La Fleche (horse)
Encyclopedia
La Fleche was a British Thoroughbred
racehorse and broodmare. After being undefeated as a two-year-old in 1891 she went on to become the dominant British three-year-old of 1892, whe she claimed the Fillies’ Triple Crown by winning the 1000 Guineas at Newmarket
, the Oaks
at Epsom
and the St Leger
at Doncaster
. She remained in training for a further two seasons, winning important raced such as the 1894 Ascot Gold Cup
. After her retirement from racing she became a successful and influential broodmare.
high was bred by the Royal Studs at Hampton Court. She was an exceptionally well-bred and "beautiful" filly and attracted much attention when she was sent to be auctioned as a yearling in summer 1890. She was bought by Lord Marcus Beresford on behalf of the financier Baron Maurice de Hirsch for a sum of 5,500 Guineas
, outbidding the Duke of Portland
and John Porter
and breaking the record for a yearling sold at auction, which had stood since 1876.
Her sire, St. Simon was an unbeaten racehorse who was beginning to prove himself as an outstanding sire. By the time La Fleche was sold in 1890 he was on the way to the first of his nine sires’ championships, having sired the first two of his ten Classic winners. Her dam, Quiver produced La Fleche’s full-sister Memoir, who won the Epsom Oaks and the St Leger as well as the influential broodmares Maid Marian and Satchel.
La Fleche was trained for her first two seasons by John Porter at Kingsclere. At the end of her three-year-old season she was moved to the Egerton House stable of Richard Marsh at Newmarket, Suffolk.
Attempts by anglophone writers to spell her name resulted in variations including La Fléche, Lafleche, La Flèche (the "correct" version), and La Flêche.
in the Chesterfield Stakes, for which she started 6/4 favourite. Although she had not grown as much as might have been expected from her yearling days, she was reported to be deceptively powerful, being described by one observer as "all wire and whipcord." Ridden by George Barrett, she led from the start and shook off he rivals "without an effort" to win by two lengths, in an impressive time of 1:04.2. The third placed finisher, a colt called Bonavista (or Bona Vista), went on to win the following year's 2000 Guineas. On 29 July, La Fleche was sent to Goodwood
for the five furlong
Lavant Stakes in which she met Priestess, another filly whose sale price (£4,000) had attracted comment. La Fleche tracked Priestess, who set a strong pace, before moving ahead in the final furlong to win "very cleverly" by a length. Two days later, she reappeared at the same course for the Molecomb Stakes
and recorded another easy win, beating Adoration by one and a half lengths. At Doncaster
in September she won the Champagne Stakes to take her earnings for the year to £3,415.
La Fleche's stable companion, Orme, was regarded as the best of the year's two-year-old colts, and there was speculation as to which was the better. It was also generally believed that La Fleche would have the Derby as her principal target fro the following year.
On 6 May 1892 La Fleche started 1/2 favourite in a field of seven for the 1000 Guineas. Her price might have been even shorter but for fears that she too could have been "got at". Ridden by George Barrett she raced in second place as Adoration set the pace before moving easily into the lead a furlong out. She won by a length from The Smew and Adoration in a time of 1:52.4, which was 1.6 seconds faster than the time recorded by Bona Vista in winning the 2000 Guineas over the same course.
. La Fleche then produced her challenge but after a "splendid finish" in which she was cheered on by the crowd, La Fleche failed to overhaul the colt and finished second, beaten three quarters of a length. There were many later claims that La Fleche’s defeat had been a "fluke" and Barrett was criticised for giving her too much ground to make up This version of events, however, is hardly supported by contemporary accounts, which state that the filly was in a "capital position" throughout the race. Another possible explanation for her poor performance was that she may have been in season: reports make clear that she was saddled and paraded separately from the colts for reasons that correspondents chose not to "particularise."
