Meadow Court
Encyclopedia
Meadow Court was a British
Thoroughbred
racehorse
.
heiress Elisabeth Ireland Poe who owned Shawnee Farm in Harrodsburg, Kentucky
as well as a racing and breeding operation in Ireland. Meadow Court was sired by Court Harwell, and out of the mare Meadow Music. His grandsire was Prince Chevalier, the Leading sire in France
in 1960, and his damsire the U.S. Racing Hall of Fame
inductee, Tom Fool
.
Meadow Court was owned by Canadian
businessman Max Bell
and Frank McMahon
, the owners of Golden West Farms
, and the famous American singer, Bing Crosby
.
behind whom he finished second in the 1965 Epsom Derby
. However that year Meadow Court went on to win the Irish Derby. In the winner's circle at the Curragh
, Bing Crosby sang When Irish Eyes Are Smiling
for the crowd. Meadow Court then gave jockey
Lester Piggott
his first win in the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes. In the fall, Meadow Court ran second to Provoke in the St. Leger Stakes
.
duty, Meadow Court's offspring met with modest success. The product of his last mating was born in 1981.
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...
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...
.
Background
He was bred by the AmericanUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
heiress Elisabeth Ireland Poe who owned Shawnee Farm in Harrodsburg, Kentucky
Harrodsburg, Kentucky
Harrodsburg is a city in and the county seat of Mercer County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 8,014 at the 2000 census. It is the oldest city in Kentucky.-History:...
as well as a racing and breeding operation in Ireland. Meadow Court was sired by Court Harwell, and out of the mare Meadow Music. His grandsire was Prince Chevalier, the Leading sire in France
Leading sire in France
The list below shows the leading Thoroughbred sire of racehorses in France for each year since 1887. This is determined by the amount of prizemoney won by the sire's progeny during the season .-----References:* -See also:*...
in 1960, and his damsire the U.S. Racing Hall of Fame
National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame
The National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame was founded in 1950 in Saratoga Springs, New York, to honor the achievements of American thoroughbred race horses, jockeys, and trainers...
inductee, Tom Fool
Tom Fool
Tom Fool was an American Thoroughbred racehorse, a winner of the American Horse of the Year award and a Hall of Fame inductee. He sired the outstanding racehorses Buckpasser and Tim Tam....
.
Meadow Court was owned by Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
businessman Max Bell
Max Bell
George Maxwell "Max" Bell was a Canadian newspaper publisher, race horse owner and philanthropist. He was best known as the co-founder of FP Publications, Canada's largest newspaper syndicate in the 1960s. He built his newspaper empire after inheriting the Calgary Albertan, and its $500,000 debt,...
and Frank McMahon
Frank M. McMahon
Frank Murray Patrick McMahon was a Canadian businessman best known as the founder and first chairman of Westcoast Transmission Co. Ltd...
, the owners of Golden West Farms
Golden West Farms
Golden West Farms was a Canadian Thoroughbred horse racing stable and breeding farm at Okotoks, Alberta owned by Frank McMahon and Max Bell.Both partners were successful businessmen who invested in Thoroughbred racehorses. Frank McMahon most notably owned U.S. Racing Hall of Fame colt Majestic...
, and the famous American singer, Bing Crosby
Bing Crosby
Harry Lillis "Bing" Crosby was an American singer and actor. Crosby's trademark bass-baritone voice made him one of the best-selling recording artists of the 20th century, with over half a billion records in circulation....
.
Racing career
Meadow Court had the bad luck to be born the same year as the great colt, Sea Bird IISea Bird II
Sea Bird II is considered by many to be the greatest post-war European flat racehorse. His Timeform rating of 145 is still the highest ever flat figure awarded by that publication. Sea Bird II is most famous for his breathtaking victories in two of Europe's most prestigious races: the Epsom Derby...
behind whom he finished second in the 1965 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...
. However that year Meadow Court went on to win the Irish Derby. In the winner's circle at the Curragh
Curragh Racecourse
The Curragh Racecourse, usually abbreviated to The Curragh, is Ireland's most important Thoroughbred race track. It is situated on the Curragh plain near Newbridge, County Kildare, Ireland.- History :...
, Bing Crosby sang When Irish Eyes Are Smiling
When Irish Eyes Are Smiling
"When Irish Eyes Are Smiling" is a lighthearted song in tribute to Ireland. Its lyrics were written by Chauncey Olcott and George Graff, Jr., set to music composed by Ernest Ball, for Olcott's production of The Isle O' Dreams, and Olcott sang the song in the show...
for the crowd. Meadow Court then gave jockey
Jockey
A jockey is an athlete who rides horses in horse racing or steeplechase racing, primarily as a profession. The word also applies to camel riders in camel racing.-Etymology:...
Lester Piggott
Lester Piggott
Lester Keith Piggott is a retired English professional jockey, popularly known as "The Long Fellow". With 4,493 career wins, including nine Epsom Derby victories, he is one of the most well-known English flat racing jockeys of all time....
his first win in the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes. In the fall, Meadow Court ran second to Provoke in 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...
.
Stud career
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, Meadow Court's offspring met with modest success. The product of his last mating was born in 1981.