Gainsborough (horse)
Encyclopedia
Gainsborough was a British
bred Thoroughbred
racehorse
who won the English Triple Crown
in 1918 and became a superior sire.
by Lady James Douglas (1854-1941), she named him for the town of Gainsborough, Lincolnshire
because she liked the sound of the name. Gainsborough was sired by Bayardo
, who also sired the 1917 Triple Crown winner Gay Crusader
, and was out of Rosedrop who won the 1910 Epsom Oaks
and £9,809.
Gainsborough's damsire was St. Frusquin who won 11 races including the 1896 2,000 Guineas, and £33,960. Galopin
was duplicated in the third and fourth generations of Gainsborough’s pedigree. He was not a big horse, but possessed very good conformation and a kind temperament. Gainsborough was quite mature when he was offered at the yearling sales, but did not reach the reserve that was placed on his price.
Alec Taylor, Jr.'s
training centre in Manton, Wiltshire
to prepare the colt for racing. As a two year old, Gainsborough made three starts at the Newmarket Racecourse
but showed limited promise, winning just one race, the Autumn Stakes by two lengths.
When a three-year-old, Gainsborough's winning performance in the 2,000 Guineas marked the first time a horse bred by a woman won one of the British Classic Races and the first time a Classic winner carried a woman's colours. He was ridden by jockey
Joseph Childs, who, to help the War
effort donated his winnings to his 4th Hussars regiment to which he was attached.
, which was run at Newmarket owing to wartime restrictions. He then earned victory in the Gold Cup
against older horses at a distance of just over two miles (3,219 metres) and in autumn won the September Stakes- a substitute race for the Doncaster
St. Leger Stakes
- by three lengths over a field including the Oaks
winner My Dear
and Prince Chimay to become the 13th U.K. Triple Crown Champion in history. Gainsborough finished second to Prince Chimay in the Jockey Club Stakes
after which he was retired.
operation at Woolton Hill, near Newbury, Berkshire
.
Gainsborough had a notable stud career, becoming the leading sire in Great Britain & Ireland
in 1932 and 1933. A breeding source for great stamina, he was the sire of a number of Classic Race winners including:
Gainsborough's daughters did not distinguish themselves on the track but were good broodmares, including:
.
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...
bred 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...
racehorse
Horse racing
Horse racing is an equestrian sport that has a long history. Archaeological records indicate that horse racing occurred in ancient Babylon, Syria, and Egypt. Both chariot and mounted horse racing were events in the ancient Greek Olympics by 648 BC...
who won the English 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...
in 1918 and became a superior sire.
Breeding
Owned and bredHorse breeding
Horse breeding is reproduction in horses, and particularly the human-directed process of selective breeding of animals, particularly purebred horses of a given breed. Planned matings can be used to produce specifically desired characteristics in domesticated horses...
by Lady James Douglas (1854-1941), she named him for the town of Gainsborough, Lincolnshire
Gainsborough, Lincolnshire
Gainsborough is a town 15 miles north-west of Lincoln on the River Trent within the West Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, England. At one time it served as an important port with trade downstream to Hull, and was the most inland in England, being more than 55 miles from the North...
because she liked the sound of the name. Gainsborough was sired by 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:...
, who also sired the 1917 Triple Crown winner Gay Crusader
Gay Crusader
Gay Crusader was a Thoroughbred racehorse who won the English Triple Crown in 1917.Owner/breeder Alfred W Cox mated his horse Bayardo with the mare Gay Laura to produce the ill-tempered colt Gay Crusader...
, and was out of Rosedrop who won the 1910 Epsom Oaks
Epsom Oaks
The Oaks Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old thoroughbred fillies. It is run at Epsom Downs over a distance of 1 mile, 4 furlongs and 10 yards , and it is scheduled to take place each year in early June....
and £9,809.
