Gladiateur
Encyclopedia
Gladiateur was a French
Hall of Fame
Thoroughbred
racehorse
who won the English Triple Crown
in 1865. Gladiateur is called a legend by France Galop
and "One of the best horses ever to grace the turf in any century" by the National Sporting Library
of Middleburg, Virginia
. Gladiateur was not very successful as a sire but his performance on the track remains one of the most impressive in Thoroughbred horse racing
history.
in the Haute-Normandie
region of France. He was sired by the British
horse Gladiator who had been purchased at age nine by French interests and brought to stand at stud in France
. Gladiateur's dam Miss Gladiator was by Gladiator and she was also the dam of Villafranca.
. Developing the colt slowly, he did not begin racing until the fall of 1864 and won only one of the three races he entered. At age three, things were very different as Gladiateur was the most dominant horse in Europe
an racing while becoming the first foreign horse to win the English Triple Crown. After winning the 1865 2,000 Guineas then the most prestigious race in England, the Epsom Derby
, Gladiateur was sent to race in Paris
. In front of happy fans who dubbed him "The Avenger of Waterloo
", he easily won the Grand Prix de Paris
.
At age four, Gladiateur continued to dominate, winning numerous important races in England and France including a forty-length victory in the Ascot Gold Cup
.
duty at the end of his four-year-old season having won sixteen of his nineteen races. He first stood at Middle Park Stud in Kent
in 1867 and 1868 and then at his owner's Haras de Dangu in France 1869 and 1870. Following the invasion of France by Germany
during the Franco-Prussian War
, Count Frederic de Lagrange shipped his horses out of the country to the safety of England where they were sold at a Tattersalls
auction. Gladiateur was purchased by an English breeder who brought him back to Middle Park Stud but following his new owner's death, in 1873 he was sold to Dunmow Stud Farm in Essex
. He was the sire of Fair Maid of Kent, dam of Kentish Fire (IRE) who won the Irish Derby Stakes and Frigate, a Grand National Steeplechase winner.
Suffering from a disease of the scaphoid bone
, Gladiateur was euthanized
in January 1876. He is buried at Dunmow Stud Farm but his tail is at the National Horseracing Museum
in Newmarket.
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...
Hall of Fame
French Horse Racing Hall of Fame
The French Horse Racing Hall of Fame as established by France Galop, the governing authority for Thoroughbred horse races in France. French Horse Racing is a nationally honored sport, as each year thousands gather to observe the races...
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 1865. Gladiateur is called a legend by France Galop
France Galop
France Galop is the governing body of flat and steeplechase horse racing in France. It was founded on May 3, 1995 as the result of the amalgamation of four different industry organizations...
and "One of the best horses ever to grace the turf in any century" by the National Sporting Library
National Sporting Library
The National Sporting Library & Museum The National Sporting Library and Museum, located in beautiful, historic Middleburg, Virginia, is dedicated to preserving, promoting, and sharing the literature, art, and culture of horse and field sports...
of Middleburg, Virginia
Middleburg, Virginia
Middleburg is a town in Loudoun County, Virginia, United States with a population of approximately 976 as of July 2010.-History:The town was established in 1787 by American Revolutionary War Lieutenant Colonel and Virginia statesman, Levin Powell. He purchased the land for Middleburg at $2.50 per...
. Gladiateur was not very successful as a sire but his performance on the track remains one of the most impressive in Thoroughbred horse racing
Thoroughbred horse race
Thoroughbred horse racing is a worldwide sport and industry involving the racing of Thoroughbred horses. It is governed by different national bodies. There are two forms of the sport: Flat racing and National Hunt racing...
history.
