Gustavus (horse)

Gustavus

Gustavus in a painting by Robert Pollard, c. 1821.
Sire Election
Grandsire Gohanna
Dam Lady Grey
Damsire Stamford
Sex Stallion
Foaled 1818
Country United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
Colour Grey
Breeder Prince of Wales
Owner Mr. Hunter
Trainer Crouch
Record 14: 7-4-1
Major wins
July Stakes (1820)
Epsom Derby (1821)

Gustavus (1818 – after 1842) was a Thoroughbred racehorse that won the 1821 Epsom Derby. Gustavus was the first grey horse to win the Epsom Derby. He raced until he was four years old and was retired to stud in 1823. Gustavus was exported to Prussia in 1836, at the age of 18. Gustavus was not a successful sire.

Background

Gustavus was foaled in 1818 at the Hampton Court Stud. Gustavus was bred by the Prince Regent and was sired by the 1807 Derby winner Election. Election was a successful racehorse that was bred by the Earl of Egremont and was bought by the Prince of Wales after his racing career to stand at Hampton Court. His dam, Lady Grey, was bred by Colonel Childers at Cantley House in Yorkshire[1] and was one of the Prince's famous "half-dozen grey mares" that were housed at Hampton-Court.[2] Lady Grey's sire, Stamford, was a full-brother to the Epsom Derby winners Paris and Archduke.

In addition to breeding racehorses, the Prince also bred grey Thoroughbreds that would be "sufficiently powerful for his own riding,"[3] with Lady Grey purchased specifically for this purpose.[2] Gustavus was a small yearling and the Prince did not think he would be a suitable riding horse.[3] Gustavus was sold to Mr. Hunter[4] for 25 guineas as a yearling. Hunter was reportedly unsatisfied with his purchase and attempted to sell the "shabby little gray"[5] at a loss for 15 guineas, but he could not find a buyer for the colt.[3] Gustavus was retained by Hunter and raced in his name for his entire racing career.

Racing career

Gustavus was trained at Six-Mile Bottom in Newmarket by Crouch.[6] Gustavus first raced as a two-year-old for the July Stakes. The Derby was his most significant win and he raced until he was four years-old, winning seven races in 14 starts. He was retired to stud in 1823.

1820: two-year-old season

Gustavus's first career start occurred on 10 July at the July Meeting in Newmarket for the July Stakes. Gustavus won the race by half a length from an unnamed colt by Soothsayer and seven other horses, winning 1,950 guineas.[7] The run for the July Stakes was Gustavus' only start as a two-year-old.

1821: three-year-old season

Gustavus (third from left) behind the frontrunner Reginald in the 1821 Epsom Derby in a painting by Théodore Géricault.

At the First Spring Meeting at Newmarket in May, Gustavus won the Newmarket Stakes, beating the colts Tressilian and Fleur de Lis.[8]

In his second start of the season, Gustavus ran in the Derby Stakes at Epsom against a field of twelve other horses. Gustavus was the betting favorite for the running, starting the race with 2 to 1[9] or 7.5 to 4 odds depending on the bookmaking operation. The Duke of Grafton's colt Reginald (the winner of the 2,000 Guineas Stakes) initially took the lead and "made the running" with Gustavus initiating "some play" with Reginald at Tattenham Corner[10] and the two horses "worked together from end to end in the Derby, as if it was run a match."[11] Gustavus was ridden by Sam Day and Reginald's jockey was Francis Buckle. Buckle's "nerve rather went" while Day "kept close to his girths,"[11] allowing Gustavus to overtake Reginald in the final stretch to win the race by half a length.[10] Reginald finished second and the colt Sir Huldibrand third.[10] Day described the finish graphically: "We wound in and out, for all the world like a dog at a fair."[11] Gustavus was the first grey horse to win the Derby[12][13] and one of only four grey horses to win the event.[14] Hunter reportedly won "a very considerable sum" by betting on Gustavus in the Derby, while two brothers reportedly "lost twenty-six thousand pounds" between them but "handsomely paid the debt" when it was due.[1] The 1821 Derby was portrayed in a painting (right) by French artist Théodore Géricault. The depicted, dramatized scene occurred shortly before the race finish, with Gustavus in third place following closely behind the frontrunner Reginald.

Gustavus was unplaced in the St. Leger Stakes run on 17 September at Doncaster, which was won by the colt Jack Spiggot.[15] A few days later, Gustavus finished second to the filly My Lady in the 1000-guinea Gascoigne Stakes run over the St. Leger course. The third runner and the betting favorite in the race, a colt named Sandbeck, was disqualified after running into a post and falling.[16] At the Houghton meeting on 29 October, Gustavus won a mile-long, 150-guinea match race against Mr. Fox's horse Pancha,[17] and a few days later, Gustavus won 200 guineas after beating Lord Exeter's unnamed colt sired by Androssan in a match race.[18]

1822: four-year-old season

At Newmarket-Craven meeting in April, Gustavus won the 1600-guinea Claret Stakes, beating the Duke of Grafton's colt Carbonaro.[19] A few weeks later at the First Spring Meeting, Gustavus finished third in a 100-guinea sweepstakes race to the colts Godolphin and Centaur.[20] Gustavus was beaten in a 6 May match race at Newmarket by Lord Foley's horse Sultan.[21] At the First October Meeting at Newmarket on 30 September, Gustavus finished second to the Duke of Grafton's colt Guerilla in the Trial Stakes.[22] Guerilla won the race by half a length[23] and was an unanticipated winner, with one commenter in the Sporting Magazine stating, "The Trial Stakes, which should have set every body right, set every body wrong."[24] Later the same day, Gustavus beat Lord Egremont's colt Black-and-all-Black in a match race.[25] At the Second October Meeting on 14 October, Gustavus was second in the 50-guinea Post Sweepstakes to the filly Augusta (the winner of the 1821 Epsom Oaks).[26] Two days later in the final start of his racing career, Gustavus was unplaced in the first class of the Oatlands Stakes, the race being won by the filly Whizgig.[27] Gustavus was retired to stud at the end of the racing season.

