Basto (1703 – c. 1723) was a

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

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 Horse racing is an equestrian performance sport, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its basic pr ...

, who was one of the most celebrated racehorses of the early 18th century. He was described as "remarkably strong... one of the most beautiful horses of his colour that ever appeared in this kingdom".

History

Basto was a brown horse, sired by the

Byerley Turk The Byerley Turk (c. 1680 – c. 1703), also spelled Byerly Turk, was the earliest of three stallions that were the founders of the modern Thoroughbred horse racing bloodstock (the other two are the Godolphin Arabian and the Darley Arabian).Ahner ...

, out of Bay Peg, a daughter of the Leedes Arabian. His breeder, Sir William Ramsden, sold the horse to the

Duke of Devonshire Duke of Devonshire is a title in the Peerage of England held by members of the Cavendish family. This (now the senior) branch of the Cavendish family has been one of the wealthiest British aristocratic families since the 16th century and has be ...

while he was still young. In his racing career at the home of British racing in Newmarket, he won at least five match races (possibly more, since he raced before records were reliably kept) against some of the leading horses of the time. At the Duke of Devonshire's stud, he sired several important racemares and broodmares including the dams of Old Crab, Blacklegs and Snip. Other offspring included Brown Betty, Coquette and Soreheels.

Race record

Sire line tree

*Basto **SoreheelsFoundation Sire: Soreheels
/ref> ***Grey Soreheels **Little Scar

Pedigree

References

Bibliography

* Thoroughbred family 6 Racehorses trained in the Kingdom of Great Britain 1703 racehorse births 1720s racehorse deaths Individual male horses {{racehorse-stub