Two days after her defeat in the Derby, La Fleche ran against fillies in the Oaks. Although some regarded her as a certainty, her odds drifted from 2/5 to 8/11 before the start. In the race she tracked the leader Broad Corrie before taking the lead in the straight apparently poised for an easy victory. In the final furlong however, she was closely pressed by The Smew, a filly she had dealt with easily in the 1000 Guineas, and Barrett had to ride a vigorous finish to win the race by a short head. On 29 July at Goodwood, La Fleche won the Nassau Stakes
in which, despite looking less than fully fit, she quickened impressively to bear Broad Corrie by a length and a half.
started favourite, with La Fleche, ridden on this occasion by John Watts
, strongly supported at 7/2. Watts settled the filly in the eary stages as Orme set off in front, just after the turn into the straight, La Fleche, travelling strongly, moved alongside her stable companion and pulled then clear. She won easily by two lengths from the fast-finishing Sir Hugo, with Orme fading into fifth. On 24 September, La Fleche ran against older and younger horses in the £10,000 Lancashire Plate over one mile at Manchester Racecourse. Ridden by Barrett, she tracked the leaders until the straight, where she accelerated impressively to win by three lengths from Orvieto, with Sir Hugo unplaced.
At Newmarket five days later she faced only one opponent, a colt called Dunure, in the Grand Duke Michael Stakes. She started at odds of 1/40 and won the £1,000 prize in a predictable canter. In the Newmarket Oaks on October 11 she ran lazily but won very easily by a length from Golconda, to whom she was conceding nineteen pounds.
She was then sent for the Cambridgeshire Handicap
26 October, for which she was assigned a weight of 122 pounds
.La Fleche started 7/2 favourite in a field of thirty runners and was ridden by Barrett. The closing stages of the nine furlong race developed in to a contest between La Fleche and Pensioner, a colt who was carrying only 88 pounds. The filly showed "fire and resolution" at the finish to pull away from the colt and win by one and a half lengths. The win took her earnings for the season to £23,848, all of which was donated to charity by Hirsch.
At the end of the season La Fleche, and all of Maurice de Hirsch’s other horses were moved from the yard of John Porter to that of Richard Marsh. The move followed a disagreement between Hirsch's racing manager, Marcus Beresford, and another of Porter's important patrons, the Duke of Westminster
In early 1893, La Fleche was reported to be wonderfully "fresh and well" although she showed no signs of having grown. She did not appear in public however, until 14 July, when she ran in the Eclipse Stakes
at Sandown. She started evens favourite against five opponents, most notably Orme, who started on 2/1. Barrett moved the filly up to challenge in the straight, but she soon came under pressure and although she ran on "gamely" she could finish only third behind Orme and Medicis. Two weeks later at Goodwood, Orme again proved superior, beating the filly by a neck, despite veering sharply left inside the last furlong.
In Autumn attempted to win a second Manchester Plate, but finihsed third to the three-year-colts Raeburn, Isinglass
. She was reprted to have engaged in a strong disputr for the race with Isinglass, allowing Raeburn to emerge almost indseen to take the race in the closing stages. For this race, La Fleche carried a weight of 154 pounds. On October 25nd she founud a weight of 133 pound too much when finishing unplace in the Cambridgeshie. She won the Lowther Stakes at Newmarket in October. On November 10 she won the Liverpool Autumn Cup, carrying a weight of 132 pounds and won in omressive style by one and a uarter lengths from ref The Prisoner.
Later in November, she was beaten under 137 pounds in the Manchester November Handicap.
At Royal Ascot on 15 June she started 2/5 favourite for the two and a half mile Ascot Gold Cup, in which her biggest danger appeared to be the French colt Callistrate. Watts held the mare up at the back of the field before moving her up to challenge Callistrate entering the straight. She soon went clear and won "in splendid style" by three lengths. One day later she ran in the Hardwicke Stakes and started the 1/5 favourite. In the straight however, she was never able to get on terms with the colt Ravensbury, and finished second and finished second, beaten half a length. The Prince of Wales reportedly lost heavily on the race.
