Owen Tudor (horse)
Encyclopedia
Owen Tudor was a British Thoroughbred
racehorse and sire. In a career that lasted from 1940 to 1942 he ran twelve times and won six races. His most important win came as a three-year-old in the summer of 1941 when he won the “New Derby” at Newmarket
. During the Second World War many British racecourses were closed either for safety reasons or because the land was needed for military use. Epsom Downs Racecourse
was used throughout the war for an anti-aircraft battery, leading to the creation of a substitute or “New” version of the race. Owen Tudor went on to win a substitute “Ascot Gold Cup
” at Newmarket in 1942. At the end of that season he was retired to stud where he had considerable success as a sire of winners.
out of the French-bred mare Mary Tudor II. Hyperion was an outstanding racehorse who won the Epsom Derby
and the St Leger
in 1933. He went on to become a successful and influential stallion, being Leading sire in Great Britain and Ireland on six occasions. Mary Tudor II, who produced five winners apart from Owen Tudor, had won the Poule d'Essai des Pouliches
and finished second in the Prix de Diane
in 1934.
Owen Tudor was sent into training with Fred Darling
at Beckhampton, Wiltshire
and became his trainer’s seventh and last Derby winner.
. In his two other races he was sent to Newmarket where he finished unplaced in the Criterion Stakes and second in the Boscawen Stakes. In the Free Handicap, a ranking of the year’s best two-year-olds, Owen Tudor was rated eighth behind Poise, who as a gelding
was ineligible for the Classics.
Gordon Richards
who insisted that the colt would have been his Derby choice had he not been prevented from riding by injury.
Fred Darling saddled five runners of the twenty runners for the New Derby on June 18, with Owen Tudor being one of the least fancied at 25/1. The ride on Owen Tudor went to the experienced northern jockey William “Billy” Nevett, who was given leave from serving as a Private in the Royal Army Ordnance Corps
to take the mount. Although the crowds could not compare with those at Epsom, an estimated 50,000 were in attendance, and the facilities at Newmarket were inadequate for the numbers, resulting in many spectators spending the night in the open. The size of the gathering also provoked security concerns, leading the Royal Air Force
to fly almost constant patrol missions in the area. Two furlongs from the finish, the race was wide open, with the horses spread across the wide Newmarket straight. Owen Tudor took the lead soon afterwards and pulled ahead to win, beating his more fancied stable companion Morogoro by one and a half lengths.
Owen Tudor was then given a planned break of two months before returning in August, when he finished fourth to Sun Castle in a race at Newbury
. He then disappointed again in the "New St Leger", run at Manchester Racecourse
as Doncaster
was unavailable, finishing unplaced behind Sun Castle and Chateau Larose. In October the colt came back to form to beat Chateau Larose over fourteen furlongs in the “Newmarket St Leger” (not an official substitute race).
. In July he returned to Salisbury but finished sixth of the seven runners behind Mazarin in the Quidhampton Plate over one and a half miles. On his final start, Owen Tudor ran in the Newmarket Gold Cup a substitute for the Ascot Gold Cup
run over two and a quarter miles. Starting the 5/2 favourite he took the lead at half way and won the race easily from the filly Afterthought with Lovely Trim third. He was then retired to stud.
The official British Handicapper rated Owen Tudor the best three-year-old of 1941, three pounds ahead of Sun Castle.
, the miler Tudor Minstrel
and the middle distance performers Tudor Era and Right Royal. Owen Tudor was retired from stud duties in 1960 and died in 1966 at the age of twenty-eight.
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 and sire. In a career that lasted from 1940 to 1942 he ran twelve times and won six races. His most important win came as a three-year-old in the summer of 1941 when he won the “New Derby” 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...
. During the Second World War many British racecourses were closed either for safety reasons or because the land was needed for military use. Epsom Downs Racecourse
Epsom Downs Racecourse
Epsom Downs is a Grade 1 racecourse near Epsom, Surrey, England. The "downs" referred to in the name are part of the North Downs. The course is best known for hosting the Epsom Derby, the United Kingdom's premier thoroughbred horse race for three-year-old colts and fillies, over a mile and a half...
was used throughout the war for an anti-aircraft battery, leading to the creation of a substitute or “New” version of the race. Owen Tudor went on to win a substitute “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....
” at Newmarket in 1942. At the end of that season he was retired to stud where he had considerable success as a sire of winners.
Background
Owen Tudor was bred by his owner, Catherine Macdonald-Buchanan, who had inherited considerable racing and breeding interests when her father, Lord Woolavington, died in 1935. The bay colt was sired by HyperionHyperion (horse)
Hyperion was a British bred Thoroughbred, a dual classic winner and an outstanding sire. Owned by Edward Stanley, 17th Earl of Derby, Hyperion won £29,509 during his career - a considerable sum at the time. His victories included the Epsom Derby and St...
out of the French-bred mare Mary Tudor II. Hyperion was an outstanding racehorse who won 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 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...
in 1933. He went on to become a successful and influential stallion, being Leading sire in Great Britain and Ireland on six occasions. Mary Tudor II, who produced five winners apart from Owen Tudor, had won the Poule d'Essai des Pouliches
Poule d'Essai des Pouliches
The Poule d'Essai des Pouliches, sometimes referred to as the French 1,000 Guineas, is a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to three-year-old thoroughbred fillies...
and finished second in the Prix de Diane
Prix de Diane
The Prix de Diane, sometimes referred to as the French Oaks, is a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to three-year-old thoroughbred fillies...
in 1934.