Stud career

Gustavus was retired to stud in 1823, first standing near Newmarket at the Six-mile Cottage for a fee of eight sovereigns per mare.[28] His fee was increased to 10 guineas for the 1824 breeding season.[29] Gustavus was exported to Prussia in March 1836 at the age of 18 years.[30] In 1842, Gustavus was reported by a correspondent for New Sporting Magazine to be in Baron Maltzahn's stud farm in Kummerow standing alongside Bloomsbury.[31] Gustavus was not a successful sire, with the colt Forester (a July and Newmarket Stakes winner) and the filly Chantilly being his only progeny of note.[32]

Tabulated pedigree

Pedigree of Gustavus (GB), Grey Colt, 1818 [33]
Sire
Election (GB)
Chestnut, 1804		 Gohanna
1790		 Mercury Eclipse
Tartar Mare
Dundas Herod Mare Herod
Maiden
Chestnut Skim
1794		 Woodpecker Herod
Miss Ramsden
Milsintowns Herod Mare Herod
Young Hag
Dam
Lady Grey
Grey, 1806		 Stamford
1794		 Sir Peter Teazle Highflyer
Papillon
Horatia Eclipse
Countess
Bourdeaux Mare
1787		 Bourdeaux Herod
Cygnet Mare
Prophet Mare Prophet
Virago

References

  1. 1 2 Staff (1822). "Sporting Intelligence". Sporting Magazine 8: 144.
  2. 1 2 Staff (April 1899). "Some breeding stud reminiscences". Baily's magazine of sports and pastimes 71: 274.
  3. 1 2 3 Youatt, William and Cornelius Tongue (1860). The horse. London: Routledge, Warne, & Routledge. p. 31.
  4. ↑ Staff (1821). "Sporting intelligence". Sporting Magazine 8: 143.
  5. ↑ Staff (8 April 1927). "History of gray horses". The Daily Racing Form. Retrieved 4 February 2012.
  6. ↑ Black, Robert (1893). Horse-racing in England: a synoptical review. London: Richard Bently and Son. p. 249.
  7. ↑ Staff (1820). "The racing calendar". The Sporting Magazine 6: 47.
  8. ↑ Weatherby, James and Edward (1821). "Newmarket". Racing Calendar 49: 26.
  9. ↑ Weatherby, James and Edward (1821). "Epsom". Racing Calendar 49: 42.
  10. 1 2 3 Staff (1821). "The racing calendar". The Sporting Magazine 8: 32.
  11. 1 2 3 Dixon, Henry Hall (1914). Scott and Sebright. London: Frederick Warne and Co. p. 16.
  12. ↑ Sidney, Samuel and James Sinclair, William Charles and Arlington Blew (1893). The book of the horse. London: Cassell & Co. p. 67.
  13. ↑ "Facts and Figures". Epsomderby.org. Retrieved 05-02-2012. Check date values in: |access-date= (help)
  14. ↑ Beesley, Mike (24 May 2008). "Heads - and odd tales! GREAT DAYS AT EPSOM Lord Derby's luck held on spin of coin.". Birmingham Mail. Retrieved 4 February 2012.
  15. ↑ Weatherby, James and Edward (1821). "Doncaster". Racing Calendar 49: 136.
  16. ↑ Weatherby, James and Edward (1821). "Doncaster". Racing Calendar 49: 138.
  17. ↑ Weatherby, James and Edward (1821). "Houghton". Racing Calendar 49: 185.
  18. ↑ Weatherby, James and Edward (1821). "Houghton". Racing Calendar 49: 188.
  19. ↑ Weatherby, James and Edward (1822). "Newmarket-Craven". Racing Calendar 50: 10.
  20. ↑ Weatherby, James and Edward (1822). "Newmarket". Racing Calendar 50: 22.
  21. ↑ Weatherby, James and Edward (1822). "Newmarket". Racing Calendar 50: 26.
  22. ↑ Weatherby, James and Edward (1822). "Newmarket". Racing Calendar 50: 159.
  23. ↑ Staff (1822). "The racing calendar". The Sporting Magazine 11: 14.
  24. ↑ Observator (1822). "Newmarket October meetings". The Sporting Magazine 11: 59.
  25. ↑ Weatherby, James and Edward (1822). "Newmarket". Racing Calendar 50: 160.
  26. ↑ Weatherby, James and Edward (1822). "Newmarket". Racing Calendar 50: 173.
  27. ↑ Weatherby, James and Edward (1822). "Newmarket". Racing Calendar 50: 174.
  28. ↑ Weatherby, James and Edward (1823). "Advertisements of stallions". Racing Calendar 51: 487.
  29. ↑ Weatherby, James and Edward (1823). "Advertisements of stallions". Racing Calendar 51: 501.
  30. ↑ Weatherby, Edward and James (1840). "Stallions sent abroad". The General Stud Book 4: vii.
  31. ↑ M. W. (February 1842). "Notes of a sporting ramble in the north of Germany". New Sporting Magazine 3 (14): 82.
  32. ↑ Erigero, Patricia. "Gohanna". Thoroughbred Heritage. Retrieved 4 February 2012.
  33. ↑ Staff. "Gustavus 5x Pedigree". Retrieved 3 February 2012.
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