Straight Deal
Encyclopedia
Straight Deal was a British Thoroughbred
racehorse and sire. In a career that lasted from 1942 to 1943 he ran ten times and won five races. His most important success came in June 1943 when he won the “New Derby”, a substitute race for the Epsom Derby
run on the July Course at Newmarket
. During the Second World War many racecourses were closed either for safety reasons or for military use, with Epsom Downs Racecourse
being used as the location for an anti-aircraft battery. Straight Deal was retired after finishing third in the “New St Leger” later that year and went on to become a successful stallion.
by his owner, Dorothy Paget
, Straight Deal’s sire, Solario
was an outstanding racehorse who won the Coronation Cup
and the Ascot Gold Cup
in 1926, before going on to be Champion sire three times. Miss Paget's colt was one of only three known foals produced by Good Deal a successful racehorse who won seven times.
Straight Deal, a “headstrong and sulky” bay horse, was trained by Walter Nightingall at his South Hatch Stables near Epsom
.
and the Runnymede Plate at Windsor
, both over six furlong
s. At Newmarket he ran in the Coventry Stakes
(transferred from Ascot) in which he finished second, beaten one and a half lengths by Nasrullah.
In September he was sent to Newmarket and finished second to Umiddad in the Dewhurst Stakes
. On his final start of the season Straight Deal returned to Newmarket for the Middle Park Stakes
in which he faced Nasrullah again. On this occasion however, his temperament came to the fore as he charged the starting tape, unseated his rider and ran loose for several minutes. When the race eventually started he was quickly beaten and finished unplaced behind the filly Ribbon, with Nasrullah second.
In the Free Handicap, a ranking of the year’s best two-year-olds, Straight Deal was given a weight of 125 pounds
, five pounds below Nasrullah and six behind the champion Lady Sybil.
correspondent commenting that the colt had "strength written everywhere on his frame." Straight Deal began his three-year-old season on 26 April when he was one of five winners ridden by Tommy Carey at Windsor. In the 2000 Guineas on 25 May he was well fancied and started at odds of 17/2 in a field of nineteen but ran disappointingly to finish sixth behind Kingsway. It was felt that he had raced too prominently and would be better if held up for a late run.
In the New Derby on June 19 Straight Deal started at odds of 100/7 in a field of twenty-three and was ridden again by Carey. The population of Newmarket reportedly doubled by the 15,000 spectators for the race, with many spending the night of the race in the open as all the hotels and boarding houses were full. Straight Deal was held up in the early stages as Persian Gulf made the running before he moved up to fifth place half a mile from the finish. Carey produced the colt with a strong run in the final furlong to catch Umiddad in the last strides and win by a head, with Nasrullah half a length away in third.
On his next start, Straight Deal was sent to Ascot where he won a race over one and a half miles. In September he returned to Newmarket for the “New St Leger”, a substitute for the Classic usually run at Doncaster
. He started 3/1 favourite and proved to be the best colt in the race, but finished third behind the fillies Herringbone and Ribbon.
. The best of his colts were the stayers Aldborough (Doncaster Cup
) and Royal Highway (Irish St Leger
).
Straight Deal died in 1968 at the advanced age (for a thoroughbred) 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 1942 to 1943 he ran ten times and won five races. His most important success came in June 1943 when he won the “New Derby”, a substitute race for 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...
run on the July Course 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 racecourses were closed either for safety reasons or for military use, with 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...
being used as the location for an anti-aircraft battery. Straight Deal was retired after finishing third in the “New St Leger” later that year and went on to become a successful stallion.
Background
Straight Deal was bred at the Elsenham Stud in HertfordshireHertfordshire
Hertfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England. The county town is Hertford.The county is one of the Home Counties and lies inland, bordered by Greater London , Buckinghamshire , Bedfordshire , Cambridgeshire and...
by his owner, Dorothy Paget
Dorothy Paget
Dorothy Wyndham Paget was a British racehorse owner.She was the daughter of Lord Queenborough and Pauline Payne Whitney of the United States Whitney family. She was a cousin of Jock Whitney, owner of the dual Cheltenham Gold Cup winner Easter Hero and latterly American Ambassador in London. She...
, Straight Deal’s sire, Solario
Solario
Solario was a very good British Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. Bred in Ireland by the 4th Earl of Dunraven, he was by the 1918 English Triple Crown champion, Gainsborough. His dam Sun Worship, was a daughter of the outstanding sire Sundridge who was the Leading sire in Great Britain & Ireland in...
was an outstanding racehorse who won 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 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....
in 1926, before going on to be Champion sire three times. Miss Paget's colt was one of only three known foals produced by Good Deal a successful racehorse who won seven times.
Straight Deal, a “headstrong and sulky” bay horse, was trained by Walter Nightingall at his South Hatch Stables near Epsom
Epsom
Epsom is a town in the borough of Epsom and Ewell in Surrey, England. Small parts of Epsom are in the Borough of Reigate and Banstead. The town is located south-south-west of Charing Cross, within the Greater London Urban Area. The town lies on the chalk downland of Epsom Downs.-History:Epsom lies...
