Ormonde
Encyclopedia
Ormonde was an English Thoroughbred
racehorse, an unbeaten Triple Crown
winner, generally considered to be one of the greatest racehorses ever.
, foaled in 1883 at Eaton Stud in Cheshire
. Ormonde's sire was the Epsom Derby
winner Bend Or
, while his dam, Lily Agnes, was sired by another Derby winner, Macaroni. Ormonde was a brother to Ornament who produced the outstanding Sceptre
, the only racehorse to win four British Classic Races outright.
by John Porter
for the 1st Duke of Westminster
. As a two-year-old, Ormonde did not race until the end of the season when he won the Post Stakes, the Criterion Stakes and the Dewhurst Stakes
in quick succession.
At three he won firstly the 2,000 Guineas, defeating the strongly fancied and previously unbeaten Minting. He went on to beat The Bard (also previously undefeated) in the Epsom Derby
and followed up by winning the St. James's Palace Stakes
and the Hardwicke Stakes
, both at Ascot Racecourse
, and then completed the Triple Crown by winning the Doncaster
St. Leger Stakes
in a canter. He ended a triumphant season with wins in the Great Foal Stakes, the Champion Stakes
, the Free Handicap and a walkover in a Private Sweepstakes. Throughout the season his breathing had become progressively louder until he was labelled a roarer
.
Despite fears that his career might be over he came out at four with an easy win in the Rous Memorial Stakes at Ascot. The very next day in the Hardwicke Stakes he was made to struggle for the first time and only beat Minting by a neck - his breathing now so loud that it was heard all over the racecourse. His final race was the Imperial Gold Cup
at Newmarket
.
. When he was six Ormonde was sold for ₤12,000 and exported to Argentina
. Sold again in 1893, by his Argentinian owner, for ₤31,250 he was sent to California
where he sired 16 offspring, including Ormondale who sired Purchase
. He died in 1904 at age 21 at Rancho Wikiup in Santa Rosa, California
. His disarticulated skeleton/skull were later returned to the Natural History Museum
in South Kensington
, London
.
His male line survives through Ajax
, Flying Fox, Orby, Orme and Teddy
.
Ormonde may have been the model for the fictional horse Silver Blaze
in Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's
short story of the same name.
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 unbeaten 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...
winner, generally considered to be one of the greatest racehorses ever.
Breeding
He was a bay coltColt (horse)
A colt is a young male horse, under the age of four. The term "colt" is often confused with foal, which refers to a horse of either sex under one year of age....
, foaled in 1883 at 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...
. Ormonde's sire was 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...
winner Bend Or
Bend Or
Bend Or was a British Thoroughbred racehorse who won the 1880 Epsom Derby. His regular jockey Fred Archer, winner of thirteen consecutive British jockey titles, said Bend Or was probably the greatest horse he had ever ridden....
, while his dam, Lily Agnes, was sired by another Derby winner, Macaroni. Ormonde was a brother to Ornament who produced the outstanding Sceptre
Sceptre (horse)
Sceptre was a British-bred and British-trained Thoroughbred racemare whose career ran from 1901 to 1904. In 1902 she became the only racehorse to win four British Classic Races outright.-Breeding:...
, the only racehorse to win four British Classic Races outright.
Racing record
Ormonde was trained at KingsclereKingsclere
Kingsclere is a large village and civil parish in the county of Hampshire, England. Kingsclere is located near to Watership Down, the setting of Richard Adams' 1972 novel Watership Down.-Geography:...
by John Porter
John Porter (horseman)
John Porter was an English Thoroughbred flat racing trainer whose horses won the English Triple Crown three times.-Biography:Born in Rugeley, Staffordshire, the National Horseracing Museum says that John Porter "was undoubtedly the most successful trainer of the Victorian era."From 1854 to 1855,...
for the 1st Duke of Westminster
Hugh Grosvenor, 1st Duke of Westminster
Hugh Lupus Grosvenor, 1st Duke of Westminster KG, PC, JP , styled Viscount Belgrave between 1831 and 1845 and Earl Grosvenor between 1845 and 1869 and known as the 3rd Marquess of Westminster between 1869 and 1874, was an English landowner, politician and racehorse owner.He inherited the estate of...
. As a two-year-old, Ormonde did not race until the end of the season when he won the Post Stakes, the Criterion Stakes and the Dewhurst Stakes
Dewhurst Stakes
The Dewhurst Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain which is open to two-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run on the Rowley Mile at Newmarket over a distance of 7 furlongs , and it is scheduled to take place each year in October.The event was established in 1875, and it...
in quick succession.
