Sir Martin
Encyclopedia
Sir Martin was a Thoroughbred racehorse that was foaled in 1906 in Lexington, Kentucky
at Hamburg Place, the stud farm of noted turfman and horse trainer John E. Madden
. Sir Martin was a half brother to the first Triple Crown
winner Sir Barton
, and he raced in the United States, Great Britain
and France
. Sir Martin was the betting favorite for the 1909 Epsom Derby
, but stumbled and threw his jockey at the Tattenham Corner turn, allowing King Edward VII
's horse Minoru
to win.
stallion, Ogden
, who had been imported as a foal with his dam Oriole to Marcus Daly
's Bitteroot Farm in Montana
. Ogden was purchased by John Madden in 1901 and stood at Hamburg Place Stud in Lexington, Kentucky. Sir Martin's dam Lady Sterling was a daughter of Hanover
and was also the dam of Sir Barton
. Sir Martin inherited the deep chestnut coloring of his damsire, Hanover, and had a prominent white blaze
on his fore head and one white sock on his left hind foot.
and Flatbush Stakes at Saratoga
for Madden. Sir Martin was the top male two-year-old earner of 1908 based on purse winnings of $78,560 and was consequently named as the historical American Champion Two-Year-Old Colt of 1908. Madden sold Sir Martin at the end of the 1908 racing season for $70,000 to Louis Winans, a Scotsman that Madden had sold several horses to previously and who had interests in European Thoroughbred racing.
), crossing his legs, and throwing his jockey Henry "Skeets" Martin
over the rail. Sir Martin was uninjured and continued the race riderless, but he was officially recorded as not finishing. Sir Martin's jockey escaped with a cut forehead from being trampled by the other horses but ultimately survived his injuries. The Americans may have been upset at Sir Martin's defeat, but the ecstatic British crowd soon stormed the track to celebrate the victory of Minoru
, the first horse owned by a reigning monarch to win the Epsom Derby.
at Ascot
and a second in the Grand Prix de Deauville
in France. He beat Priscillian to win the 1909 Challenge Stakes
and won the Durham Stakes, but he finished third in the Cambridgeshire Handicap
to complete his three-year-old season. Returning at age four, Sir Martin's biggest victory was winning the 1910 Coronation Cup
in a field of nine horses, snatching a close victory from Bachelor's Double. Sir Martin did not enter the Ascot Gold Cup
or any other races that year possibly due to injury. He was injured soon after a trial run for the City and Suburban Handicap as a five year old and was withdrawn from racing for the rest of the season, returning in 1912 at age six to win one more race, the Ellesmere Handicap in Manchester
.
was intended to prevent horses with suspect bloodlines (Thoroughbred crosses) from being entered into the British General Stud Book
. The Jersey Act was primarily intended to prevent American stallions from becoming prominent studs in England. This was due in part to the pervasiveness of the sire Lexington
in American bloodlines, a horse whose female lineage might have not been completely Thoroughbred. While Sir Martin's male line came from certifiable British stock, his female lineage traced to Lexington through his damsire Hanover, thereby excluding him from choice matches.
) best horses he ever bred. Madden died in November 1929, but as part of his will, Sir Martin was not sold and was allowed to remain on the farm as a pensioner. Sir Martin is buried in the famous Hamburg Place equine cemetery in Lexington
.
s, with his biggest winners being Spinach (b. 1927), who in 1930, won the Huron Handicap, Potomac Handicap
, Havre de Grace Handicap
, Latonia Championship Stakes, Riggs Handicap and in 1935 the Chevy Chase Steeplechase Handicap and $127,320. Also Joy Smoke (b. 1921), who won the 1925 Washington Handicap
, Thanksgiving Handicap, National Handicap, Windsor Hotel Cup Handicap and in 1926 the Toronto Cup Handicap, Statler Hotel Handicap and the Century Handicap
and $100,045. His son Healy won the 1928 Champagne Stakes and the 1929 Empire City Derby and Mount Kisco Stakes. Another son called Star Lore (also called Our General) won the 1924 Cowdin Stakes
and was himself a sire of a few stakes winners. Sir Martin's European progeny also produced stakes winners with his Irish daughter, Martha Snow, producing the 1927 American Champion Three-Year-Old Filly, Nimba, and his daughter Venturesome producing Diapason, a noted long distance runner in Britain.