On her final start of the year she met Ravensbury again in the Champion Stakes
at Newmarket on 9 October. As the owners of Isinglass (horse)|]] had turned down a challenge to run his horse against La Fleche, there were the only two runners and the mare, ridden by Watts started at odds of 1/3. La Fleche opened up a clear lead in the early stages and was never in danger of defeat, winning "in a canter" by eight lengths. As the filly gallpoed up the hill with her ears pricked, she was given an enthusiastic reception from the Newmarket crowd who knew they were witnessing her final race.
La Fleche’s best runner was John O’Gaunt, who finished second in the Derby and sired Swynford
. Her daughter Baroness La Fleche produced the 1000 Guineas winner Cinna and the successful stallion Beau Pere
. La Fleche was retired from breeding in 1911 and her death was announced in May 1916 at the age of twenty-seven.
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 and broodmare. After being undefeated as a two-year-old in 1891 she went on to become the dominant British three-year-old of 1892, whe she claimed the Fillies’ Triple Crown by winning the 1000 Guineas at Newmarket
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...
, 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....
at Epsom
Epsom Downs Racecourse
Epsom Downs is a Grade 1 racecourse near Epsom, Surrey, England. The "downs" referred to in the name are part of the North Downs. The course is best known for hosting the Epsom Derby, the United Kingdom's premier thoroughbred horse race for three-year-old colts and fillies, over a mile and a half...
and the St Leger
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...
at 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 :...
. She remained in training for a further two seasons, winning important raced such as the 1894 Ascot 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....
. After her retirement from racing she became a successful and influential broodmare.
Background
La Fleche (The Arrow), a brown mare standing just under 16 handsHand (unit)
The hand is a non-SI unit of measurement of length, now used only for the measurement of the height of horses in some English-speaking countries, including Australia, Canada, the UK and the USA. With origins in ancient Egypt, it was originally based on the breadth of a human hand...
high was bred by the Royal Studs at Hampton Court. She was an exceptionally well-bred and "beautiful" filly and attracted much attention when she was sent to be auctioned as a yearling in summer 1890. She was bought by Lord Marcus Beresford on behalf of the financier Baron Maurice de Hirsch for a sum of 5,500 Guineas
Guinea (British coin)
The guinea is a coin that was minted in the Kingdom of England and later in the Kingdom of Great Britain and the United Kingdom between 1663 and 1813...
, outbidding the Duke of Portland
William Cavendish-Bentinck, 6th Duke of Portland
William John Arthur Charles James Cavendish-Bentinck, 6th Duke of Portland KG, GCVO, PC, TD, DL , known as William Cavendish-Bentinck until 1879, was a British landowner, courtier and Conservative politician...
and John Porter
John Porter (horseman)
John Porter was an English Thoroughbred flat racing trainer whose horses won the English Triple Crown three times.-Biography:Born in Rugeley, Staffordshire, the National Horseracing Museum says that John Porter "was undoubtedly the most successful trainer of the Victorian era."From 1854 to 1855,...
and breaking the record for a yearling sold at auction, which had stood since 1876.
Her sire, St. Simon was an unbeaten racehorse who was beginning to prove himself as an outstanding sire. By the time La Fleche was sold in 1890 he was on the way to the first of his nine sires’ championships, having sired the first two of his ten Classic winners. Her dam, Quiver produced La Fleche’s full-sister Memoir, who won the Epsom Oaks and the St Leger as well as the influential broodmares Maid Marian and Satchel.
La Fleche was trained for her first two seasons by John Porter at Kingsclere. At the end of her three-year-old season she was moved to the Egerton House stable of Richard Marsh at Newmarket, Suffolk.
Attempts by anglophone writers to spell her name resulted in variations including La Fléche, Lafleche, La Flèche (the "correct" version), and La Flêche.