At three he won firstly the 2,000 Guineas, defeating the strongly fancied and previously unbeaten Minting. He went on to beat The Bard (also previously undefeated) in 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...
and followed up by winning the St. James's Palace Stakes
St. James's Palace Stakes
The St. James's Palace Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts. It is run at Ascot over a distance of 1 mile , and it is scheduled to take place each year in June....
and the Hardwicke Stakes
Hardwicke Stakes
The Hardwicke Stakes is a Group 2 flat horse race in Great Britain open to thoroughbreds aged four years or older. 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.-History:...
, both at Ascot Racecourse
Ascot Racecourse
Ascot Racecourse is a famous English racecourse, located in the small town of Ascot, Berkshire, used for thoroughbred horse racing. It is one of the leading racecourses in the United Kingdom, hosting 9 of the UK's 32 annual Group 1 races...
, and then completed the Triple Crown by winning the 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 :...
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...
in a canter. He ended a triumphant season with wins in the Great Foal Stakes, the Champion Stakes
Champion Stakes
The Champion Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain which is open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run at Ascot over a distance of 1 mile and 2 furlongs , and it is scheduled to take place each year in October...
, the Free Handicap and a walkover in a Private Sweepstakes. Throughout the season his breathing had become progressively louder until he was labelled a roarer
Laryngeal paralysis
Laryngeal paralysis in animals is a condition in which the nerves and muscles that control the movements of one or both arytenoid cartilages of the larynx cease to function, and instead of opening during inspiration and closing during swallowing, the arytenoids remain stationary in a somewhat...
.
Despite fears that his career might be over he came out at four with an easy win in the Rous Memorial Stakes at Ascot. The very next day in the Hardwicke Stakes he was made to struggle for the first time and only beat Minting by a neck - his breathing now so loud that it was heard all over the racecourse. His final race was the Imperial Gold Cup
July Cup
The July Cup is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run on the July Course at Newmarket over a distance of 6 furlongs , and it is scheduled to take place each year in July....
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...
.
Stud record
Ormonde went to the Duke of Westminster's stud in 1888. He was then moved to Newmarket, became sick and had reduced fertility, but he produced Orme, sire of another Triple Crown winner, Flying FoxFlying Fox (horse)
Flying Fox was a British Thoroughbred racehorse who won the 1899 English Triple Crown Races and was the leading sire in France three times.-Breeding:...
. When he was six Ormonde was sold for ₤12,000 and exported to Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
. Sold again in 1893, by his Argentinian owner, for ₤31,250 he was sent to California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
where he sired 16 offspring, including Ormondale who sired Purchase
Purchase (horse)
Purchase , an American Thoroughbred racehorse, was called "The Adonis of the Turf." Walter Vosburgh, the official handicapper for The Jockey Club as well as a turf historian for many years , wrote: "…one of the most exquisitely beautiful of racehorses…to describe Purchase would be to exhaust the...
. He died in 1904 at age 21 at Rancho Wikiup in Santa Rosa, California
Santa Rosa, California
Santa Rosa is the county seat of Sonoma County, California, United States. The 2010 census reported a population of 167,815. Santa Rosa is the largest city in California's Wine Country and fifth largest city in the San Francisco Bay Area, after San Jose, San Francisco, Oakland, and Fremont and 26th...
. His disarticulated skeleton/skull were later returned to the Natural History Museum
Natural History Museum
The Natural History Museum is one of three large museums on Exhibition Road, South Kensington, London, England . Its main frontage is on Cromwell Road...
in South Kensington
South Kensington
South Kensington is a district in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in London. It is a built-up area located 2.4 miles west south-west of Charing Cross....
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
.
His male line survives through Ajax
Ajax (horse)
Ajax was a champion Australian bred Thoroughbred racehorse and sire, who won 18 consecutive races before he was defeated at the extraordinary odds of 40/1 on, causing a huge racing sensation. He had wins from 5 furlongs to 1½ miles , equalled to Australasian record for a mile and...
, Flying Fox, Orby, Orme and Teddy
Teddy (horse)
Teddy was a French racehorse and an influential sire, especially for lines in Italy, France, and the United States. He is considered one of the most influential sires in the 20th century.-Racing career:...
.
Ormonde may have been the model for the fictional horse Silver Blaze
Silver Blaze
"Silver Blaze", one of the 56 Sherlock Holmes short stories written by British author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, is one of 12 in the cycle collected as The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes. It was adapted in 1937 to a film starring Arthur Wontner, and an ITV drama starring Christopher Plummer which was...
in Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's
Arthur Conan Doyle
Sir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle DL was a Scottish physician and writer, most noted for his stories about the detective Sherlock Holmes, generally considered a milestone in the field of crime fiction, and for the adventures of Professor Challenger...
short story of the same name.