Psidium (horse)
Encyclopedia
Psidium was an Irish-bred, British-trained Thoroughbred
racehorse and sire. In a racing career that lasted from 1960 to 1961 Psidium ran eleven times and won twice. He is best known for his win, as a 66/1 outsider in the 1961 Epsom Derby
. He later became a successful stallion.
horse with a narrow white blaze
, standing 16.1 hands
high, was bred in Ireland by his owner Etti Plesch
. His sire Pardal was a high class racehorse who won the Jockey Club Stakes
and the Princess of Wales's Stakes
. Psidium’s dam, the Italian mare Dinarella finished fourth in the Oaks d'Italia
and also produced the Poule d'Essai des Poulains
winner Thymus. Mme Plesch named all her horses after flowers with Psidium being named after the Guava Flower
Psidium was sent into training with Harry Wragg
at his Abington Place stable at Newmarket, Suffolk.
and finished third in the Dewhurst Stakes
at Newmarket
and the Horris Hill Stakes
at Newbury
. In the Free Handicap, an assessment of the year’s best two-year-olds, Psidium was given a rating of 116lbs
, seventeen pounds below the top weight Opaline.
over 2100m in which he finished fourth behind Moutiers. He was ridden in the race by Lester Piggott
who expressed his view that Psidium did not stay the distance.
At Epsom
, Psidium was ridden by the French jockey Roger Poincelet. He was not considered a serious contender, starting at odds of 66/1 in a field of twenty-eight. The race was run on rock-hard ground in front of a crowd estimated at 250,000 which included the Queen and the Queen Mother. Psidium was held up towards the back of the field, and was not in contention when the leaders turned into the straight. In the final quarter of a mile, Poincelet moved Psidium to the wide outside and the colt produced a sudden burst of acceleration to move past the field. He overtook Dicta Drake inside the final furlong
and won going away by two lengths, with Poincelet easing down. Mme Plesch was reportedly astonished by her colt's performance saying that she "never expected he would finish in the first ten."
Shorty after his victory, Psidium was injured in training and never ran again.
Timeform
awarded Psidium a rating of 130, which is considered the mark of an above average European Group One
winner.
. Psidium was exported to Argentina
in 1970.
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 racing career that lasted from 1960 to 1961 Psidium ran eleven times and won twice. He is best known for his win, as a 66/1 outsider in the 1961 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...
. He later became a successful stallion.
Background
Psidium, a chestnutChestnut (coat)
Chestnut is a hair coat color of horses consisting of a reddish-to-brown coat with a mane and tail the same or lighter in color than the coat. Genetically and visually, chestnut is characterized by the absolute absence of true black hairs...
horse with a narrow white blaze
Horse markings
Markings on horses usually are distinctive white areas on an otherwise dark base coat color. Most horses have some markings, and they help to identify the horse as a unique individual. Markings are present at birth and do not change over the course of the horse's life...
, standing 16.1 hands
Hand (unit)
The hand is a non-SI unit of measurement of length, now used only for the measurement of the height of horses in some English-speaking countries, including Australia, Canada, the UK and the USA. With origins in ancient Egypt, it was originally based on the breadth of a human hand...
high, was bred in Ireland by his owner Etti Plesch
Etti Plesch
Etti Plesch, , Austro-Hungarian countess, huntress, racehorse owner and socialite. Plesch lost two of her six husbands to the same woman, Louise de Vilmorin, a French literary figure, and owned two winners of the Epsom Derby, in Psidium in 1961 and Henbit in1980.Born Maria Anna Paula Ferdinandine...
. His sire Pardal was a high class racehorse who won the Jockey Club Stakes
Jockey Club Stakes
The Jockey Club Stakes is a Group 2 flat horse race in Great Britain which is open to thoroughbreds aged four years or older. It is run over a distance of 1 mile and 4 furlongs at Newmarket, and the final part of the race is on the Rowley Mile...
and the Princess of Wales's Stakes
Princess of Wales's Stakes
The Princess of Wales's Stakes is a Group 2 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 1 mile and 4 furlongs , and it is scheduled to take place each year in July.-History:The event is named in...
