
, the Westbury Stakes
, the Prince of Wales's Stakes
(setting a new course record), the Eclipse Stakes
, and, tackling one and half miles for the first time, beat Parnell to win the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes.
Then came his sensational defeat in the Benson & Hedges Gold Cup
run over an extended mile and a quarter at York
. Brigadier Gerard (starting at 1/3) raced against the 1972 Epsom Derby
winner Roberto
and the runner-up, Rheingold, who started second favourite. Roberto had run poorly in his previous race, the Irish Derby, but, ridden by the American jockey Braulio Baeza
ran the race of his life with a bold front running display, which shattered the course record, to defeat Brigadier Gerard by three lengths.
He finished his career with two more wins in the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes (setting a new course record to win in scintillating style by six lengths) and the Champion Stakes. He retired at the end of his four-year-old season, a winner of 17 races from 18 starts, with total earnings of £253,024.70. On retirement he had won more English classic winner of the twentieth century apart from Bayardo
(winner of 22 from 25 starts) and his ancestress Pretty Polly (winner of 22 from 24 starts).
rating of 144, the joint second highest rating ever given for a flat racer. The Brigadier Gerard Stakes
at Sandown
is named in his honour.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
Thoroughbred
Thoroughbred
The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word thoroughbred is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed...
race horses of the 20th century winning 17 of his 18 races, which included twelve races now ranked at Group One
Group One
Group One or Group 1 is the term used for the highest level of Thoroughbred and Standardbred stakes races in many countries. Group One races may be run under handicap conditions in Australia but in Europe weight-for-age conditions always apply. Races may be also restricted to age groups or a...
level.
Background
Bred by John Hislop in EnglandEngland
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
and foaled on the 5 March 1968, Brigadier Gerard was a son of the stallion Queen's Hussar, winner of the Sussex Stakes and the Lockinge Stakes, and the non-winning racemare, La Paiva, a daughter of Prince Chevalier. On his female side he traced back to the brilliant fillies' Triple Crown
Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing
The Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing consists of three races for three-year-old Thoroughbred horses. Winning all three of these Thoroughbred horse races is considered the greatest accomplishment of a Thoroughbred racehorse...
winner, Pretty Polly, who was his fifth dam. This beautifully balanced bay colt was named after Arthur Conan Doyle
Arthur Conan Doyle
Sir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle DL was a Scottish physician and writer, most noted for his stories about the detective Sherlock Holmes, generally considered a milestone in the field of crime fiction, and for the adventures of Professor Challenger...
's swashbuckling hero. Brigadier Gerard had good conformation, an excellent temperament and stood 16 hands 2 inches high.
Brigadier Gerard was trained during his racing career by Major Dick Hern
Dick Hern
William Richard "Dick" Hern, CVO, was an English Thoroughbred racehorse trainer and winner of sixteen British Classic Races between 1962 and 1995, and was Champion Trainer on four occasions....
and ridden in all his races by Joe Mercer
Joe Mercer (jockey)
Joseph Mercer is a retired English Thoroughbred race horse jockey. He was active as a jockey from 1947 to 1985 and rode a total of 2,810 winners in Britain, a figure exceeded only by Sir Gordon Richards, Lester Piggott and Doug Smith at the time of Mercer’s retirement, and subsequently only...
.
1970: two-year-old season
His first race was in the Berkshire Stakes at NewburyNewbury Racecourse
Newbury Racecourse is a racecourse in the civil parish of Greenham, adjoining the town of Newbury in Berkshire, England. It has courses for flat races and over jumps...
in late June 1970 which, starting at 100/7 the joint outsider of the five runners, he won by five lengths. Brigadier Gerard finished his first season unbeaten in four races including the prestigious Middle Park Stakes
Middle Park Stakes
The Middle Park Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain which is open to two-year-old thoroughbred colts. It is run on the Rowley Mile at Newmarket over a distance of 6 furlongs , and it is scheduled to take place each year in late September or early October.The event was established...
. Even so he was rated below the more experienced My Swallow (undefeated in seven races) and Mill Reef
Mill Reef
Mill Reef was a Champion Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. He was bred in the United States but was trained in the United Kingdom throughout his racing career which lasted from 1970 to 1972. Mill Reef won twelve of his fourteen races and finished second in the other two...
(whom My Swallow had narrowly defeated in the Prix Robert Papin
Prix Robert Papin
The Prix Robert Papin is a Group 2 flat horse race in France open to two-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run at Maisons-Laffitte over a distance of 1,100 metres , and it is scheduled to take place each year in July.-History:...
) in the Free Handicap - the end of season handicap for two year-olds.
1971: three-year-old season
He entered the season's first colts' classic, the 2,000 Guineas at Newmarket, without a preparatory race. As they lined for the race, Brigadier Gerard, Mill Reef and My Swallow had between them won 18 out of their 19 races. In one of the most eagerly anticipated races ever, Brigadier Gerard won in devastating fashion by three lengths from Mill Reef and My Swallow. Brigadier Gerard followed that victory with wins in the St. James's Palace StakesSt. James's Palace Stakes
The St. James's Palace Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts. It is run at Ascot over a distance of 1 mile , and it is scheduled to take place each year in June....
, the Sussex Stakes
Sussex Stakes
The Sussex Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run at Goodwood over a distance of 1 mile , and it is scheduled to take place each year in late July or early August.-History:...
by five lengths, the Goodwood Mile
Celebration Mile
The Celebration Mile is a Group 2 flat horse race in Great Britain which is open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run at Goodwood over a distance of 1 mile , and it is scheduled to take place each year in late August....
by ten lengths, the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes
Queen Elizabeth II Stakes
The Queen Elizabeth II Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain which is open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run at Ascot over a distance of 1 mile , and it is now scheduled to take place each year in October. As of 2011, it is run on Champions Day as the final race...
by eight lengths, and the Champion Stakes
Champion Stakes
The Champion Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain which is open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run at Ascot over a distance of 1 mile and 2 furlongs , and it is scheduled to take place each year in October...