Owen Tudor was sent into training with 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...
at Beckhampton, 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...
and became his trainer’s seventh and last Derby winner.
1940: two-year-old season
Owen Tudor began his racing career by winning the Salisbury Stakes SalisburySalisbury Racecourse
Salisbury Racecourse is a flat racecourse in the United Kingdom featuring thoroughbred horse racing. It is located four miles from Salisbury, Wiltshire, England. Fifteen races a year are held here between early May and mid-October...
. In his two other races he was sent to Newmarket where he finished unplaced in the Criterion Stakes and second in the Boscawen Stakes. In the Free Handicap, a ranking of the year’s best two-year-olds, Owen Tudor was rated eighth behind Poise, who as a gelding
Gelding
A gelding is a castrated horse or other equine such as a donkey or a mule. Castration, and the elimination of hormonally driven behavior associated with a stallion, allows a male horse to be calmer and better-behaved, making the animal quieter, gentler and potentially more suitable as an everyday...
was ineligible for the Classics.
1941: three-year-old season
Owen Tudor began his three-year-old campaign with an impressive win in the Column Produce Stakes. He then started favourite for the 2000 Guineas but finished fifth of the nineteen runners behind Lambert Simnel. Another disappointment followed when he was well neaten in a race at Salisbury. As a result he was not considered among the leading contenders for the New Derby, especially after a poor performance in a public exercise gallop on June 5. One of those who kept faith in Owen Tudor was the Champion JockeyBritish flat racing Champion Jockey
The Champion Jockey of flat racing in Great Britain is the jockey who has ridden the most winning horses during a season. The list below shows the Champion Jockey and the number of winners for each year since 1840...
Gordon Richards
Gordon Richards
Sir Gordon Richards was an English jockey, and is often considered the world's greatest ever jockey. He remains the only jockey to have been knighted....
who insisted that the colt would have been his Derby choice had he not been prevented from riding by injury.
Fred Darling saddled five runners of the twenty runners for the New Derby on June 18, with Owen Tudor being one of the least fancied at 25/1. The ride on Owen Tudor went to the experienced northern jockey William “Billy” Nevett, who was given leave from serving as a Private in the Royal Army Ordnance Corps
Royal Army Ordnance Corps
The Royal Army Ordnance Corps was a corps of the British Army. It dealt only with the supply and maintenance of weaponry, munitions and other military equipment until 1965, when it took over most other supply functions, as well as the provision of staff clerks, from the Royal Army Service...
to take the mount. Although the crowds could not compare with those at Epsom, an estimated 50,000 were in attendance, and the facilities at Newmarket were inadequate for the numbers, resulting in many spectators spending the night in the open. The size of the gathering also provoked security concerns, leading the Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
to fly almost constant patrol missions in the area. Two furlongs from the finish, the race was wide open, with the horses spread across the wide Newmarket straight. Owen Tudor took the lead soon afterwards and pulled ahead to win, beating his more fancied stable companion Morogoro by one and a half lengths.
Owen Tudor was then given a planned break of two months before returning in August, when he finished fourth to Sun Castle in a race at Newbury
Newbury Racecourse
Newbury Racecourse is a racecourse in the civil parish of Greenham, adjoining the town of Newbury in Berkshire, England. It has courses for flat races and over jumps...
. He then disappointed again in the "New St Leger", run at Manchester Racecourse
Manchester Racecourse
Manchester Racecourse was a former racecourse in the City of Salford, Greater Manchester, England. Manchester Racecourse moved several times but remained within Salford in the 19th and 20th centuries...
as 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 :...
was unavailable, finishing unplaced behind Sun Castle and Chateau Larose. In October the colt came back to form to beat Chateau Larose over fourteen furlongs in the “Newmarket St Leger” (not an official substitute race).
1942: three-year-old season
Owen Tudor stayed in training at four and began by winning the ten furlong Trial Plate at Salisbury, ridden by Gordon RichardsGordon Richards
Sir Gordon Richards was an English jockey, and is often considered the world's greatest ever jockey. He remains the only jockey to have been knighted....
. In July he returned to Salisbury but finished sixth of the seven runners behind Mazarin in the Quidhampton Plate over one and a half miles. On his final start, Owen Tudor ran in the Newmarket Gold Cup a substitute for 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....
run over two and a quarter miles. Starting the 5/2 favourite he took the lead at half way and won the race easily from the filly Afterthought with Lovely Trim third. He was then retired to stud.
Assessment
In their book A Century of Champions, John Randall and Tony Morris rated Owen Tudor the sixtieth best British horse of the 20th Century and the second best Derby winner of the 1940s.The official British Handicapper rated Owen Tudor the best three-year-old of 1941, three pounds ahead of Sun Castle.
Stud career
Owen Tudor was never Champion sire but had a highly successful stud career. Although he had shown his best form in long distance races he sired outstanding performers with a range of aptitudes including the sprinter AbernantAbernant (horse)
Abernant was British Thoroughbred racehorse who is "considered by many as the greatest British sprinter of the 20th century," according to Godolphin Racing.-Pedigree:...
, the miler Tudor Minstrel
Tudor Minstrel
Tudor Minstrel was a British-bred Champion Thoroughbred racehorse. He was sired by Owen Tudor, the 1941 Epsom Derby winner.Ridden by Gordon Richards, in 1947 Tudor Minstrel won the 1 mile long 2,000 Guineas by 8 lengths, the largest winning margin in the race since 1900...
and the middle distance performers Tudor Era and Right Royal. Owen Tudor was retired from stud duties in 1960 and died in 1966 at the age of twenty-eight.