1891: two-year-old season
La Fleche won all four of her races as a two-year-old. She made her first appearance on July 16 at NewmarketNewmarket 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...
in the Chesterfield Stakes, for which she started 6/4 favourite. Although she had not grown as much as might have been expected from her yearling days, she was reported to be deceptively powerful, being described by one observer as "all wire and whipcord." Ridden by George Barrett, she led from the start and shook off he rivals "without an effort" to win by two lengths, in an impressive time of 1:04.2. The third placed finisher, a colt called Bonavista (or Bona Vista), went on to win the following year's 2000 Guineas. On 29 July, La Fleche was sent to Goodwood
Goodwood Racecourse
Goodwood Racecourse is a horse-racing track five miles north of Chichester, West Sussex, in England controlled by the family of the Duke of Richmond, whose seat is nearby Goodwood House...
for the five furlong
Furlong
A furlong is a measure of distance in imperial units and U.S. customary units equal to one-eighth of a mile, equivalent to 220 yards, 660 feet, 40 rods, or 10 chains. The exact value of the furlong varies slightly among English-speaking countries....
Lavant Stakes in which she met Priestess, another filly whose sale price (£4,000) had attracted comment. La Fleche tracked Priestess, who set a strong pace, before moving ahead in the final furlong to win "very cleverly" by a length. Two days later, she reappeared at the same course for the Molecomb Stakes
Molecomb Stakes
The Molecomb Stakes is a Group 3 flat horse race in Great Britain open to two-year-old thoroughbreds. It is run at Goodwood over a distance of 5 furlongs , and it is scheduled to take place each year in late July or early August.-History:...
and recorded another easy win, beating Adoration by one and a half lengths. At 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 :...
in September she won the Champagne Stakes to take her earnings for the year to £3,415.
La Fleche's stable companion, Orme, was regarded as the best of the year's two-year-old colts, and there was speculation as to which was the better. It was also generally believed that La Fleche would have the Derby as her principal target fro the following year.
Spring
1892 began with a scare for La Fleche's owners as the filly slipped and ijured her knees at her stable. Initial fears that her career could be over however, proved to be unfounded as the damage was superficial. Confidence in the filly grew steadily over the winter and early spring, and by late April she had supplanted Orme as Derby favourite. Her position at the head of the market was strengthened when Orme was poisoned– unsubstantiated rumours blamed the filly's supporters– and ruled out for the first half of the season.On 6 May 1892 La Fleche started 1/2 favourite in a field of seven for the 1000 Guineas. Her price might have been even shorter but for fears that she too could have been "got at". Ridden by George Barrett she raced in second place as Adoration set the pace before moving easily into the lead a furlong out. She won by a length from The Smew and Adoration in a time of 1:52.4, which was 1.6 seconds faster than the time recorded by Bona Vista in winning the 2000 Guineas over the same course.
Summer
At Epsom on 1 June she started 11/10 favourite for the Derby on a "gloriously fine" day. The French-trained colt Bucentaur led the field into the straight where he was overtaken by the 40/1 outsider Sir HugoSir Hugo
Sir Hugo was a British Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. In a career that lasted from 1891 to 1894 he ran eight times and won three races. As a three-year old in 1892 he won the Epsom Derby at odds of 40/1...
. La Fleche then produced her challenge but after a "splendid finish" in which she was cheered on by the crowd, La Fleche failed to overhaul the colt and finished second, beaten three quarters of a length. There were many later claims that La Fleche’s defeat had been a "fluke" and Barrett was criticised for giving her too much ground to make up This version of events, however, is hardly supported by contemporary accounts, which state that the filly was in a "capital position" throughout the race. Another possible explanation for her poor performance was that she may have been in season: reports make clear that she was saddled and paraded separately from the colts for reasons that correspondents chose not to "particularise."
