Assassin (horse)

Assassin
Sire	Sweetbriar
Grandsire	Syphon
Dam	Angelica
Damsire	Snap
Sex	Stallion
Foaled	1779
Country	Kingdom of Great Britain
Colour	Bay
Breeder	Lord Egremont
Owner	Lord Egremont
Trainer	F. Nealy
Record	11: 8-2-1 (incomplete)
Major wins
Epsom Derby (1782)

Assassin (1779 – c. 1794) was a Thoroughbred racehorse that won the 1782 Epsom Derby. His breeder, Lord Egremont, won the Derby for the first time with Assassin. Assassin raced until he was a five-year-old and was retired to Egremont's stud in Petworth. He was not a successful sire.

Background

Assassin was foaled in 1779 at Lord Egremont's estate Petworth House. Assassin's sire, Sweetbriar, was an undefeated racehorse that earned 5,400 guineas during his racing career for his owner Lord Grosvenor. Sweetbriar stood at Oxcrofts Farm near Balsham.^[1] Assassin's dam, Angelica, was foaled in 1761 and was breed by Mr. Shafto, the owner of her sire Snap. Assassin was Angelica's eighth foal and she produced eleven foals between 1768 and 1782, including Assassin's full-sister Medëa. Angelica was euthanised in 1787.^[2]

Racing career

Assassin was trained by F. Neale at Newmarket.^[3] Assassin raced until he was five-years-old, winning eight races, and was retired to Lord Egremont's stud at Petworth.

1781: two-year-old season

Assassin's Derby win was the first for Lord Egremont, who would go on to win the event four more times.

In October at Newmarket, Assassin beat the Duke of Grafton's colt Puzzle in a match race at 6 to 4 odds against Assassin. Assassin did not win again as a two-year-old.^[4] Assassin was second to Plutus in a subscription race at the same meeting,^[4] and was second to the filly Ceres in a match race.^[5] Assassin forfeited a match race to Plutus at the Houghton meeting.^[4]

1782: three-year-old season

At the Craven meeting, Assassin received a 70-guinea "compromise" after the colts Brother to Rebel and Recruit backed out of a 200-guinea sweepstakes race.^[4] At the First Spring Meeting, Assassin beat Berwick to win a sweepstakes race.

On 9 May at Epsom, Assassin won the Derby, beating Lord Grosvenor's colt Sweet Robin and Charles Bunbury's colt Fortunio.^[6] Lord Egremont won the Derby for the first time with Assassin, and won the race four more times with Hannibal in 1804, with Cardinal Beaufort in 1805, with Election in 1807 and with Lap-dog in 1826.^[7]

At the July meeting at Newmarket, Assassin beat Mr. Vernon's gelding by Eclipse. At the October meetings in Newmarket, Assassin won a match race against the colt Achilles and forfeited a match race against Dennis O'Kelly's colt Confederate.^[6]

1783: four-year-old season

At the Craven meeting, Assassin received a forfeiture from the colt Ascot. At the Newmarket spring meeting, Assassin received another forfeiture from the Duke of Cumberland's colt Epaminondas, and a few days later beat the colt and later influential sire Pot-8-Os in a match race. At the Second Spring Meeting in Newmarket, Assassin beat the colt Columbus in a 500-guinea race and beat Heron in a 50-guinea race a few days later.^[6]

1784: five-year-old season

At the Second Spring Meeting, Assassin was third in a 200-guinea sweepstakes race to Dennis O'Kelly's horse Soldier and Mr. Davis' horse Plutus.^[8] Assassin forfeited a match race with the horse Cornwall (later called Boringdon) at the same meeting a few days later,^[9] and at the July meeting in Newmarket his owner paid 150 guineas to the owner of Young Eclipse (the 1781 Derby winner) for backing out of a match race.^[10]

Stud career

By 1789, Assassin was still standing at Petworth for a fee of two guineas per mare alongside the more expensive stallions Mercury (10 guineas) and Trentham (3 guineas).^[11] For the 1793 breeding season, he was relocated to Langley Park near Colnbrook and stood for a fee of 3 guineas per mare and a five shilling groom's fee.^[12] His fee at Langley Park was reduced to two guineas for the 1794 season^[13] and he did not appear in the register for 1795.

