Manna (horse)
Encyclopedia
Manna was a British Thoroughbred
racehorse an sire. In a career which lasted from summer 1922 until September 1923, Manna ran four times, winning eight races. As a three-year-old in 1925 he won the 2000 Guineas at Newmarket
and the Epsom Derby
by a record margin of eight lengths. Manna was retired after breaking down in his bid to win the Triple Crown in the St Leger
at Doncaster
. He later had a successful career at stud.
. As a yearling he was sent to the sales at Doncaster
, where he was sold for 6,300 gns
to the trainer Fred Darling
on behalf of the Shanghai
-based bullion broker Henry E. Morriss. Darling had been instructed by a telegram from Morriss to buy the best yearling in the sale. Manna was trained by Darling at his stable at Beckhampton in Wiltshire
where he proved to be a lively and high-spirited individual.
Manna was from the third crop of foals sired by Phalaris
an outstanding sprinter who went on to become the most influential stallion of the 20th Century. Manna’s dam, the unraced mare Waffles, went on to produce the St Leger winner Sandwich.
Morriss later explained the colt's name by saying "I always felt that he was a Heaven-sent gift... and Waffles, his dam is the name of a food."
at Goodwood
on his next start in July.
At Kempton
he finished second in the Imperial Produce Stakes to Picaroon, the year’s champion two-year-old colt. He faced Picaroon again in the Middle Park Stakes
. Manna took the lead in the final furlong but was outpaced in the last stages of the race and finished third behind Picaroon and Solario On his final start of the year, Manna beat Cross Bow to win the Moulton Stakes at Newmarket.
, Manna led from the start and won easily, beating St. Becan by two lengths.
Manna was then aimed at the Derby although there were doubts about whether, as the son of a sprinter, he would have the stamina to be effective over one and a half miles on heavy ground. He started at odds of 9/1, with Cross Bow, who had won the Newmarket Stakes
starting the 9/2 favourite. The race was run in "cold, driving rain" in front of a large crowd which included the King and Queen
and other members of the Royal Family. Ridden confidently by Donoghue, Manna tracked the easrly leader, Dalmagarry, before moving to the front soon after half way. In the straight he pulled steadily further away from his rivals to win by eight lengths. The winning margin was the largest ever recorded in the race, and remained so until Shergar
won by ten lengths in 1981. Although Manna had not been favourite, the win was reported to be enthusiastically received, largely because of the popularity of Donoghue, who was winning the race for the sixth time. After the race he explained that Manna had "shot to the front without any bidding from me" and that he had "never shown him the whip".
Manna failed to reproduce his Derby winning form at Royal Ascot. In the King Edward VII Stakes
he finished a close third when attempting to give ten pounds
to Solario
a colt who had finished fourth at Epsom. The result caused debate concerning the relative merits of Manna and Solario, with some correspondents expressing the view that Solario had been beaten in the Derby only through a lack of fitness.
On his final start, Manna attempted to win the Triple Crown in the St Leger for which he was made 7/2 joint-favourite with Solario. His task appeared to have been made much easier by the late withdrawal of the undefeated filly Saucy Sue who had won the 1000 Guineas and the Epsom Oaks
. Manna looked "splendid" before the race and started strongly, leading the field in the early stages, but he was headed after a mile and dropped quickly out of contention. He finished tenth of the fifteen runners behind Solario, “limping”, according to the Daily Telegraph , “like a tired old hound with thorns in his pads.” It was subsequently revealed that Manna had sustained an injury to his right foreleg which proved severe enough to end his racing career.
was one of leading British two-year-old of 1932 who went on to become an important stallion in Australia. He died after breaking a blood vessel in October 1939. He was buried at the Banstead Manor Stud, where the stallion man's cottage is still known as "Manna Cottage."
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 an sire. In a career which lasted from summer 1922 until September 1923, Manna ran four times, winning eight races. As a three-year-old in 1925 he won the 2000 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...
and 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...
by a record margin of eight lengths. Manna was retired after breaking down in his bid to win the Triple Crown in 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 :...
. He later had a successful career at stud.