Two days after her defeat in the Derby, La Fleche ran against fillies in the Oaks. Although some regarded her as a certainty, her odds drifted from 2/5 to 8/11 before the start. In the race she tracked the leader Broad Corrie before taking the lead in the straight apparently poised for an easy victory. In the final furlong however, she was closely pressed by The Smew, a filly she had dealt with easily in the 1000 Guineas, and Barrett had to ride a vigorous finish to win the race by a short head. On 29 July at Goodwood, La Fleche won the Nassau Stakes
Nassau Stakes
The Nassau Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to thoroughbred fillies and mares aged three years or older. It is run at Goodwood over a distance of 1 mile, 1 furlong and 192 yards , and it is scheduled to take place each year in late July or early August.-History:The title of...
in which, despite looking less than fully fit, she quickened impressively to bear Broad Corrie by a length and a half.
Autumn
On September 7 La Fleche ran in the St Leger on a wet day at Doncaster. Orme, who had returned from his problems to win the Eclipse StakesEclipse 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...
started favourite, with La Fleche, ridden on this occasion by John Watts
John Watts (jockey)
John "Jack" Watts was a British flat-race jockey. In a career that lasted from 1880 until 1900 he rode the winners of 19 Classics. He was noted for his quiet and unspectacular style and undemonstrative personality. On his retirement from riding he became a trainer but died two years...
, strongly supported at 7/2. Watts settled the filly in the eary stages as Orme set off in front, just after the turn into the straight, La Fleche, travelling strongly, moved alongside her stable companion and pulled then clear. She won easily by two lengths from the fast-finishing Sir Hugo, with Orme fading into fifth. On 24 September, La Fleche ran against older and younger horses in the £10,000 Lancashire Plate over one mile at Manchester Racecourse. Ridden by Barrett, she tracked the leaders until the straight, where she accelerated impressively to win by three lengths from Orvieto, with Sir Hugo unplaced.
At Newmarket five days later she faced only one opponent, a colt called Dunure, in the Grand Duke Michael Stakes. She started at odds of 1/40 and won the £1,000 prize in a predictable canter. In the Newmarket Oaks on October 11 she ran lazily but won very easily by a length from Golconda, to whom she was conceding nineteen pounds.
She was then sent for the Cambridgeshire Handicap
Cambridgeshire Handicap
The Cambridgeshire Handicap is a flat horse race in Great Britain which is open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run on the Rowley Mile at Newmarket over a distance of 1 mile and 1 furlong , and it is scheduled to take place each year in late September or early October.The event...
26 October, for which she was assigned a weight of 122 pounds
Pound (mass)
The pound or pound-mass is a unit of mass used in the Imperial, United States customary and other systems of measurement...
.La Fleche started 7/2 favourite in a field of thirty runners and was ridden by Barrett. The closing stages of the nine furlong race developed in to a contest between La Fleche and Pensioner, a colt who was carrying only 88 pounds. The filly showed "fire and resolution" at the finish to pull away from the colt and win by one and a half lengths. The win took her earnings for the season to £23,848, all of which was donated to charity by Hirsch.
At the end of the season La Fleche, and all of Maurice de Hirsch’s other horses were moved from the yard of John Porter to that of Richard Marsh. The move followed a disagreement between Hirsch's racing manager, Marcus Beresford, and another of Porter's important patrons, the Duke of Westminster
Hugh Grosvenor, 1st Duke of Westminster
Hugh Lupus Grosvenor, 1st Duke of Westminster KG, PC, JP , styled Viscount Belgrave between 1831 and 1845 and Earl Grosvenor between 1845 and 1869 and known as the 3rd Marquess of Westminster between 1869 and 1874, was an English landowner, politician and racehorse owner.He inherited the estate of...
1893: four-year-old season
Won two from seven.In early 1893, La Fleche was reported to be wonderfully "fresh and well" although she showed no signs of having grown. She did not appear in public however, until 14 July, when she ran in 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...
at Sandown. She started evens favourite against five opponents, most notably Orme, who started on 2/1. Barrett moved the filly up to challenge in the straight, but she soon came under pressure and although she ran on "gamely" she could finish only third behind Orme and Medicis. Two weeks later at Goodwood, Orme again proved superior, beating the filly by a neck, despite veering sharply left inside the last furlong.
