Galcador
Encyclopedia
Galcador was a French
Thoroughbred
racehorse
best known for winning England's most prestigious race, the Epsom Derby
.
. As a son of the stallion Djebel
, he was a representative of the Byerley Turk sire-line unlike the vast majority of modern thoroughbreds, who descend directly from the Darley Arabian
.
at Le Tremblay before finishing second in the Poule d'Essai des Poulains
to Tantieme
.
In the Derby Galcador started at odds of 100-9 and was riddedn by the Australian jocky Rae Johnstone. He produced a sustained run on the outside to catch the American-bred and owned favourite Prince Simon inside the final furlong. Prince Simon rallied close to the finish but Galcador maintained his advantage to win by a head. The first prize of £17,010 was the largest awarded up to that time.
, Galcador stood at Boussac's breeding operation from 1951 through 1959. Sold to breeders in Japan
for the 1960 season, he stood there until his death in 1970. His offspring met with limited success in racing.
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
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...
best known for winning England's most prestigious race, 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...
.
Background
Galcador, like both of his parents, was bred by his owner Marcel BoussacMarcel Boussac
Marcel Boussac was a French entrepreneur best known for his ownership of the Maison Dior and one of the most successful thoroughbred race horse breeding farms in European history....
. As a son of the stallion Djebel
Djebel
Djebel was a French Thoroughbred racehorse, who won 15 of 22 races during 1939-1942 and was later a leading sire.-Breeding:Djebel was sired by Tourbillon, a stallion owned by Marcel Boussac, who had won the French Derby and the Prix Lupin, and went on to become a notable sire. Toubillon's dam-sire...
, he was a representative of the Byerley Turk sire-line unlike the vast majority of modern thoroughbreds, who descend directly from the Darley Arabian
Darley Arabian
The Darley Arabian was one of three dominant foundation sires of modern Thoroughbred horse racing bloodstock, the other two being the Godolphin Arabian and the Byerley Turk. This bay Arabian horse was bought in Aleppo, Syria by Thomas Darley in 1704 and shipped back to Aldby Park in England, where...
.
Racing career
As a two-year-old in 1949, Galcador won his only race, the Prix de Saint-Firmin over 1000m. On his three-year-old debut he won the Prix DaphnisPrix Daphnis
The Prix Daphnis is a Group 3 flat horse race in France open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and geldings. It is run at Longchamp over a distance of 1,850 metres , and it is scheduled to take place each year in late June or early July.-History:The Prix Daphnis was established in 1921 alongside...
at Le Tremblay before finishing second in the Poule d'Essai des Poulains
Poule d'Essai des Poulains
The Poule d'Essai des Poulains, sometimes referred to as the French 2,000 Guineas, is a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts...
to Tantieme
Tantieme
Tantième was a French Thoroughbred horse racing champion and prominent sire who twice won the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, France's most prestigious horse race. He also won several other important conditions races including the Grand Critérium in 1949, the Poule d'Essai des Poulains, Prix Lupin and...
.
In the Derby Galcador started at odds of 100-9 and was riddedn by the Australian jocky Rae Johnstone. He produced a sustained run on the outside to catch the American-bred and owned favourite Prince Simon inside the final furlong. Prince Simon rallied close to the finish but Galcador maintained his advantage to win by a head. The first prize of £17,010 was the largest awarded up to that time.
Stud career
Retired to studStud (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...
, Galcador stood at Boussac's breeding operation from 1951 through 1959. Sold to breeders in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
for the 1960 season, he stood there until his death in 1970. His offspring met with limited success in racing.