Background
Manna, described by the Breeders’ Review as “a superb creature” with whom it was “impossible to find fault”, was a bay horse bred in Ireland by James J. Maher at his Confey Stud in County DublinCounty Dublin
County Dublin is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Dublin Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the city of Dublin which is the capital of Ireland. County Dublin was one of the first of the parts of Ireland to be shired by King John of England following the...
. As a yearling he was sent to the sales at Doncaster
Doncaster
Doncaster is a town in South Yorkshire, England, and the principal settlement of the Metropolitan Borough of Doncaster. The town is about from Sheffield and is popularly referred to as "Donny"...
, where he was sold for 6,300 gns
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...
to the trainer Fred Darling
Fred Darling
Frederick Darling was a British Thoroughbred racehorse trainer who trained a record-equalling seven English Derby winners.Fred’s father, Sam Darling senior, was a trainer at Beckhampton, Wiltshire who trained two Derby winners himself...
on behalf of the Shanghai
Shanghai
Shanghai is the largest city by population in China and the largest city proper in the world. It is one of the four province-level municipalities in the People's Republic of China, with a total population of over 23 million as of 2010...
-based bullion broker Henry E. Morriss. Darling had been instructed by a telegram from Morriss to buy the best yearling in the sale. Manna was trained by Darling at his stable at Beckhampton in Wiltshire
Wiltshire
Wiltshire is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset, Somerset, Hampshire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire. It contains the unitary authority of Swindon and covers...
where he proved to be a lively and high-spirited individual.
Manna was from the third crop of foals sired by Phalaris
Phalaris (horse)
Phalaris was a British bred Thoroughbred racehorse, later a Leading sire in Great Britain and Ireland and a Leading broodmare sire in Great Britain & Ireland...
an outstanding sprinter who went on to become the most influential stallion of the 20th Century. Manna’s dam, the unraced mare Waffles, went on to produce the St Leger winner Sandwich.
Morriss later explained the colt's name by saying "I always felt that he was a Heaven-sent gift... and Waffles, his dam is the name of a food."
1924: two-year-old season
Manna made his debut in one of the season’s most important races for two-year-olds, the National Breeders’ Produce Stakes at Sandown for which, on the basis of his home reputation, he started odds-on favourite. He failed to win but showed himself to be a promising colt by finishing third to Garden of Allah. This promise was confirmed when he won the Richmond StakesRichmond Stakes
The Richmond Stakes is a Group 2 flat horse race in Great Britain open to two-year-old thoroughbred colts and geldings. It is run at Goodwood over a distance of 6 furlongs , and it is scheduled to take place each year in late July or early August....
at 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...
on his next start in July.
At Kempton
Kempton Park Racecourse
Kempton Park Racecourse is a horse racing track in Sunbury-on-Thames, Surrey, England, which is a western suburb of London 16 miles from the city centre. The site is set in of land....
he finished second in the Imperial Produce Stakes to Picaroon, the year’s champion two-year-old colt. He faced Picaroon again in the Middle Park Stakes
Middle Park Stakes
The Middle Park Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain which is open to two-year-old thoroughbred colts. It is run on the Rowley Mile at Newmarket over a distance of 6 furlongs , and it is scheduled to take place each year in late September or early October.The event was established...
. Manna took the lead in the final furlong but was outpaced in the last stages of the race and finished third behind Picaroon and Solario On his final start of the year, Manna beat Cross Bow to win the Moulton Stakes at Newmarket.
1925: three-year-old season
The spring of 1925 was unusually wet, leading to heavy ground on which it was difficult to prepare horses. Manna was not, therefore, believed to be in peak condition for the 2000 Guineas, and started at odds of 100/8 in a field of thirteen. Ridden by Steve DonoghueSteve Donoghue
Steve Donoghue was a leading English flat-race jockey in the 1910s and 1920s. He was Champion Jockey 10 times between 1914 and 1923 and was one of the most celebrated horse racing sportsmen after Fred Archer, arguably only Sir Gordon Richards eclipsing him.-Background:Born in Warrington, Cheshire,...
, Manna led from the start and won easily, beating St. Becan by two lengths.
