Garden Path

Garden Path
Sire	Fairway
Grandsire	Phalaris
Dam	Ranais
Damsire	Rabelais
Sex	Mare
Foaled	1941
Country	United Kingdom
Colour	Brown
Breeder	Edward Stanley, 17th Earl of Derby
Owner	Lord Derby
Trainer	Walter Earl
Record	6: 3-0-2
Major wins
2000 Guineas (1944)

Garden Path (foaled 1941) was a British Thoroughbred racehorse and broodmare who won the classic 2000 Guineas in 1944. In a racing career conducted entirely at Newmarket Racecourse the filly ran six times and won three races. She was one of the best British two-year-olds of 1943, when she won one race and was placed in both the Middle Park Stakes and the Cheveley Park Stakes. After winning on her first appearance of 1944 she became the first (and still the only) filly since 1902 to win the 2000 Guineas against colts. On her only subsequent race she was injured when finishing unplaced in the Derby. She was retired from racing at the end of the season and had some success as a broodmare.

Background

Garden Path was a big, good-looking brown mare bred by her owner the Edward Stanley, 17th Earl of Derby. Her sire, Fairway, had been a highly successful racehorse for Lord Derby, winning the St Leger and two runnings of the Champion Stakes. Garden Path's successes in 1944 enabled Fairway to win the sires' Championship for the fourth and final time.^[1] Garden Path's dam, Ranai, won two minor races before producing many good winners including the 2000 Guineas winner Watling Street (also sired by Fairway).^[2] Lord Derby sent the horse to his private trainer Walter Earl at his Stanley House stable in Newmarket, Suffolk.

Garden Path's racing career took place during World War II during which horse racing in Britain was subject to many restrictions. Several major racecourses, including Epsom and Doncaster, were closed for the duration of the conflict, either for safety reasons, or because they were being used by the military. Many important races were rescheduled to new dates and venues, often at short notice, and all five of the Classics were usually run at Newmarket.^[3]

Racing career

1943: two-year-old season

Garden Path began her racing career by winning the Tostock Stakes, a maiden race at Newmarket. She was then moved up in class to contest the six furlong Cheveley Park Stakes, the year's most important race for two-year-old fillies in which she finished third to Fair Fame.^[4] Garden Path then ran in the Middle Park Stakes over the same course and distance, in which she was matched against some of the season's leading colts and finished third again behind Orestes and Happy Landing.^[5] In the Free Handicap, a ranking of the season's best juveniles, Garden Path was given a rating of 123 pounds,^[3] eight below the top-rated Orestes and five below Fair Fame, the top filly.^[6]

1944: three-year-old season

On her three-year-old debut, Garden Path won the Chatteris Stakes over one mile.^[3] Her connections then took the unusual decision to bypass the fillies classic, the 1000 Guineas, and race her against colts in the 2000 Guineas a day later. Because of wartime restrictions, both races were moved from their traditional Rowley Mile venue to the adjoining Newmarket July (or Summer) course. No filly had won the race, or even finished in the first three since the victory of Sceptre in 1902.^[7] Ridden by Harry Wragg, Garden Path started the 5/1 favourite in a field of twenty-six runners. She took the lead a quarter of a mile from the finish and held on to win by a head from Growing Confidence,^[8] with the future St Leger winner Tehran in third.^[9] Among the unplaced runners was a 33/1 outsider named Ocean Swell. Garden Path's victory gave Lord Derby his sixteenth classic win in twenty years.^[10]

On 17 June Garden Path returned to the July course for the New Derby Stakes, a wartime substitute for the Epsom Derby. Despite wartime austerity, the race attracted considerable public interest, with bookmakers reporting that betting was heavier than for many peacetime runnings of the race.^[11] In a field of twenty runners, Garden Path disputed favouritism with Tehran, Mustang and Growing Confidence. During the race however, the filly sustained a serious injury to the suspensory ligaments of her leg^[3] and finished tenth behind Ocean Swell, who beat Tehran by a neck.^[12] Garden Path never raced again and was retired to stud.