. Psidium’s dam, the Italian mare Dinarella finished fourth in the Oaks d'Italia
Oaks d'Italia
The Oaks d'Italia is a Group 2 flat horse race in Italy open to three-year-old thoroughbred fillies. It is run at Milan over a distance of 2,200 metres , and it is scheduled to take place each year in May or June....
and also produced the Poule d'Essai des Poulains
Poule d'Essai des Poulains
The Poule d'Essai des Poulains, sometimes referred to as the French 2,000 Guineas, is a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts...
winner Thymus. Mme Plesch named all her horses after flowers with Psidium being named after the Guava Flower
Psidium was sent into training with Harry Wragg
Harry Wragg
Harry Wragg was a British jockey and trainer.Wragg became a jockey in 1920. The Champion Jockey in 1941, he rode 13 winners of British Classic Races, as follows:*1,000 Guineas - Campanula , Herringbone , Sun Stream...
at his Abington Place stable at Newmarket, Suffolk.
1960: two-year-old season
Psidium ran seven times as a two-year-old in 1960. He won the Duke of Edinburgh Stakes at KemptonKempton 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....
and finished third in 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...
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 Horris Hill Stakes
Horris Hill Stakes
The Horris Hill Stakes is a Group 3 flat horse race in Great Britain which is open to two-year-old thoroughbred colts and geldings. It is run at Newbury over a distance of 7 furlongs , and it is scheduled to take place each year in October....
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...
. In the Free Handicap, an assessment of the year’s best two-year-olds, Psidium was given a rating of 116lbs
Pound (mass)
The pound or pound-mass is a unit of mass used in the Imperial, United States customary and other systems of measurement...
, seventeen pounds below the top weight Opaline.
1961: three-year-old season
On his three-year-old debut, Psidium finished third in the 2000 Guineas Trial at Kempton. He then ran finished eighteenth of the twenty-two runners behind Rockavon in the 2000 Guineas. On his next start he was sent to France for the Prix DaruPrix Daru
The Prix Daru was a Group 2 flat horse race in France which was open to three-year-old thoroughbreds. It was run at Longchamp over a distance of 2,100 metres , and it was scheduled to take place each year in mid April.-History:...
over 2100m in which he finished fourth behind Moutiers. He was ridden in the race by 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....
who expressed his view that Psidium did not stay the distance.
At Epsom
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...
, Psidium was ridden by the French jockey Roger Poincelet. He was not considered a serious contender, starting at odds of 66/1 in a field of twenty-eight. The race was run on rock-hard ground in front of a crowd estimated at 250,000 which included the Queen and the Queen Mother. Psidium was held up towards the back of the field, and was not in contention when the leaders turned into the straight. In the final quarter of a mile, Poincelet moved Psidium to the wide outside and the colt produced a sudden burst of acceleration to move past the field. He overtook Dicta Drake inside the final furlong
Furlong
A furlong is a measure of distance in imperial units and U.S. customary units equal to one-eighth of a mile, equivalent to 220 yards, 660 feet, 40 rods, or 10 chains. The exact value of the furlong varies slightly among English-speaking countries....
and won going away by two lengths, with Poincelet easing down. Mme Plesch was reportedly astonished by her colt's performance saying that she "never expected he would finish in the first ten."
Shorty after his victory, Psidium was injured in training and never ran again.
Assessment
In their book A Century of Champions, John Randall and Tony Morris rated Psidium a “poor” Derby winner.Timeform
Timeform
Timeform Publications is a publishing company in Halifax, West Yorkshire, England founded in 1948 to provide information to fans, bettors, and others involved in the horse racing industry...
awarded Psidium a rating of 130, which is considered the mark of an above average European Group One
Conditions races
Conditions races are horse races where the weights carried by the runners are laid down by the conditions attached to the race. Weights are allocated according to; the sex of the runners, with female runners carrying less weight than males; the age of the runners, with younger horses receiving...
winner.
Stud career
Psidium stood as a stallion at the Cheveley Park Stud at Newmarket. He was the leading British sire (in winning prize money) in 1966, thanks to the achievements of his son Sodium who won the Irish Derby and the St LegerSt. 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...
. Psidium was 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...
in 1970.