Rayon d'Or

Rayon d'Or
Sire	Flageolet
Grandsire	Plutus
Dam	Araucaria
Damsire	Ambrose
Sex	Stallion
Foaled	1876
Country	France
Colour	Chestnut
Breeder	Haras de Dangu
Owner	Frédéric de Lagrange (France) William L. Scott (USA)
Trainer	Tom Jennings, Sr.
Record	23: 17-2-3
Earnings	F500,000+
Major wins
Lavant Stakes (1878) Newmarket Glasgow Stakes (1878) Clearwell Stakes (1878) Challenge Stakes (1879) Champion Stakes (1879) Great Foal Stakes (1879) Sussex Stakes (1879) Zetland Stakes (1879) St. James's Palace Stakes (1879) Prix du Cadran (1880) Prix Rainbow (1880) Rous Memorial Stakes (1880) British Classic Race wins: St. Leger Stakes (1879)
Awards
Leading sire in North America (1889)
Last updated on January 6, 2010

Rayon d'Or (1876–1896) was a French Thoroughbred racehorse and Champion sire in the United States. Bred by Frédéric de Lagrange at his Haras de Dangu stud farm in Dangu, Eure, he was sired by Flageolet whose wins included the Prix Morny (1872), Goodwood Cup (1873) and Jockey Club Cup (1873) and whom Rayon d'Or would help make the Leading sire in Great Britain and Ireland in 1879. Rayon d'Or's dam was the good producing mare Araucaria, sired by Ambrose. Araucaria was the last foal of the mare Pocahontas whom Thoroughbred Heritage says is "one of the most influential thoroughbreds of all time, male or female."

Rayon d'Or was conditioned for racing by Tom Jennings, Sr., a member of the pioneering English Racing Colony at Chantilly, Oise. Jennings was the trainer of Gladiateur, winner of the British Triple Crown in 1865.

Rayon d'Or raced from age two through four, winning important races in England and France at distances of one mile to mile and a quarter such as the Sussex and Champion Stakes, and at endurance distances such as the 4,000 meter Prix du Cadran at Longchamp Racecourse and the Prix Rainbow at 5,000 meters. Rayon d'Or's most important win came in the Classic St. Leger Stakes.

Stud record

Rayon d'Or was retired to stud at Haras de Dangu where he sired only a few foals before being sold in the dispersal of the Haras de Dangu horses in November 1882. He was purchased by American businessman, and former member of the United States House of Representatives, William Scott. Rayon d'Or was brought to the United States to stand at Scott's Algeria Stock Farm at Erie, Pennsylvania where he sired most of his major winners. In 1889 he became the first French-bred stallion to top the American leading sires list. Scott died in 1892, and the Algeria Stud was dispersed. Rayon d'Or was purchased by August Belmont, Jr. who stood him at his Nursery Stud in Kentucky.

Rayon d'Or notably sired:

Tea Tray (b. 1885) - won Monmouth Handicap (1890)
Gypsy Queen (b. 1886) - won Spinaway Stakes (1888), Gazelle Stakes (1889)
Tenny (b. 1886) - won Brooklyn Handicap (1890)
Chaos (b. 1887) - won the 1889 Futurity Stakes
Banquet (b. 1887) - on July 18, 1890, he set a new North American record of 2:03.75 for a mile and a quarter on dirt. Won 1891 Monmouth Handicap, 1892 Manhattan Handicap
Liza (b. 1892) - won Swift Stakes (1894), Travers Stakes (1895)
Soufflé (b. 1893) - in 1896 she won the Kentucky Oaks, Latonia Oaks, and Jerome Handicap. Named the retrospective American Champion Three-Year-Old Filly
Don de Oro (b. 1894) - won Tremont Stakes (1896), Kenner Stakes (1897)
Octagon (b. 1894) - won Toboggan Handicap (1897, 1898), Withers Stakes (1897), Brooklyn Derby (1897). Sire of U.S. Racing Hall of Fame filly, Beldame.

Through another of his daughters, St Priscilla, Rayon d'Or was also the damsire of the outstanding runner, Stromboli.

Rayon d'Or died at Nursery Stud on July 15, 1896 at age twenty.