.
1942: two-year-old season
Straight Deal was a very useful two year old who competed at the highest level in 1942. He won a race at 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...
and the Runnymede Plate at Windsor
Windsor Racecourse
Windsor Racecourse, also known as Royal Windsor Racecourse is a thoroughbred horse racing venue located in Windsor, Berkshire, England. It is one of only two figure-of-eight courses in the United Kingdom, the other being at Fontwell Park. It abandoned National Hunt jump racing in December 1998,...
, both over six 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....
s. At Newmarket he ran in the Coventry Stakes
Coventry Stakes
The Coventry Stakes is a Group 2 flat horse race in Great Britain open to two-year-old thoroughbreds. It is run at Ascot over a distance of 6 furlongs , and it is scheduled to take place each year in June....
(transferred from Ascot) in which he finished second, beaten one and a half lengths by Nasrullah.
In September he was sent to Newmarket and finished second to Umiddad 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...
. On his final start of the season Straight Deal returned to Newmarket for the Middle Park Stakes
Middle Park Stakes
The Middle Park Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain which is open to two-year-old thoroughbred colts. It is run on the Rowley Mile at Newmarket over a distance of 6 furlongs , and it is scheduled to take place each year in late September or early October.The event was established...
in which he faced Nasrullah again. On this occasion however, his temperament came to the fore as he charged the starting tape, unseated his rider and ran loose for several minutes. When the race eventually started he was quickly beaten and finished unplaced behind the filly Ribbon, with Nasrullah second.
In the Free Handicap, a ranking of the year’s best two-year-olds, Straight Deal was given a weight of 125 pounds
Pound (mass)
The pound or pound-mass is a unit of mass used in the Imperial, United States customary and other systems of measurement...
, five pounds below Nasrullah and six behind the champion Lady Sybil.
1943: three-year-old season
By the time that Straight Deal reappeared in 1943 he had made excellent physical progress, with the Sporting Life'sSporting Life (newspaper)
The Sporting Life was a British newspaper published between 1859 and 1998 that was best known for its coverage of horse racing. Latterly it has continued as a multi-sports website....
correspondent commenting that the colt had "strength written everywhere on his frame." Straight Deal began his three-year-old season on 26 April when he was one of five winners ridden by Tommy Carey at Windsor. In the 2000 Guineas on 25 May he was well fancied and started at odds of 17/2 in a field of nineteen but ran disappointingly to finish sixth behind Kingsway. It was felt that he had raced too prominently and would be better if held up for a late run.
In the New Derby on June 19 Straight Deal started at odds of 100/7 in a field of twenty-three and was ridden again by Carey. The population of Newmarket reportedly doubled by the 15,000 spectators for the race, with many spending the night of the race in the open as all the hotels and boarding houses were full. Straight Deal was held up in the early stages as Persian Gulf made the running before he moved up to fifth place half a mile from the finish. Carey produced the colt with a strong run in the final furlong to catch Umiddad in the last strides and win by a head, with Nasrullah half a length away in third.
On his next start, Straight Deal was sent to Ascot where he won a race over one and a half miles. In September he returned to Newmarket for the “New St Leger”, a substitute for the Classic usually run at 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 :...
. He started 3/1 favourite and proved to be the best colt in the race, but finished third behind the fillies Herringbone and Ribbon.
Assessment
In their book A Century of Champions, John Randall and Tony Morris classified Straight Deal as an “average” Derby winner, and the one hundred and forty-eighth best British horse of the 20th Century, with a rating of 132.Stud career
Straight Deal was never a popular sire, possibly because of “unfashionable” elements on the female side of his pedigree. He nevertheless proved a reasonably good stallion, being especially successful with his fillies including Ark Royal, Kerkeb and Above Board, all of whom won the Yorkshire OaksYorkshire Oaks
The Yorkshire Oaks 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 York over a distance of 1 mile and 4 furlongs , and it is scheduled to take place each year in August....
. The best of his colts were the stayers Aldborough (Doncaster Cup
Doncaster Cup
The Doncaster Cup is a Group 2 flat horse race in Great Britain which is open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run at Doncaster over a distance of 2 miles and 2 furlongs , and it is scheduled to take place each year in September....
) and Royal Highway (Irish St Leger
Irish St Leger
The Irish St. Leger is a Group 1 flat horse race in Ireland which is open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run at the Curragh over a distance of 1 mile and 6 furlongs , and it is scheduled to take place each year in September....
).
Straight Deal died in 1968 at the advanced age (for a thoroughbred) of twenty-eight.
Pedigree
External links
- Newsreel of 1943 Derby from British Pathé
- http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-1283831/Meet-abominable-Queen-turf.htmlArticle on Miss Paget's eccentricities from Daily MailDaily MailThe Daily Mail is a British daily middle-market tabloid newspaper owned by the Daily Mail and General Trust. First published in 1896 by Lord Northcliffe, it is the United Kingdom's second biggest-selling daily newspaper after The Sun. Its sister paper The Mail on Sunday was launched in 1982...
. Includes picture of Straight Deal being led in after Derby]