Manna was then aimed at the Derby although there were doubts about whether, as the son of a sprinter, he would have the stamina to be effective over one and a half miles on heavy ground. He started at odds of 9/1, with Cross Bow, who had won the Newmarket Stakes
Newmarket Stakes
The Newmarket Stakes is a Listed flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and geldings. It is run on the Rowley Mile at Newmarket over a distance of 1 mile and 2 furlongs , and it is scheduled to take place each year in late April or early May.At present, the event...
starting the 9/2 favourite. The race was run in "cold, driving rain" in front of a large crowd which included the King and Queen
Mary of Teck
Mary of Teck was the queen consort of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Empress of India, as the wife of King-Emperor George V....
and other members of the Royal Family. Ridden confidently by Donoghue, Manna tracked the easrly leader, Dalmagarry, before moving to the front soon after half way. In the straight he pulled steadily further away from his rivals to win by eight lengths. The winning margin was the largest ever recorded in the race, and remained so until Shergar
Shergar
Shergar was an acclaimed Irish racehorse, and winner of the 1981 Epsom Derby by a record 10 lengths, the longest winning margin in the race's 226-year history. This victory earned him a spot in The Observer newspaper's 100 Most Memorable Sporting Moments of the Twentieth Century...
won by ten lengths in 1981. Although Manna had not been favourite, the win was reported to be enthusiastically received, largely because of the popularity of Donoghue, who was winning the race for the sixth time. After the race he explained that Manna had "shot to the front without any bidding from me" and that he had "never shown him the whip".
Manna failed to reproduce his Derby winning form at Royal Ascot. In the King Edward VII Stakes
King Edward VII Stakes
The King Edward VII Stakes is a Group 2 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and geldings. It is run at Ascot over a distance of 1 mile and 4 furlongs , and it is scheduled to take place each year in June....
he finished a close third when attempting to give ten 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...
to Solario
Solario
Solario 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...
a colt who had finished fourth at Epsom. The result caused debate concerning the relative merits of Manna and Solario, with some correspondents expressing the view that Solario had been beaten in the Derby only through a lack of fitness.
On his final start, Manna attempted to win the Triple Crown in the St Leger for which he was made 7/2 joint-favourite with Solario. His task appeared to have been made much easier by the late withdrawal of the undefeated filly Saucy Sue who had won the 1000 Guineas and the 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....
. Manna looked "splendid" before the race and started strongly, leading the field in the early stages, but he was headed after a mile and dropped quickly out of contention. He finished tenth of the fifteen runners behind Solario, “limping”, according to the Daily Telegraph , “like a tired old hound with thorns in his pads.” It was subsequently revealed that Manna had sustained an injury to his right foreleg which proved severe enough to end his racing career.
Assessment
In their book A Century of Champions, John Randall and Tony Morris rated Manna an “average” Derby winner and the one hundred and fifteenth best British racehorse of the 20th Century .Stud career
For his stud career, Manna was syndicated ("turned into limited liablility company") by his owner, with the intention that his future should be managed on "efficient business lines". It was reported that his stud fee was likely to be 400 gns. Standing at the Banstead Manor Stud, at Cheveley, near Newmarket, Manna was a reasonably successful stallion with the best of his progeny being the 2000 Guineas winner Colombo and the undefeated Mannamead. His son ManitobaManitoba (horse)
Manitoba was a British bred Thoroughbred racehorse that was a race winner in England before he was exported to Australia where he was a leading sire.-Breeding:...
was one of leading British two-year-old of 1932 who went on to become an important stallion in Australia. He died after breaking a blood vessel in October 1939. He was buried at the Banstead Manor Stud, where the stallion man's cottage is still known as "Manna Cottage."
Pedigree
- Manna was inbredInbreedingInbreeding is the reproduction from the mating of two genetically related parents. Inbreeding results in increased homozygosity, which can increase the chances of offspring being affected by recessive or deleterious traits. This generally leads to a decreased fitness of a population, which is...
3x4x4 to St. SimonSt. Simon (horse)St. Simon was an undefeated British Thoroughbred racehorse and one of the most successful sires in the history of the Thoroughbred. In May 1886 The Sporting Times carried out a poll of one hundred experts to create a ranking of the best British racehorses of the 19th Century. St...
. This means that the stallion appears once in the third, and twice in the fourth generation of his pedigree.