Lexington, Kentucky
Lexington is the second-largest city in Kentucky and the 63rd largest in the US. Known as the "Thoroughbred City" and the "Horse Capital of the World", it is located in the heart of Kentucky's Bluegrass region...
at Hamburg Place, the stud farm of noted turfman and horse trainer John E. Madden
John E. Madden
John Edward Madden was a prominent AmericanThoroughbred and Standardbred owner, breeder and trainer in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. He owned Hamburg Place Stud in Lexington, Kentucky and bred five Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes winners.He was inducted into the National...
. Sir Martin was a half brother to the first Triple Crown
United States Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing
In the United States, the "Triple Crown" is usually the Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing, a series of three Thoroughbred horse races for three-year-old horses run in May and early June of each year consisting of the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes, and Belmont Stakes.While Daily Racing Form...
winner Sir Barton
Sir Barton
Sir Barton, , was a chestnut thoroughbred colt who in 1919 became the first winner of the American Triple Crown.He was sired by leading stud Star Shoot out of the Hanover mare Lady Sterling. His grandsire was the 1893 English Triple Crown champion, Isinglass.Sir Barton was bred in Kentucky by...
, and he raced in the United States, Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
and France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. Sir Martin was the betting favorite for the 1909 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...
, but stumbled and threw his jockey at the Tattenham Corner turn, allowing King Edward VII
Edward VII of the United Kingdom
Edward VII was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions and Emperor of India from 22 January 1901 until his death in 1910...
's horse Minoru
Minoru (horse)
Minoru was a Thoroughbred racehorse who won two British Classic Races. He was bred by Lord Wavertree at his stud farm in Tully, Kildare town in County Kildare which today is the Irish National Stud....
to win.
Pedigree
Sir Martin was sired by the imported BritishUnited 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...
stallion, Ogden
Ogden (horse)
Ogden was a British-bred Thoroughbred racehorse that was imported to the United States at a young age and became one of the top sires in the US during the 1910s. He notably sired Sir Martin, winner of the 1910 Coronation Cup in the UK, and The Finn, 1915 Belmont Stakes winner.-Pedigree:Ogden was...
, who had been imported as a foal with his dam Oriole to Marcus Daly
Marcus Daly
Marcus Daly redirects here, see also Marcus Daly Marcus Daly was an Irish-born American businessman known as one of the three "Copper Kings" of Butte, Montana, United States.- Early life:...
's Bitteroot Farm in Montana
Montana
Montana is a state in the Western United States. The western third of Montana contains numerous mountain ranges. Smaller, "island ranges" are found in the central third of the state, for a total of 77 named ranges of the Rocky Mountains. This geographical fact is reflected in the state's name,...
. Ogden was purchased by John Madden in 1901 and stood at Hamburg Place Stud in Lexington, Kentucky. Sir Martin's dam Lady Sterling was a daughter of Hanover
Hanover (thoroughbred horse)
Hanover was a champion American Thoroughbred racehorse that won his first 17 race starts. He was the only American stallion to head the Leading sire in North America list for four consecutive years until Bold Ruler did so in 1965.-Background:...
and was also the dam of Sir Barton
Sir Barton
Sir Barton, , was a chestnut thoroughbred colt who in 1919 became the first winner of the American Triple Crown.He was sired by leading stud Star Shoot out of the Hanover mare Lady Sterling. His grandsire was the 1893 English Triple Crown champion, Isinglass.Sir Barton was bred in Kentucky by...
. Sir Martin inherited the deep chestnut coloring of his damsire, Hanover, and had a prominent 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...
on his fore head and one white sock on his left hind foot.
Racing in the United States
John Madden retained ownership of Sir Martin throughout his two-year old season in the United States and was also his principal trainer during this time. Sir Martin was a promising two-year old, winning the 1908 Great American StakesGreat American Stakes
The Great American Stakes is a defunct American Thoroughbred horse race last run annually at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. Open to two-year-old horses, it was last competed at a distance of five and a half furlongs....
and Flatbush Stakes at Saratoga
Saratoga, New York
Saratoga is a town in Saratoga County, New York, United States. The population was 5,141 at the 2000 census. It is also the commonly used, but not official, name for the neighboring and much more populous city, Saratoga Springs. The major village in the town of Saratoga is Schuylerville which is...
for Madden. Sir Martin was the top male two-year-old earner of 1908 based on purse winnings of $78,560 and was consequently named as the historical American Champion Two-Year-Old Colt of 1908. Madden sold Sir Martin at the end of the 1908 racing season for $70,000 to Louis Winans, a Scotsman that Madden had sold several horses to previously and who had interests in European Thoroughbred racing.