In Autumn attempted to win a second Manchester Plate, but finihsed third to the three-year-colts Raeburn, Isinglass
Isinglass (horse)
Isinglass was a British Thoroughbred racehorse who dominated during his time in racing and won the English Triple Crown.-Racing record:...
. She was reprted to have engaged in a strong disputr for the race with Isinglass, allowing Raeburn to emerge almost indseen to take the race in the closing stages. For this race, La Fleche carried a weight of 154 pounds. On October 25nd she founud a weight of 133 pound too much when finishing unplace in the Cambridgeshie. She won the Lowther Stakes at Newmarket in October. On November 10 she won the Liverpool Autumn Cup, carrying a weight of 132 pounds and won in omressive style by one and a uarter lengths from ref The Prisoner.
Later in November, she was beaten under 137 pounds in the Manchester November Handicap.
1894: five-year-old season
Before the start of the 1894 season, La Fleche was covered by the Gold Cup winner Morion, and raced in foal for the rest of the year.At Royal Ascot on 15 June she started 2/5 favourite for the two and a half mile Ascot Gold Cup, in which her biggest danger appeared to be the French colt Callistrate. Watts held the mare up at the back of the field before moving her up to challenge Callistrate entering the straight. She soon went clear and won "in splendid style" by three lengths. One day later she ran in the Hardwicke Stakes and started the 1/5 favourite. In the straight however, she was never able to get on terms with the colt Ravensbury, and finished second and finished second, beaten half a length. The Prince of Wales reportedly lost heavily on the race.
On her final start of the year she met Ravensbury again in 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 Newmarket on 9 October. As the owners of Isinglass (horse)|]] had turned down a challenge to run his horse against La Fleche, there were the only two runners and the mare, ridden by Watts started at odds of 1/3. La Fleche opened up a clear lead in the early stages and was never in danger of defeat, winning "in a canter" by eight lengths. As the filly gallpoed up the hill with her ears pricked, she was given an enthusiastic reception from the Newmarket crowd who knew they were witnessing her final race.
Assessment
After her win in the St Leger, La Fleche was described as "one of the best fillies that ever raced in England." Her earnings of £25,635 were by far the highest for any horse in 1892. By the end of her second season, she had already earned more in prize money than any other filly. On her retirement it was said that she had been "nothing short of an Idol" with the public.Stud career
As noted above, La Fleche was already in foal when racing in 1894 and produced her first foal, a filly called La Veine in 1895. In 1896 Maurice de Hirsch died and all his bloodstock, including La Fleche and La Veine were put up for auction. She was sold for £12,600 to Marcus Beresford, acting on this occasion on behalf the Sykes family and was sent to their Sledmere Stud in Yorkshire. Sir Tatton Sykes, who was reportedly horrified by the price, initially refused to acknowledge the mare’s arrival, and left her in a railway box for two weeks before he was persuaded to accept the deal.La Fleche’s best runner was John O’Gaunt, who finished second in the Derby and sired Swynford
Swynford
Swynford was a British Thoroughbred racehorse. Bred at the 16th Lord Derby's stud in Lincolnshire, England he was sired by John O'Gaunt, a son of Isinglass, winner of the British Triple Crown in 1893...
. Her daughter Baroness La Fleche produced the 1000 Guineas winner Cinna and the successful stallion Beau Pere
Leading sire in Australia
The list below shows the leading sire of Thoroughbred racehorses in Australia for each season since 1883–84. This is determined by the amount of prize money won by the sire's progeny during the season.----- References :* -See also:...
. La Fleche was retired from breeding in 1911 and her death was announced in May 1916 at the age of twenty-seven.