Gainsborough's damsire was St. Frusquin who won 11 races including the 1896 2,000 Guineas, and £33,960. Galopin
Galopin
Galopin was a good British Thoroughbred racehorse and a prominent sire.-Pedigree:Galopin's sire, Vedette, had a very good racing career, winning the Great Yorkshire Stakes, the Doncaster Cup , and the 1857 2,000 Guineas Stakes. Vedette's value as a stallion had declined to such an extent that he...
was duplicated in the third and fourth generations of Gainsborough’s pedigree. He was not a big horse, but possessed very good conformation and a kind temperament. Gainsborough was quite mature when he was offered at the yearling sales, but did not reach the reserve that was placed on his price.
Racing record
Lady Douglas sent Gainsborough to trainerHorse trainer
In horse racing, a trainer prepares a horse for races, with responsibility for exercising it, getting it race-ready and determining which races it should enter...
Alec Taylor, Jr.'s
Alec Taylor, Jr.
Alec Taylor, Jr. was a British Thoroughbred racehorse trainer who followed in the footsteps of his highly successful father, Alec Taylor, Sr.....
training centre in Manton, Wiltshire
Manton, Wiltshire
Manton is a small village in Wiltshire on the outskirts of Marlborough just off the A4 Bath Road.Manton village is part of the Parish of Preshute, and as such includes St Georges Church, and Preshute Primary The Outside Chance is the only pub in the village....
to prepare the colt for racing. As a two year old, Gainsborough made three starts at the Newmarket Racecourse
Newmarket Racecourse
The town of Newmarket, in Suffolk, England, is the headquarters of British horseracing, home to the largest cluster of training yards in the country and many key horse racing organisations. Newmarket Racecourse has two courses - the Rowley Mile Course and the July Course. Both are wide, galloping...
but showed limited promise, winning just one race, the Autumn Stakes by two lengths.
When a three-year-old, Gainsborough's winning performance in the 2,000 Guineas marked the first time a horse bred by a woman won one of the British Classic Races and the first time a Classic winner carried a woman's colours. He was ridden by jockey
Jockey
A jockey is an athlete who rides horses in horse racing or steeplechase racing, primarily as a profession. The word also applies to camel riders in camel racing.-Etymology:...
Joseph Childs, who, to help the War
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
effort donated his winnings to his 4th Hussars regiment to which he was attached.
Triple Crown
Following his win in the 2,000 Guineas, Gainsborough won the most prestigious race in England, the Epsom DerbyEpsom 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...
, which was run at Newmarket owing to wartime restrictions. He then earned victory in the Gold Cup
Ascot Gold Cup
The Gold Cup 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 2 miles and 4 furlongs , and it is scheduled to take place each year in June....
against older horses at a distance of just over two miles (3,219 metres) and in autumn won the September Stakes- a substitute race for the Doncaster
Doncaster Racecourse
Doncaster Racecourse is a racecourse in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England. It hosts two of Great Britain's 31 Group 1 flat races, the St Leger Stakes and the Racing Post Trophy.- History :...
St. Leger Stakes
St. Leger Stakes
The St. Leger Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain which is open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run at Doncaster over a distance of 1 mile, 6 furlongs and 132 yards , and it is scheduled to take place each year in September.Established in 1776, the St. Leger...
- by three lengths over a field including the Oaks
Epsom Oaks
The Oaks Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old thoroughbred fillies. It is run at Epsom Downs over a distance of 1 mile, 4 furlongs and 10 yards , and it is scheduled to take place each year in early June....
winner My Dear
My Dear
My Dear is the debut album by the Anaheim, California rock band New Years Day, released in 2007 by TVT Records. The album was self-financed, self-produced, and recorded over an eight-month period at the home of producer Eugene Pererras...
and Prince Chimay to become the 13th U.K. Triple Crown Champion in history. Gainsborough finished second to Prince Chimay in the Jockey Club Stakes
Jockey Club Stakes
The Jockey Club Stakes is a Group 2 flat horse race in Great Britain which is open to thoroughbreds aged four years or older. It is run over a distance of 1 mile and 4 furlongs at Newmarket, and the final part of the race is on the Rowley Mile...
after which he was retired.