1909 Epsom Derby
Sir Martin found early success overseas during his three-year-old season, winning the Wednesday Welter Handicap held at Newmarket in May 1909 shortly after arriving in Britain. Before the start of the Epsom Derby, Sir Martin was the clear betting favorite, garnering approximately $300,000 in bets from American spectators alone and going off at 3:1 odds. The weather that day was extremely wet, with the race being run in a slight drizzle. Sir Martin quickly moved to overtake the leaders, Brooklands and Louviers, at a perilous turn called Tattenham Corner. As he rounded the turn, he was crowded by the other horses (possibly by BayardoBayardo (horse)
Bayardo was a British bred Thoroughbred racehorse with an impressive record, both on the racecourse and at stud, where he was a leading sire.-Pedigree:...
), crossing his legs, and throwing his jockey Henry "Skeets" Martin
Skeets Martin
John Henry Martin , commonly referred to as "Skeets" Martin, was an American jockey who achieved many racing wins in the United States and the United Kingdom during the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. His most notable race wins were the 1902 Epsom Derby on Ard Patrick and the 1903...
over the rail. Sir Martin was uninjured and continued the race riderless, but he was officially recorded as not finishing. Sir Martin's jockey escaped with a cut forehead from being trampled by the other horses but ultimately survived his injuries. The Americans may have been upset at Sir Martin's defeat, but the ecstatic British crowd soon stormed the track to celebrate the victory of Minoru
Minoru (horse)
Minoru was a Thoroughbred racehorse who won two British Classic Races. He was bred by Lord Wavertree at his stud farm in Tully, Kildare town in County Kildare which today is the Irish National Stud....
, the first horse owned by a reigning monarch to win the Epsom Derby.
Later career
Sir Martin followed the Epsom Derby failure with an unplaced finish in the Royal Hunt CupRoyal Hunt Cup
The Royal Hunt Cup is a flat handicap horse race in Great Britain open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run at Ascot over a distance of 1 mile , and it is scheduled to take place each year in June.-History:...
at Ascot
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 a second in the Grand Prix de Deauville
Grand Prix de Deauville
The Grand Prix de Deauville is a Group 2 flat horse race in France which is open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run at Deauville over a distance of 2,500 metres , and it is scheduled to take place each year in August.-History:The race was first run on August 6, 1866, and it was...
in France. He beat Priscillian to win the 1909 Challenge Stakes
Challenge Stakes
The Challenge Stakes is a Group 2 flat horse race in Great Britain which is open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. 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 1878, and the...
and won the Durham Stakes, but he finished third in the Cambridgeshire Handicap
Cambridgeshire Handicap
The Cambridgeshire Handicap is a flat horse race in Great Britain which is open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run on the Rowley Mile at Newmarket over a distance of 1 mile and 1 furlong , and it is scheduled to take place each year in late September or early October.The event...
to complete his three-year-old season. Returning at age four, Sir Martin's biggest victory was winning the 1910 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 a field of nine horses, snatching a close victory from Bachelor's Double. Sir Martin did not enter 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....
or any other races that year possibly due to injury. He was injured soon after a trial run for the City and Suburban Handicap as a five year old and was withdrawn from racing for the rest of the season, returning in 1912 at age six to win one more race, the Ellesmere Handicap in Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
.
The blood of Hanover
Sir Martin was retired from racing in 1913 and his first season as a breeding stallion in the U.K., with Winans retaining ownership, was in 1914 when his services were advertised for the Lordship Stud. Sir Martin was not considered a good sire in England, but his recent status as a "half-breed" in the British stud book thwarted his chances of breeding with quality mares. The 1914 passage of the Jersey ActJersey Act
The Jersey Act was introduced to prevent the registration of most American-bred Thoroughbred horses in the British General Stud Book. It had its roots in the desire of the British to halt the influx of American-bred racehorses of possibly impure bloodlines during the early 20th century...
was intended to prevent horses with suspect bloodlines (Thoroughbred crosses) from being entered into the British General Stud Book
General Stud Book
The General Stud Book was the original breed registry of the United Kingdom for horses. It specifically was used to document the breeding of Thoroughbreds and related foundation bloodstock such as the Arabian horse....