. At a mile he was unbeatable on anything but very soft ground (he only narrowly won the St James's Palace Stakes on heavy ground). He was kept out of the Epsom Derby
Epsom Derby
The Derby Stakes, popularly known as The Derby, internationally as the Epsom Derby, and under its present sponsor as the Investec Derby, is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies...
by his owners because they were unsure how far he would stay as his pedigree was more that of a miler than a middle distance horse (Mill Reef went on to win the race and was never defeated again). At the end of his three year old season he was undefeated in ten races at distances between five furlongs and a mile and a quarter.
1972: four-year-old season
The following year Brigadier Gerard extended his unbeaten run to fifteen with wins in the Lockinge StakesLockinge Stakes
The Lockinge Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to thoroughbreds aged four years or older. It is run at Newbury over a distance of 1 mile , and it is scheduled to take place each year in May.-History:...
, the Westbury Stakes
Gordon Richards Stakes
The Gordon Richards Stakes is a Group 3 flat horse race in Great Britain which is open to thoroughbreds aged four years or older. It is run at Sandown Park over a distance of 1 mile, 2 furlongs and 7 yards , and it is scheduled to take place each year in April.The event was established in 1963, and...
, the Prince of Wales's Stakes
Prince of Wales's Stakes
The Prince of Wales's Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to thoroughbreds aged four years or older. It is run at Ascot over a distance of 1 mile and 2 furlongs , and it is scheduled to take place each year in June....
(setting a new course record), the Eclipse Stakes
Eclipse Stakes
The Eclipse Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run at Sandown Park over a distance of 1 mile, 2 furlongs and 7 yards , and it is scheduled to take place each year in early July.-History:The event is named after Eclipse, a...
, and, tackling one and half miles for the first time, beat Parnell to win the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes.
Then came his sensational defeat in the Benson & Hedges Gold Cup
International Stakes
The International Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run at York over a distance of 1 mile, 2 furlongs and 88 yards , and it is scheduled to take place each year in August....
run over an extended mile and a quarter at York
York
York is a walled city, situated at the confluence of the Rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. The city has a rich heritage and has provided the backdrop to major political events throughout much of its two millennia of existence...
. Brigadier Gerard (starting at 1/3) raced against the 1972 Epsom Derby
Epsom Derby
The Derby Stakes, popularly known as The Derby, internationally as the Epsom Derby, and under its present sponsor as the Investec Derby, is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies...
winner Roberto
Roberto (horse)
Roberto was an American-bred Thoroughbred Champion racehorse who competed in Ireland and England.-Background:Roberto was bred by Galbreath at his Darby Dan Farm near Lexington, Kentucky. The son of the successful sire Hail To Reason out of the dam Bramalea, Roberto's grandsire was Turn-To, a...
and the runner-up, Rheingold, who started second favourite. Roberto had run poorly in his previous race, the Irish Derby, but, ridden by the American jockey Braulio Baeza
Braulio Baeza
Braulio Baeza is an American Thoroughbred horse racing Hall of Fame jockey. He began racing in 1955 and in 1960, at the urging of agent Camilo Marin, moved to compete in the United States where at the Keeneland Race Course he won the very first he competed in.Braulio Baeza's success in America was...
ran the race of his life with a bold front running display, which shattered the course record, to defeat Brigadier Gerard by three lengths.
He finished his career with two more wins in the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes (setting a new course record to win in scintillating style by six lengths) and the Champion Stakes. He retired at the end of his four-year-old season, a winner of 17 races from 18 starts, with total earnings of £253,024.70. On retirement he had won more English classic winner of the twentieth century apart from Bayardo
Bayardo (horse)
Bayardo was a British bred Thoroughbred racehorse with an impressive record, both on the racecourse and at stud, where he was a leading sire.-Pedigree:...
(winner of 22 from 25 starts) and his ancestress Pretty Polly (winner of 22 from 24 starts).
Stud record
He stood at stud first at the Egerton Stud, Newmarket and later at his owner's East Woodhay Stud. Brigadier Gerard was not a success as a sire, and much less successful than his contemporary and rival Mill Reef, but he did get a classic winner in Light Cavalry who won the St. Leger Stakes in 1980. Brigadier Gerard died in 1989 and his remains are interred in the gardens of the Swynford Hotel (formally Swynford Paddocks), 6 Mile Bottom, Newmarket.Assessment and Honours
Brigadier Gerard was given a TimeformTimeform
Timeform Publications is a publishing company in Halifax, West Yorkshire, England founded in 1948 to provide information to fans, bettors, and others involved in the horse racing industry...
rating of 144, the joint second highest rating ever given for a flat racer. The Brigadier Gerard Stakes
Brigadier Gerard Stakes
The Brigadier Gerard Stakes is a Group 3 flat horse race in Great Britain open to thoroughbreds aged four years or older. It is run at Sandown Park over a distance of 1 mile, 2 furlongs and 7 yards , and it is scheduled to take place each year in late May or early June.The event was established in...
at Sandown
Sandown
Sandown is a seaside resort town and civil parish on the southeast coast of the Isle of Wight, England, neighbouring the town of Shanklin to the south. Sandown Bay is the name of the bay off the English Channel which both towns share, and it is notable for its long stretch of easily accessible...
is named in his honour.