Assassin was not a successful sire. His most notable offspring were the fillies Cow^[6] and Rag (foaled in 1786 out of Chanticleer's dam).^[14]

Tabulated pedigree

Pedigree of Assassin (GB), Bay Colt, 1779^[15]
Sire Sweetbriar (GB) Chestnut, 1769	Syphon 1750	Squirt	Bartlett's Childers
		Squirt	Sister to Old Country Wench
		Patriot Mare	Bolton Patriot
		Patriot Mare	Crab mare
	Shakespeare Mare 1763	Shakespeare	Hobgoblin
		Shakespeare	Amorett
		Miss Meredith	Cade
		Miss Meredith	Amorett
Dam Angelica Brown, 1761	Snap 1750	Snip	Flying Childers
		Snip	Sister to Soreheels
		Sister to Slipby	Fox
		Sister to Slipby	Gipsy
	Regulus Mare 1749	Regulus	Godolphin Arabian
		Regulus	Grey Robinson
		Childers Mare	Bartlett's Childers
		Childers Mare	Sister One to True Blue

Assassin was distantly inbred 4 x 4 to Bartletts Childers, meaning that this horse appears twice in the fourth generation of his pedigree.

Epsom Derby winners

1780 Diomed 1781 Young Eclipse 1782 Assassin 1783 Saltram 1784 Serjeant 1785 Aimwell 1786 Noble 1787 Sir Peter Teazle 1788 Sir Thomas 1789 Skyscraper 1790 Rhadamanthus 1791 Eager 1792 John Bull 1793 Waxy 1794 Daedalus 1795 Spread Eagle 1796 Didelot 1797 colt by Fidget 1798 Sir Harry 1799 Archduke 1800 Champion 1801 Eleanor ♥ 1802 Tyrant 1803 Ditto 1804 Hannibal 1805 Cardinal Beaufort 1806 Paris 1807 Election 1808 Pan 1809 Pope 1810 Whalebone 1811 Phantom 1812 Octavius 1813 Smolensko 1814 Blucher 1815 Whisker 1816 Prince Leopold 1817 Azor 1818 Sam 1819 Tiresias 1820 Sailor 1821 Gustavus 1822 Moses 1823 Emilius 1824 Cedric 1825 Middleton 1826 Lap-dog 1827 Mameluke 1828 Cadland 1829 Frederick 1830 Priam 1831 Spaniel 1832 St. Giles 1833 Dangerous 1834 Plenipotentiary 1835 Mundig 1836 Bay Middleton 1837 Phosphorus 1838 Amato 1839 Bloomsbury 1840 Little Wonder 1841 Coronation 1842 Attila 1843 Cotherstone 1844 Orlando 1845 The Merry Monarch 1846 Pyrrhus The First 1847 Cossack 1848 Surplice 1849 The Flying Dutchman 1850 Voltigeur 1851 Teddington 1852 Daniel O'Rourke 1853 West Australian ₩ 1854 Andover 1855 Wild Dayrell 1856 Ellington 1857 Blink Bonny ♥ 1858 Beadsman 1859 Musjid 1860 Thormanby 1861 Kettledrum 1862 Caractacus 1863 Macaroni 1864 Blair Athol 1865 Gladiateur ₩ 1866 Lord Lyon ₩ 1867 Hermit 1868 Blue Gown 1869 Pretender 1870 Kingcraft 1871 Favonius 1872 Cremorne 1873 Doncaster 1874 George Frederick 1875 Galopin 1876 Kisber 1877 Silvio 1878 Sefton 1879 Sir Bevys 1880 Bend Or 1881 Iroquois 1882 Shotover ♥ 1883 St. Blaise 1884 St. Gatien Harvester 1885 Melton 1886 Ormonde ₩ 1887 Merry Hampton 1888 Ayrshire 1889 Donovan 1890 Sainfoin 1891 Common ₩ 1892 Sir Hugo 1893 Isinglass ₩ 1894 Ladas 1895 Sir Visto 1896 Persimmon 1897 Galtee More ₩ 1898 Jeddah 1899 Flying Fox ₩ 1900 Diamond Jubilee ₩ 1901 Volodyovski 1902 Ard Patrick 1903 Rock Sand ₩ 1904 St. Amant 1905 Cicero 1906 Spearmint 1907 Orby 1908 Signorinetta ♥ 1909 Minoru 1910 Lemberg 1911 Sunstar 1912 Tagalie ♥ 1913 Aboyeur 1914 Durbar 1915 Pommern ₩ 1916 Fifinella ♥ 1917 Gay Crusader ₩ 1918 Gainsborough ₩ 1919 Grand Parade 1920 Spion Kop 1921 Humorist 1922 Captain Cuttle 1923 Papyrus 1924 Sansovino 1925 Manna 1926 Coronach 1927 Call Boy 1928 Felstead 1929 Trigo 1930 Blenheim 1931 Cameronian 1932 April the Fifth 1933 Hyperion 1934 Windsor Lad 1935 Bahram ₩ 1936 Mahmoud 1937 Mid-day Sun 1938 Bois Roussel 1939 Blue Peter 1940 Pont l'Eveque 1941 Owen Tudor 1942 Watling Street 1943 Straight Deal 1944 Ocean Swell 1945 Dante 1946 Airborne 1947 Pearl Diver 1948 My Love 1949 Nimbus 1950 Galcador 1951 Arctic Prince 1952 Tulyar 1953 Pinza 1954 Never Say Die 1955 Phil Drake 1956 Lavandin 1957 Crepello 1958 Hard Ridden 1959 Parthia 1960 St. Paddy 1961 Psidium 1962 Larkspur 1963 Relko 1964 Santa Claus 1965 Sea Bird 1966 Charlottown 1967 Royal Palace 1968 Sir Ivor 1969 Blakeney 1970 Nijinsky ₩ 1971 Mill Reef 1972 Roberto 1973 Morston 1974 Snow Knight 1975 Grundy 1976 Empery 1977 The Minstrel 1978 Shirley Heights 1979 Troy 1980 Henbit 1981 Shergar 1982 Golden Fleece 1983 Teenoso 1984 Secreto 1985 Slip Anchor 1986 Shahrastani 1987 Reference Point 1988 Kahyasi 1989 Nashwan 1990 Quest for Fame 1991 Generous 1992 Dr Devious 1993 Commander in Chief 1994 Erhaab 1995 Lammtarra 1996 Shaamit 1997 Benny the Dip 1998 High-Rise 1999 Oath 2000 Sinndar 2001 Galileo 2002 High Chaparral 2003 Kris Kin 2004 North Light 2005 Motivator 2006 Sir Percy 2007 Authorized 2008 New Approach 2009 Sea the Stars 2010 Workforce 2011 Pour Moi 2012 Camelot 2013 Ruler of the World 2014 Australia 2015 Golden Horn