Stud record
In 1920 Gainsborough was retired to Lady Douglas's newly established Harwood Stud horse breedingHorse breeding
Horse breeding is reproduction in horses, and particularly the human-directed process of selective breeding of animals, particularly purebred horses of a given breed. Planned matings can be used to produce specifically desired characteristics in domesticated horses...
operation at Woolton Hill, near Newbury, Berkshire
Newbury, Berkshire
Newbury is a civil parish and the principal town in the west of the county of Berkshire in England. It is situated on the River Kennet and the Kennet and Avon Canal, and has a town centre containing many 17th century buildings. Newbury is best known for its racecourse and the adjoining former USAF...
.
Gainsborough had a notable stud career, becoming the leading sire in Great Britain & Ireland
Leading sire in Great Britain & Ireland
The list below shows the leading sire of racehorses in Great Britain and Ireland for each year since 1751. This is determined by the amount of prize money won by the sire's progeny during the season.----- References :* -See also:...
in 1932 and 1933. A breeding source for great stamina, he was the sire of a number of Classic Race winners including:
- HyperionHyperion (horse)Hyperion was a British bred Thoroughbred, a dual classic winner and an outstanding sire. Owned by Edward Stanley, 17th Earl of Derby, Hyperion won £29,509 during his career - a considerable sum at the time. His victories included the Epsom Derby and St...
- won the 1933 Epsom Derby and St. Leger Stakes and himself was a champion sire six times. - SolarioSolarioSolario was a very good British Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. Bred in Ireland by the 4th Earl of Dunraven, he was by the 1918 English Triple Crown champion, Gainsborough. His dam Sun Worship, was a daughter of the outstanding sire Sundridge who was the Leading sire in Great Britain & Ireland in...
- winner of the 1925 St. Leger Stakes and the 1926 Ascot Gold Cup who went on to be 1937's leading sire in England - Singapore - won the 1930 St. Leger Stakes
- Orwell - won the 1930 2,000 Guineas and £29,251.
Gainsborough's daughters did not distinguish themselves on the track but were good broodmares, including:
- Gainsborough Lass was his best race mare having run third in 1,000 Guineas and won £7,984.
- Mah Iran, the dam of Migoli who won £22,950.
- Mah Mahal, the dam of MahmoudMahmoud (horse)Mahmoud was an French-bred Thoroughbred racehorse who in 1936 won England's most prestigious race, the Epsom Derby and who became a Champion sire in the United States....
who won the 1936 Epsom Derby and was the Leading sire in North AmericaLeading sire in North AmericaThe list below shows the leading sire of Thoroughbred racehorses in North America for each year since 1830. This is determined by the amount of prizemoney won by the sire's progeny during the year...
in 1946 - Una Cameron - dam of 1931 2,000 Guineas and Derby winner CameronianCameronian (horse)Cameronian was a British Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. He won the 2000 Guineas and the Derby in 1932 but finished unplaced in the St Leger in his attempt to win the English Triple Crown...
- Painted Vale - bred to Nasrullah, she produced the 1949 1,000 Guineas and Epsom OaksEpsom OaksThe Oaks Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old thoroughbred fillies. It is run at Epsom Downs over a distance of 1 mile, 4 furlongs and 10 yards , and it is scheduled to take place each year in early June....
winner, Musidora
Ownership change
In 1940, failing health forced Lady James Douglas to sell her Harwood Stud, including Gainsborough. Under an agreement with new owner Herbert Blagrave, Gainsborough remained there until his death in 1945. He is buried on the 120 acre (0.4856232 km²) Harwood property that was eventually renamed Gainsborough Stud in his honour and since 1981 has operated as Gainsborough Stud Management Ltd. under the ownership of Sheikh Maktoum bin Rashid Al MaktoumMaktoum bin Rashid Al Maktoum
Maktoum bin Rashid Al Maktoum , also referred to as Sheikh Maktoum was the Vice President and Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates and the emir of Dubai.-Biography:...
.
Assessment
In their book A Century of Champions, John Randall and Tony Morris placed Gainsborough at number 56 in a list of the world's 200 best horses of the 20th Century..External links
- Gainsborough's pedigree and racing stats Use with caution.