Americus (foaled 1892, died 1910), was an American
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. Thoroughbreds are c ...
racehorse who was exported to England. He had some success as a racehorse, but was more notable for his influence at stud. He was bred in California and won the 1895 Culver Stakes prior to his export. He continued to race in England, until he was nine years old, while also standing as a breeding stallion. He stood at stud in Italy, Ireland, Germany, and Belgium before dying in Germany in 1910. Americus' most famous descendant was his great-granddaughter
Mumtaz Mahal
Mumtaz Mahal (/'/; ), born Arjumand Banu Begum (27 April 1593 – 17 June 1631) was the empress consort of the Mughal Empire from 19 January 1628 to 17 June 1631 as the chief consort of the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan. The Taj Mahal in Agra, oft ...
.
Background
Americus, a bay stallion, was foaled (born) in 1892. He was bred in California by E. J. "Lucky" Baldwin.
[Salvator "That American Stain" ''Daily Racing Form''] Americus was sired by Emperor of Norfolk
Emperor of Norfolk (1885–1907) was a champion American Champion and Hall of Fame Thoroughbred racehorse. His large size, strong hindquarters, and racing record earned him the name "California Wonder."
Background
In the 1870s, when Joseph Cairn ...
and out of the mare Clara D who was sired by the imported stallion Glenelg. His maternal grandmother was a mare named The Nun, sired by Lexington.[Jockey Club ''American Stud Book'' VII p. 184] Americus was inbred
Inbreeding is the production of offspring from the mating or breeding of individuals or organisms that are closely related genetically. By analogy, the term is used in human reproduction, but more commonly refers to the genetic disorders and o ...
to Lexington, as his sire was by Norfolk who was by Lexington.[ The Nun was a full sister to Norfolk, making Americus even more inbred.][ He was originally named Rey del Caredes,][ but occasionally raced under the name of Rey del Carreres.][
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Racing career
Americus raced as a three-year-old in America,[Palmer ''Names in Pedigrees'' p. 28] winning a number of races.[ In May 1895, he raced at Louisville under the ownership of the Santa Anita Stable, winning a race on May 14 at a distance of 5/8 of a mile.][Goodwin Brothers ''Goodwin's Annual Official Turf Guide for 1895'' p. 278] On May 20, he finished second in the Schulte Stakes.[Goodwin Brothers ''Goodwin's Annual Official Turf Guide for 1895'' p. 283] By June, he was at Coney Island
Coney Island is a peninsular neighborhood and entertainment area in the southwestern section of the New York City borough of Brooklyn. The neighborhood is bounded by Brighton Beach and Manhattan Beach, Brooklyn, Manhattan Beach to its east, L ...
, where he came in second in a sweepstakes race on June 15.[Goodwin Brothers ''Goodwin's Annual Official Turf Guide for 1895'' p. 478] On June 18, he lost a sweepstakes to Domino
Dominoes is a family of tile-based games played with gaming pieces, commonly known as dominoes. Each domino is a rectangular tile, usually with a line dividing its face into two square ''ends''. Each end is marked with a number of spots (also ca ...
, finishing third.[Goodwin Brothers ''Goodwin's Annual Official Turf Guide for 1895'' p. 480] On July 4, he won a sweepstakes at a distance of 3/4 of a mile.[Goodwin Brothers ''Goodwin's Annual Official Turf Guide for 1895'' p. 494] As a three-year-old, Americus also won the Culver Stakes.[Hogan ''Index to Stakes Winners'' p. 158]
While still a three-year-old, he was exported to England where he was registered in the ''General Stud Book
The ''General Stud Book'' is a breed registry for horses in Great Britain and Ireland. More specifically it is used to document the breeding of Thoroughbreds and related foundation bloodstock such as the Arabian horse. Today it is published e ...
''.[Willett ''Thoroughbred'' pp. 107–108] He was imported by Richard Croker,[Wall ''Famous Running Horses'' p. 124] at a cost of about 8000 guinea
Guinea ( ),, fuf, 𞤘𞤭𞤲𞤫, italic=no, Gine, wo, Gine, nqo, ߖߌ߬ߣߍ߫, bm, Gine officially the Republic of Guinea (french: République de Guinée), is a coastal country in West Africa. It borders the Atlantic Ocean to the we ...
s.[ Americus' importation to England occurred before the imposition of the ]Jersey Act
The Jersey Act was introduced to prevent the registration of most American-bred Thoroughbred horses in the British ''General Stud Book''. It had its roots in the desire of British horse breeders to halt the influx of American-bred racehorses of pos ...
, which allowed him and his offspring to be registered in the ''General Stud Book'', something that would not have happened had he been imported into England after 1913, due to the Jersey Act's prohibition on registering horses tracing to Lexington in the ''General Stud Book''.[Hewitt ''Great Breeders'' p. 277]
His new owner continued to race Americus, even though he was no longer in prime racing condition.[ In 1899, as a seven-year-old, Americus was described as looking "as fat as a showyard bull"][Staff "Merman's Double" ''Otago Witness''] before he ran in the Stewards' Cup at Goodwood, but belied his appearance by running well for five furlongs before fading into fourth place.[Staff "Goodwood" ''Otago Witness''] A year later he finished second in the same race.[Staff "Goodwood Meeting" ''Star''] Americus also stood at stud in between races, and raced until he was nine years old.[ Americus was a sprinter, specializing in short-distance races.][
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Stud record
In 1905 Americus was standing at stud in Ireland, but spent the years 1906 and 1907 in Italy. He returned to Ireland in 1908 and 1909, but in 1909 was sold and exported to Germany. It is unknown what happened to him after he went to Germany.[Coussell "Family of Lady Josephine" ''Treasures of the Bloodstock Breeder's Review'' pp. 543–545] At some point before his disappearance in Germany, he also stood at stud in Belgium.[ Americus died at the Trakehnen Stud in Germany in March 1910.][Staff "Trakehnen" ''Deutsches Warmblut'' p. 86]
In his breeding career, Americus sired Americus Girl, the dam of Lady Josephine by Sundridge. Lady Josephine was in turn the dam of Mumtaz Mahal
Mumtaz Mahal (/'/; ), born Arjumand Banu Begum (27 April 1593 – 17 June 1631) was the empress consort of the Mughal Empire from 19 January 1628 to 17 June 1631 as the chief consort of the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan. The Taj Mahal in Agra, oft ...
, later owned by the Aga Khan and a famous broodmare.[Hewitt ''Great Breeders'' pp. 336–337]
Citations
References
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External links
Americus picture
{{DEFAULTSORT:Americus
1892 racehorse births
Racehorses bred in California
Racehorses trained in the United States
Thoroughbred family A2