Assessment and honours

In their book, A Century of Champions, based on the Timeform rating system, John Randall and Tony Morris rated Garden Path an "inferior" winner of the 2000 Guineas.^[13]

Retirement

Garden Path was retired to become a broodmare at her owner's stud. She produced five winners, three at stakes level.^[14] The best of her offspring was Leading Light, a colt sired by Hyperion who won the Knights Royal Stakes, the race which would later become known as the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes.

Pedigree

Pedigree of Garden Path (GB), brown mare, 1941^[15]
Sire Fairway (GB) Bay 1925	Phalaris bay 1913	Polymelus	Cyllene
		Polymelus	Maid Marian
		Bromus	Sainfoin
		Bromus	Cheery
	Scapa Flow chestnut 1914	Chaucer	St. Simon
		Chaucer	Canterbury Pilgrim
		Anchora	Love Wisely
		Anchora	Eryholme
Dam Ranai (FR) bay 1925	Rabelais bay 1900	St. Simon*	Galopin
		St. Simon*	St. Angela
		Satirical	Satiety
		Satirical	Chaff
	Dark Sedge bay 1916	Prestige	Le Pompon
		Prestige	Orgueilleuse
		Beattie	Volodyovski
		Beattie	Crusado (Family:7^[2])

Garden Path was inbred 3x4 to St. Simon, meaning that this stallion appears in both the third and the fourth generations of his pedigree.

References

↑ "Leading Sires of Great Britain and Ireland". Tbheritage.com. Retrieved 2012-10-11.
1 2 "Blacklegs Royal Mare - Family 7". Bloodlines.net. Retrieved 2012-02-26.
1 2 3 4 Mortimer, Roger; Onslow, Richard; Willett, Peter (1999). Biographical Encyclopedia of British Flat Racing. Macdonald and Jane’s. ISBN 0-354-08536-0.
↑ "TRIUMPH FOR FILLIES". Auckland Star. 24 May 1944. Retrieved 2012-10-11.
↑ "Orestes triumphs". Montreal Gazette. 8 October 1943. Retrieved 2012-10-11.
↑ Morris, Tony; Randall, John (1990). Horse Racing: Records, Facts, Champions (Third Edition). Guinness Publishing. ISBN 0-85112-902-1.
↑ "Lord Derby's Garden Path wins 2000 Guineas". Indian Express. 18 May 1944. Retrieved 2012-10-11.
↑ "Garden Path first". Milwaukee Journal. 17 May 1944. Retrieved 2012-10-11.
↑ "ENGLISH CLASSICS". Evening Post. 18 May 1944. Retrieved 2012-10-11.
↑ "Lord Derby's 16th Classic". Border Watch (Mount Gambier). 25 May 1944. Retrieved 2012-10-11.
↑ "Britain Bets Heavily On Derby". Courier-Mail (Brisbane). 17 Jun 1944. Retrieved 2012-10-11.
↑ "28-1 shot wins English Derby". Telegraph-Herald. 18 June 1944. Retrieved 2012-10-11.
↑ Morris, Tony; Randall, John (1999). A Century of Champions. Portway Press,. ISBN 1-901570-15-0.
↑ Anne Peters Thoroughbred Heritage. "Fairway". Tbheritage.com. Retrieved 2012-10-11.
↑ "Garden Path pedigree". equineline.com. 2012-05-08. Retrieved 2012-10-11.

