Pretty Polly
Encyclopedia
Pretty Polly was an outstanding English
bred Thoroughbred
racehorse and an outstanding broodmare. She won fifteen consecutive races and was only the fifth filly to win the British Fillies Triple Crown
since its inception in 1814.
and bleeder. Pretty Polly’s dam was the cluster
mare, Admiration by Saraband, who won two small races in Ireland, before being tried as a steeplechaser. Admiration foaled nine winners, which won 42 races worth £52,484, and founded a successful female family, which included top class gallopers Craganour, Cresta Run, King John and Tehran.
The following year, Pretty Polly won the 1,000 Guineas as 1-4 favourite, winning easily by three lengths in record time. Other wins as a three-year-old were the Epsom Oaks
, the Coronation Stakes
at Royal Ascot, the Nassau Stakes
at Goodwood
, the St. Leger Stakes
(completing the Fillies' Triple Crown) and the Park Hill Stakes
with jockey William Lane.
Pretty Polly stayed in training as a four and five-year-old, winning six more races, including the Coronation Cup
in 1905 and 1906.
In total, Pretty Polly won 22 of her 24 races, placing second twice, in Paris in 1904 and in the 1906 Ascot Gold Cup
.
winner St. Paddy
.
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...
bred 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 and an outstanding broodmare. She won fifteen consecutive races and was only the fifth filly to win the British Fillies 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...
since its inception in 1814.
Breeding
Her sire was the good stallion, Gallinule who was also a roarerLaryngeal 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...
and bleeder. Pretty Polly’s dam was the cluster
Glossary of equestrian terms
This is a basic glossary of equestrian terms; both technical terminology and jargon that has developed over the centuries to describe horses and other equidae, as well as various horse-related concepts...
mare, Admiration by Saraband, who won two small races in Ireland, before being tried as a steeplechaser. Admiration foaled nine winners, which won 42 races worth £52,484, and founded a successful female family, which included top class gallopers Craganour, Cresta Run, King John and Tehran.
Racing record
Pretty Polly was bred and owned by Major Eustace Loder and trained by Peter Gilpin, she won nine races from nine starts as a two-year-old in 1903.The following year, Pretty Polly won the 1,000 Guineas as 1-4 favourite, winning easily by three lengths in record time. Other wins as a three-year-old were 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....
, the Coronation Stakes
Coronation Stakes
The Coronation Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old thoroughbred fillies. It is run at Ascot over a distance of 1 mile , and it is scheduled to take place each year in June.-History:...
at Royal Ascot, the Nassau Stakes
Nassau Stakes
The Nassau Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to thoroughbred fillies and mares aged three years or older. It is run at Goodwood over a distance of 1 mile, 1 furlong and 192 yards , and it is scheduled to take place each year in late July or early August.-History:The title of...
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...
, 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...
(completing the Fillies' Triple Crown) and the Park Hill Stakes
Park Hill Stakes
The Park Hill Stakes is a Group 2 flat horse race in Great Britain which is open to thoroughbred fillies and mares aged three years or older. 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.The event was...
with jockey William Lane.
Pretty Polly stayed in training as a four and five-year-old, winning six more races, including the Coronation Cup
Coronation Cup
The Coronation Cup is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to thoroughbreds aged four years or older. 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 June....
in 1905 and 1906.
In total, Pretty Polly won 22 of her 24 races, placing second twice, in Paris in 1904 and in the 1906 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
Pretty Polly was returned to the place of her birth, Eyrefield Lodge Stud, to begin her new career as a broodmare. Here Pretty Polly produced ten foals and four of these were flat race winners who between them won eleven races for ₤6,107. Another son, Tudor King (1920) won a small hurdle race. Her four daughters (each by a different sire) were successful as broodmares, founding the classic winning Pretty Polly family which remains important in the stud book. Pretty Polly was the fourth dam of the good sire, Donatello II, the fifth dam of Brigadier Gerard and the sixth dam of the Epsom DerbyEpsom 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 St. Paddy
St. Paddy
St. Paddy was a British Thoroughbred racehorse. Owned and bred by Sir Victor Sassoon, he was out of the mare Edie Kelly and sired by Aureole, a winner of the Coronation Cup and King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes. His grandsire, Hyperion, and his damsire, Bois Roussel, both won the Epsom...
.