St. Paddy
Encyclopedia
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 Derby
.
Trained by Noel Murless
and ridden by Lester Piggott
, St. Paddy was the winner of the 1960 Epsom Derby
and St. Leger Stakes
. His performances in both 1960 and 1961 were instrumental in making his sire Aureole the Leading sire in Great Britain & Ireland
both years.
St. Paddy was retired after the 1961 racing season to stand at stud
at Beech House Stud
in Newmarket. As a sire, he met with reasonable success, notably siring Connaught, winner of the Eclipse Stakes
and Jupiter Island, a multiple graded stakes race
winner including the Japan Cup
. St. Paddy was pensioned in 1981 and died in 1984 at the age of twenty-seven. He is buried at Beech House Stud.
Following the LNER tradition of naming locomotive
s after winning racehorses, British Rail
ways "Deltic" Diesel locomotive no. D9001 (later no. 55 001) was named St. Paddy after this horse on 7 July 1961, and remained in service until 5 January 1980.
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...
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
Horse racing
Horse racing is an equestrian sport that has a long history. Archaeological records indicate that horse racing occurred in ancient Babylon, Syria, and Egypt. Both chariot and mounted horse racing were events in the ancient Greek Olympics by 648 BC...
. Owned and bred by Sir Victor Sassoon
Victor Sassoon
Sir Ellice "Victor" Sassoon, 3rd Baronet, GBE was a businessman and hotelier from the Sassoon banking family. He succeeded to the Baronetcy on the death of his father Edward Elias Sassoon in 1924...
, he was out of the mare Edie Kelly and sired by Aureole, a winner of 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....
and King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes. His grandsire, Hyperion
Hyperion (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...
, and his damsire, Bois Roussel
Bois Roussel
Bois Roussel was an French-bred Thoroughbred champion racehorse and a leading broodmare sire. He won the 1938 Epsom Derby on his second racecourse appearance.-Background:...
, both 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...
.
Trained by Noel Murless
Noel Murless
Sir Charles Francis Noel Murless began his career as a racehorse trainer in 1935 at Hambleton Lodge in Yorkshire before moving to Hambleton House after the war, at one time sharing premises with the equally legendary Ryan Price...
and ridden 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....
, St. Paddy was the winner of the 1960 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 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...
. His performances in both 1960 and 1961 were instrumental in making his sire Aureole the Leading sire in Great Britain & Ireland
Leading sire in Great Britain & Ireland
The list below shows the leading sire of racehorses in Great Britain and Ireland for each year since 1751. This is determined by the amount of prize money won by the sire's progeny during the season.----- References :* -See also:...
both years.
St. Paddy was retired after the 1961 racing season to stand at stud
Horse breeding
Horse breeding is reproduction in horses, and particularly the human-directed process of selective breeding of animals, particularly purebred horses of a given breed. Planned matings can be used to produce specifically desired characteristics in domesticated horses...
at Beech House Stud
Beech House Stud
Beech House Stud is an English Thoroughbred racehorse breeding farm located on Cheveley Road near Newmarket, Suffolk currently owned by Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum's Shadwell Racing operation....
in Newmarket. As a sire, he met with reasonable success, notably siring Connaught, winner of the Eclipse Stakes
Eclipse Stakes
The Eclipse Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run at Sandown Park over a distance of 1 mile, 2 furlongs and 7 yards , and it is scheduled to take place each year in early July.-History:The event is named after Eclipse, a...
and Jupiter Island, a multiple graded stakes race
Graded stakes race
A graded stakes race is a term applied since 1973 by the American Graded Stakes Committee of the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association to thoroughbred horse races in the United States and Canada to describe races that derive their name from the stake, or entry fee, owners must pay...
winner including the Japan Cup
Japan Cup
The is the most prestigious horse race run in Japan. It is contested at the end of November at Tokyo Racecourse in Fuchu, Tokyo at a distance of 2400 meters over the grass. With a purse of ¥476 million , the Japan Cup is one of the richest races in the world.The Japan Cup is an invitational event...
. St. Paddy was pensioned in 1981 and died in 1984 at the age of twenty-seven. He is buried at Beech House Stud.
Following the LNER tradition of naming locomotive
Locomotive
A locomotive is a railway vehicle that provides the motive power for a train. The word originates from the Latin loco – "from a place", ablative of locus, "place" + Medieval Latin motivus, "causing motion", and is a shortened form of the term locomotive engine, first used in the early 19th...
s after winning racehorses, British Rail
British Rail
British Railways , which from 1965 traded as British Rail, was the operator of most of the rail transport in Great Britain between 1948 and 1997. It was formed from the nationalisation of the "Big Four" British railway companies and lasted until the gradual privatisation of British Rail, in stages...
ways "Deltic" Diesel locomotive no. D9001 (later no. 55 001) was named St. Paddy after this horse on 7 July 1961, and remained in service until 5 January 1980.