2000 Guineas winners

1809 Wizard 1810 Hephestion 1811 Trophonius 1812 Cwrw 1813 Smolensko 1814 Olive 1815 Tigris 1816 Nectar 1817 Manfred 1818 Interpreter 1819 Antar 1820 Pindarrie 1821 Reginald 1822 Pastille ♥ 1823 Nicolo 1824 Schahriar 1825 Enamel 1826 Dervise 1827 Turcoman 1828 Cadland 1829 Patron 1830 Augustus 1831 Riddlesworth 1832 Archibald 1833 Clearwell 1834 Glencoe 1835 Ibrahim 1836 Bay Middleton 1837 Achmet 1838 Grey Momus 1839 The Corsair 1840 Crucifix ♥ 1841 Ralph 1842 Meteor 1843 Cotherstone 1844 The Ugly Buck 1845 Idas 1846 Sir Tatton Sykes 1847 Conyngham 1848 Flatcatcher 1849 Nunnykirk 1850 Pitsford 1851 Hernandez 1852 Stockwell 1853 West Australian ₩ 1854 The Hermit 1855 Lord of the Isles 1856 Fazzoletto 1857 Vedette 1858 Fitz-Roland 1859 The Promised Land 1860 The Wizard 1861 Diophantus 1862 The Marquis 1863 Macaroni 1864 General Peel 1865 Gladiateur ₩ 1866 Lord Lyon ₩ 1867 Vauban 1868 Formosa ♥ Moslem 1869 Pretender 1870 Macgregor 1871 Bothwell 1872 Prince Charlie 1873 Gang Forward 1874 Atlantic 1875 Camballo 1876 Petrarch 1877 Chamant 1878 Pilgrimage ♥ 1879 Charibert 1880 Petronel 1881 Peregrine 1882 Shotover ♥ 1883 Galliard 1884 Scot Free 1885 Paradox 1886 Ormonde ₩ 1887 Enterprise 1888 Ayrshire 1889 Enthusiast 1890 Surefoot 1891 Common ₩ 1892 Bona Vista 1893 Isinglass ₩ 1894 Ladas 1895 Kirkconnel 1896 St. Frusquin 1897 Galtee More ₩ 1898 Disraeli 1899 Flying Fox ₩ 1900 Diamond Jubilee ₩ 1901 Handicapper 1902 Sceptre 1903 Rock Sand ₩ 1904 St. Amant 1905 Vedas 1906 Gorgos 1907 Slieve Gallion 1908 Norman 1909 Minoru 1910 Neil Gow 1911 Sunstar 1912 Sweeper 1913 Louvois 1914 Kennymore 1915 Pommern ₩ 1916 Clarissimus 1917 Gay Crusader ₩ 1918 Gainsborough ₩ 1919 The Panther 1920 Tetratema 1921 Craig an Eran 1922 St Louis 1923 Ellangowan 1924 Diophon 1925 Manna 1926 Colorado 1927 Adam's Apple 1928 Flamingo 1929 Mr Jinks 1930 Diolite 1931 Cameronian 1932 Orwell 1933 Rodosto 1934 Colombo 1935 Bahram ₩ 1936 Pay Up 1937 Le Ksar 1938 Pasch 1939 Blue Peter 1940 Djebel 1941 Lambert Simnel 1942 Big Game 1943 Kingsway 1944 Garden Path ♥ 1945 Court Martial 1946 Happy Knight 1947 Tudor Minstrel 1948 My Babu 1949 Nimbus 1950 Palestine 1951 Ki Ming 1952 Thunderhead 1953 Nearula 1954 Darius 1955 Our Babu 1956 Gilles de Retz 1957 Crepello 1958 Pall Mall 1959 Taboun 1960 Martial 1961 Rockavon 1962 Privy Councillor 1963 Only for Life 1964 Baldric 1965 Niksar 1966 Kashmir 1967 Royal Palace 1968 Sir Ivor 1969 Right Tack 1970 Nijinsky ₩ 1971 Brigadier Gerard 1972 High Top 1973 Mon Fils 1974 Nonoalco 1975 Bolkonski 1976 Wollow 1977 Nebbiolo 1978 Roland Gardens 1979 Tap On Wood 1980 Known Fact 1981 To-Agori-Mou 1982 Zino 1983 Lomond 1984 El Gran Senor 1985 Shadeed 1986 Dancing Brave 1987 Don't Forget Me 1988 Doyoun 1989 Nashwan 1990 Tirol 1991 Mystiko 1992 Rodrigo de Triano 1993 Zafonic 1994 Mister Baileys 1995 Pennekamp 1996 Mark of Esteem 1997 Entrepreneur 1998 King of Kings 1999 Island Sands 2000 King's Best 2001 Golan 2002 Rock of Gibraltar 2003 Refuse to Bend 2004 Haafhd 2005 Footstepsinthesand 2006 George Washington 2007 Cockney Rebel 2008 Henrythenavigator 2009 Sea the Stars 2010 Makfi 2011 Frankel 2012 Camelot 2013 Dawn Approach 2014 Night of Thunder 2015 Gleneagles

Legend - ₩ = Triple Crown Winners, ♥ = Filly

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