References

St Leger Stakes winners

1776 Allabaculia ♥ 1777 Bourbon 1778 Hollandoise ♥ 1779 Tommy 1780 Ruler 1781 Serina ♥ 1782 Imperatrix ♥ 1783 Phoenomenon 1784 Omphale ♥ 1785 Cowslip ♥ 1786 Paragon 1787 Spadille 1788 Young Flora 1789 Pewett ♥ 1790 Ambidexter 1791 Young Traveller 1792 Tartar 1793 Ninety-three 1794 Beningbrough 1795 Hambletonian 1796 Ambrosio 1797 Lounger 1798 Symmetry 1799 Cockfighter 1800 Champion 1801 Quiz 1802 Orville 1803 Remembrancer 1804 Sancho 1805 Staveley 1806 Fyldener 1807 Paulina ♥ 1808 Petronius 1809 Ashton 1810 Octavian 1811 Soothsayer 1812 Otterington 1813 Altisidora ♥ 1814 William 1815 Filho da Puta 1816 The Duchess ♥ 1817 Ebor 1818 Reveller 1819 Antonio 1820 St Patrick 1821 Jack Spigot 1822 Theodore 1823 Barefoot 1824 Jerry 1825 Memnon 1826 Tarrare 1827 Matilda ♥ 1828 The Colonel 1829 Rowton 1830 Birmingham 1831 Chorister 1832 Margrave 1833 Rockingham 1834 Touchstone 1835 Queen of Trumps ♥ 1836 Elis 1837 Mango 1838 Don John 1839 Charles the Twelfth 1840 Launcelot 1841 Satirist 1842 Blue Bonnet ♥ 1843 Nutwith 1844 Faugh-a-Ballagh 1845 The Baron 1846 Sir Tatton Sykes 1847 Van Tromp 1848 Surplice 1849 The Flying Dutchman 1850 Voltigeur 1851 Newminster 1852 Stockwell 1853 West Australian ₩ 1854 Knight of St George 1855 Saucebox 1856 Warlock 1857 Imperieuse ♥ 1858 Sunbeam ♥ 1859 Gamester 1860 St Albans 1861 Caller Ou ♥ 1862 The Marquis 1863 Lord Clifden 1864 Blair Athol 1865 Gladiateur ₩ 1866 Lord Lyon ₩ 1867 Achievement ♥ 1868 Formosa ♥ ₩ 1869 Pero Gomez 1870 Hawthornden 1871 Hannah ♥ ₩ 1872 Wenlock 1873 Marie Stuart ♥ 1874 Apology ♥ ₩ 1875 Craig Millar 1876 Petrarch 1877 Silvio 1878 Jannette ♥ 1879 Rayon d'Or 1880 Robert the Devil 1881 Iroquois 1882 Dutch Oven ♥ 1883 Ossian 1884 The Lambkin 1885 Melton 1886 Ormonde ₩ 1887 Kilwarlin 1888 Seabreeze ♥ 1889 Donovan 1890 Memoir ♥ 1891 Common ₩ 1892 La Fleche ♥ ₩ 1893 Isinglass ₩ 1894 Throstle ♥ 1895 Sir Visto 1896 Persimmon 1897 Galtee More ₩ 1898 Wildfowler 1899 Flying Fox ₩ 1900 Diamond Jubilee ₩ 1901 Doricles 1902 Sceptre ♥ ₩ 1903 Rock Sand ₩ 1904 Pretty Polly ♥ ₩ 1905 Challacombe 1906 Troutbeck 1907 Wool Winder 1908 Your Majesty 1909 Bayardo 1910 Swynford 1911 Prince Palatine 1912 Tracery 1913 Night Hawk 1914 Black Jester 1915 Pommern ₩ 1916 Hurry On 1917 Gay Crusader ₩ 1918 Gainsborough ₩ 1919 Keysoe ♥ 1920 Caligula 1921 Polemarch 1922 Royal Lancer 1923 Tranquil ♥ 1924 Salmon-Trout 1925 Solario 1926 Coronach 1927 Book Law ♥ 1928 Fairway 1929 Trigo 1930 Singapore 1931 Sandwich 1932 Firdaussi 1933 Hyperion 1934 Windsor Lad 1935 Bahram ₩ 1936 Boswell 1937 Chulmleigh 1938 Scottish Union 1940 Turkhan 1941 Sun Castle 1942 Sun Chariot ♥ ₩ 1943 Herringbone ♥ 1944 Tehran 1945 Chamossaire 1946 Airborne 1947 Sayajirao 1948 Black Tarquin 1949 Ridge Wood 1950 Scratch 1951 Talma 1952 Tulyar 1953 Premonition 1954 Never Say Die 1955 Meld ♥ ₩ 1956 Cambremer 1957 Ballymoss 1958 Alcide 1959 Cantelo ♥ 1960 St. Paddy 1961 Aurelius 1962 Hethersett 1963 Ragusa 1964 Indiana 1965 Provoke 1966 Sodium 1967 Ribocco 1968 Ribero 1969 Intermezzo 1970 Nijinsky ₩ 1971 Athens Wood 1972 Boucher 1973 Peleid 1974 Bustino 1975 Bruni 1976 Crow 1977 Dunfermline ♥ 1978 Julio Mariner 1979 Son of Love 1980 Light Cavalry 1981 Cut Above 1982 Touching Wood 1983 Sun Princess ♥ 1984 Commanche Run 1985 Oh So Sharp ♥ ₩ 1986 Moon Madness 1987 Reference Point 1988 Minster Son 1989 Michelozzo 1990 Snurge 1991 Toulon 1992 User Friendly ♥ 1993 Bob's Return 1994 Moonax 1995 Classic Cliche 1996 Shantou 1997 Silver Patriarch 1998 Nedawi 1999 Mutafaweq 2000 Millenary 2001 Milan 2002 Bollin Eric 2003 Brian Boru 2004 Rule of Law 2005 Scorpion 2006 Sixties Icon 2007 Lucarno 2008 Conduit 2009 Mastery 2010 Arctic Cosmos 2011 Masked Marvel 2012 Encke 2013 Leading Light 2014 Kingston Hill 2015 Simple Verse ♥

Legend - ₩ = Triple Crown Winners, ♥ = Filly

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