Touchstone (horse)
Encyclopedia
Touchstone was a good British
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...

 and a 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:...

 on four occasions. He was owned and bred by Robert Grosvenor, 1st Marquess of Westminster
Robert Grosvenor, 1st Marquess of Westminster
Robert Grosvenor, 1st Marquess of Westminster, KG was the son of the 1st Earl Grosvenor, whom he succeeded in 1802 as 2nd Earl Grosvenor. He was created Marquess of Westminster in 1831. He was an English Member of Parliament and an ancestor of the modern day Dukes of Westminster...

.

He was brown colt, foaled in 1831, by Camel, his dam was the good broodmare, Banter, by Master Henry. Touchstone was a full brother to the 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...

 winner, Launcelot (br c 1837). Touchstone was a frail foal with badly turned hocks that caused him to travel wide when moving. He measured 15 hands 2 inches and had strong hindquarters. An unusual feature of Touchstone was the fact that he had 19 dorsal vertebrae and a segment of a nineteenth rib on each side, which contributed to his long back.

Racing record

He was conditioned for racing by the preeminent trainer of the day, John Scott
John Scott (horseman)
John Scott was the preeminent horse trainer in British Thoroughbred racing during the 19th century. Known as "The Wizard of the North," he was a brother to the successful jockey Bill Scott....

. Touchstone's most important win as a three-year-old came in the 1834 classic, the 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...

. He went on to win two Doncaster
Doncaster Cup
The Doncaster Cup is a Group 2 flat horse race in Great Britain which is open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run at Doncaster over a distance of 2 miles and 2 furlongs , and it is scheduled to take place each year in September....

 Cups and two 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....

s, retiring having won fifteen of his twenty starts, including six walk-overs.

Stud record

Touchstone was initially retired to stud
Stud (animal)
A stud animal is a registered animal retained for breeding. The terms for the male of a given animal species usually imply that the animal is entire—that is, not castrated—and therefore capable of siring offspring...

 duty at Moor Park, near Rickmansworth
Rickmansworth
Rickmansworth is a town in the Three Rivers district of Hertfordshire, England, 4¼ miles west of Watford.The town has a population of around 15,000 people and lies on the Grand Union Canal and the River Colne, at the northern end of the Colne Valley regional park.Rickmansworth is a small town in...

 in Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England. The county town is Hertford.The county is one of the Home Counties and lies inland, bordered by Greater London , Buckinghamshire , Bedfordshire , Cambridgeshire and...

, but then was brought to his owner's Eaton Stud in Cheshire
Cheshire
Cheshire is a ceremonial county in North West England. Cheshire's county town is the city of Chester, although its largest town is Warrington. Other major towns include Widnes, Congleton, Crewe, Ellesmere Port, Runcorn, Macclesfield, Winsford, Northwich, and Wilmslow...

. A major success as a stallion, Touchstone sired three 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...

 winners and was 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:...

 four times. Of the eight foals from the great racing mare Beeswing, five were sired by Touchstone.

His progeny included:
  • Blue Bonnet (1839) - won the 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...

  • Cotherstone (1840) - won the 2,000 Guineas and the Epsom Derby
  • Flatcatcher (1845) - won 2,000 Guineas Stakes
  • Lord of the Isles (1852) - won 2,000 Guineas
  • Mendicant (1843) - a filly who won the 1,000 Guineas and 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....

  • Newminster (1848) - won St. Leger Stakes, 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 1859 and 1863, sire of champion sires: Adventurer, Lord Clifden, and seven-time Leading Sire, Hermit
    Hermit (horse)
    Hermit was a 19th-century British Thoroughbred racehorse that was a direct descendant of Eclipse. He won the 1867 Epsom Derby, despite running in a snowstorm at 1000:15 odds with 10 false starts.-Breeding:...

  • Nunnykirk (1846) - won 2,000 Guineas, 2nd in the St. Leger Stakes
  • Orlando
    Orlando (horse)
    Orlando was a British Thoroughbred racehorse best known for winning the Epsom Derby and as a Leading sire in Great Britain & Ireland.-Racing record:...

     (1841) - won the Epsom Derby, 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:...

     (1851, 1854, 1858)
  • Surplice (1845) - won the Epsom Derby and St. Leger Stakes


Touchstone died in 1861 at Eaton Stud when he was thirty.

Tabulated pedigree

External links

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