Legend - ₩ = Triple Crown Winners, ♥ = Filly

References

↑ Forbes, Archibald (1891). Havelock. London: Macmillan. p. 275.
↑ Weatherby, Edward and James (1892). "Angelica". The General Stud-book 1–2: 23.
↑ Black, Robert (1893). Horse-racing in England : a synoptical review. London: Richard Bently and Son. p. 248.
1 2 3 4 Pick, William and R Johnson (1822). "Assassin". The turf register, and sportsman & breeder's stud-book 3: 280.
↑ Pick, William and R Johnson (1822). "Ceres". The turf register, and sportsman & breeder's stud-book 3: 461.
1 2 3 4 Pick, William and R Johnson (1822). "Assassin". The turf register, and sportsman & breeder's stud-book 3: 281.
↑ Rice, James (1879). History of the British Turf, Volume 2. London: S. Low, Marston, Searle, and Rivington. p. 372.
↑ Weatherby (1784). "Newmarket". Racing Calendar 12: 15.
↑ Weatherby (1784). "Newmarket". Racing Calendar 12: 22.
↑ Weatherby (1784). "July Meeting". Racing Calendar 12: 55.
↑ Weatherby, Edward and James (1789). "Advertisements of stallions". Racing Calendar 17: 378.
↑ Weatherby, Edward and James (1792). "Alphabetical list of stallions to cover in 1793". Racing Calendar 20: 362.
↑ Weatherby, Edward and James (1793). "Advertisements of stallions to cover in 1794". Racing Calendar 21: 353.
↑ Weatherby, Edward and James (1858). "Rag". The General Stud Book 1: 376.
↑ Staff. "Assassin 5x Pedigree". Retrieved 29 January 2012.

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