. The Jersey Act was primarily intended to prevent American stallions from becoming prominent studs in England. This was due in part to the pervasiveness of the sire Lexington
Lexington (horse)
Lexington was a United States Thoroughbred race horse who won six of his seven race starts. Perhaps his greatest fame came however as the most successful sire of the second half of the nineteenth century; he was the Leading sire in North America 16 times, and of his many brood mare and racer...
in American bloodlines, a horse whose female lineage might have not been completely Thoroughbred. While Sir Martin's male line came from certifiable British stock, his female lineage traced to Lexington through his damsire Hanover, thereby excluding him from choice matches.
Return to Hamburg Place
John Madden repurchased Sir Martin in late 1919 as a replacement for Sir Martin's ailing sire, Ogden. Sir Martin returned to the United States in 1920 and remained at Hamburg Place Stud as a breeding stallion until his death in 1930. In Kent Hollingsworth's biography of John Madden, Madden is described has having a sentimental attachment to the old stallion, considering him to be one of the two (the other being Grey LagGrey Lag
Grey Lag was a thoroughbred race horse born in Kentucky and bred by John E. Madden. At his Hamburg Place near Lexington, Kentucky, Maddon had a good stallion called Star Shoot which he bred to all his mares. Out of a failed racemare called Miss Minnie who had produced no previous winners, he got...
) best horses he ever bred. Madden died in November 1929, but as part of his will, Sir Martin was not sold and was allowed to remain on the farm as a pensioner. Sir Martin is buried in the famous Hamburg Place equine cemetery in Lexington
Lexington, Kentucky
Lexington is the second-largest city in Kentucky and the 63rd largest in the US. Known as the "Thoroughbred City" and the "Horse Capital of the World", it is located in the heart of Kentucky's Bluegrass region...
.
Progeny
While Sir Martin did produce some stakes winners in the United Kingdom and the United States, his contribution to Thoroughbred genetics was neither overwhelming or lasting. He sired 16 stakes winners in America. Most of his notable sons were unfortunately geldingGelding
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...
s, with his biggest winners being Spinach (b. 1927), who in 1930, won the Huron Handicap, Potomac Handicap
Potomac Handicap
The Potomac Handicap was an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually in the latter part of September at Havre de Grace Racetrack in Havre de Grace, Maryland. Open to three-year-old horses, it was raced on dirt at a distance of a mile-and-a-sixteenth....
, Havre de Grace Handicap
Havre de Grace Handicap
The Havre de Grace Handicap was an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually at the Havre de Grace Racetrack in Havre de Grace, Maryland. The inaugural race was run in the first year the track opened in 1912. It was open to horses three years old and upward and raced at a distance of 1 1/8...
, Latonia Championship Stakes, Riggs Handicap and in 1935 the Chevy Chase Steeplechase Handicap and $127,320. Also Joy Smoke (b. 1921), who won the 1925 Washington Handicap
Washington Handicap
The Washington Handicap was an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually at Laurel Park Racecourse in Laurel, Maryland. Open to horses age three and older, it was contested on dirt over a distance of a mile and a quarter ....
, Thanksgiving Handicap, National Handicap, Windsor Hotel Cup Handicap and in 1926 the Toronto Cup Handicap, Statler Hotel Handicap and the Century Handicap
Century Handicap
The Century Handicap was an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually from 1901 through 1909 at Sheepshead Bay Race Track in Brooklyn, New York...
and $100,045. His son Healy won the 1928 Champagne Stakes and the 1929 Empire City Derby and Mount Kisco Stakes. Another son called Star Lore (also called Our General) won the 1924 Cowdin Stakes
Cowdin Stakes
The Cowdin Stakes was an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually at Aqueduct Racetrack and at Belmont Park. First run in 1923 as the Junior Champion Stakes, it was renamed the Cowdin Stakes in 1941 to honor to John Cheever Cowdin, former president of Aqueduct Racetrack.The race was for...
and was himself a sire of a few stakes winners. Sir Martin's European progeny also produced stakes winners with his Irish daughter, Martha Snow, producing the 1927 American Champion Three-Year-Old Filly, Nimba, and his daughter Venturesome producing Diapason, a noted long distance runner in Britain.