Background
A large colt, Gladiateur was a horse who raced best at long distances. He was bred by Count Frederic de Lagrange at his Haras de Dangu at Dangu, EureDangu, Eure
Dangu is a commune on the Epte River in the Eure department in the Haute-Normandie region in northern France.It is home to the renowned Haras de Dangu, once a large estate and thoroughbred horse breeding and training farm owned by Count Frédéric de Lagrange .-Population:...
in the Haute-Normandie
Haute-Normandie
Upper Normandy is one of the 27 regions of France. It was created in 1984 from two départements: Seine-Maritime and Eure, when Normandy was divided into Lower Normandy and Upper Normandy. This division continues to provoke controversy, and some continue to call for reuniting the two regions...
region of France. He was sired by the 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...
horse Gladiator who had been purchased at age nine by French interests and brought to stand at stud in France
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...
. Gladiateur's dam Miss Gladiator was by Gladiator and she was also the dam of Villafranca.
Racing career
Gladiateur's owner sent him to England to be trained by Tom Jennings, Sr. at Newmarket RacecourseNewmarket 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...
. Developing the colt slowly, he did not begin racing until the fall of 1864 and won only one of the three races he entered. At age three, things were very different as Gladiateur was the most dominant horse in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
an racing while becoming the first foreign horse to win the English Triple Crown. After winning the 1865 2,000 Guineas then the most prestigious race in England, 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...
, Gladiateur was sent to race in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
. In front of happy fans who dubbed him "The Avenger of Waterloo
Battle of Waterloo
The Battle of Waterloo was fought on Sunday 18 June 1815 near Waterloo in present-day Belgium, then part of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands...
", he easily won the Grand Prix de Paris
Grand Prix de Paris
The Grand Prix de Paris is a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run at Longchamp over a distance of 2,400 metres , and it is scheduled to take place each year in July.-History:...
.
At age four, Gladiateur continued to dominate, winning numerous important races in England and France including a forty-length victory in the 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....
.
Stud record
He was retired to studHorse 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...
duty at the end of his four-year-old season having won sixteen of his nineteen races. He first stood at Middle Park Stud in Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
in 1867 and 1868 and then at his owner's Haras de Dangu in France 1869 and 1870. Following the invasion of France by Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
during the Franco-Prussian War
Franco-Prussian War
The Franco-Prussian War or Franco-German War, often referred to in France as the 1870 War was a conflict between the Second French Empire and the Kingdom of Prussia. Prussia was aided by the North German Confederation, of which it was a member, and the South German states of Baden, Württemberg and...
, Count Frederic de Lagrange shipped his horses out of the country to the safety of England where they were sold at a Tattersalls
Tattersalls
Tattersalls is the main auctioneer of race horses in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland. It was founded in 1766 by Richard Tattersall , who had been stud groom to the second Duke of Kingston. The first premises occupied were near Hyde Park Corner, in what was then the outskirts of London...
auction. Gladiateur was purchased by an English breeder who brought him back to Middle Park Stud but following his new owner's death, in 1873 he was sold to Dunmow Stud Farm in Essex
Essex
Essex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...
. He was the sire of Fair Maid of Kent, dam of Kentish Fire (IRE) who won the Irish Derby Stakes and Frigate, a Grand National Steeplechase winner.
Suffering from a disease of the scaphoid bone
Scaphoid bone
The scaphoid bone is one of the carpal bones of the wrist. It is situated between the hand and forearm on the thumb-side of the wrist . The scaphoid bone is the largest bone of the proximal row of wrist bones, its long axis being from above downward, lateralward, and forward...
, Gladiateur was euthanized
Animal euthanasia
Animal euthanasia is the act of putting to death painlessly or allowing to die, as by withholding extreme medical measures, an animal suffering from an incurable, especially a painful, disease or condition. Euthanasia methods are designed to cause minimal pain and distress...
in January 1876. He is buried at Dunmow Stud Farm but his tail is at the National Horseracing Museum
National Horseracing Museum
The National Horseracing Museum of the United Kingdom is located at 99 High Street in Newmarket. Open to the public, it contains collections and records of people and horses involved in the sport of horse racing from its Royal origins to modern heroes...
in Newmarket.