Blink Bonny (1854–1862) was a British
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 and
broodmare
A mare is an adult female horse or other equine. In most cases, a mare is a female horse over the age of three, and a filly is a female horse three and younger. In Thoroughbred horse racing, a mare is defined as a female horse more than four ...
. In a career that lasted from 1856 to 1858, she ran twenty times and won fourteen races. She was the leading British two-year-old of 1856, when she won eight races including the
Gimcrack Stakes
The Gimcrack Stakes is a Group 2 flat horse race in Great Britain open to two-year-old colts and geldings.
It is run at York over a distance of 6 furlongs (1,207 metres), and it is scheduled to t ...
at
York
York is a cathedral city with Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. It is the historic county town of Yorkshire. The city has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a ...
. In 1857 Blink Bonny won five of her seven races and became the second filly, after
Eleanor
Eleanor () is a feminine given name, originally from an Old French adaptation of the Old Provençal name ''Aliénor''. It is the name of a number of women of royalty and nobility in western Europe during the High Middle Ages.
The name was introd ...
, to defeat the colts in
The Derby.
[ In the same season, racing against her own sex, she won The Oaks, the ]Lancashire Oaks
The Lancashire Oaks is a Group 2 flat horse race in Great Britain open to fillies and mares aged three years or older. It is run at Haydock Park over a distance of 1 mile, 3 furlongs and 175 yards (2, ...
, and the Park Hill Stakes
The Park Hill Stakes is a Group 2 flat horse race in Great Britain open to fillies and mares aged three years or older. It is run at Doncaster over a distance of 1 mile, 6 furlongs and 115 yards (2,9 ...
.
Having retired from racing in 1858, Blink Bonny showed exceptional promise as a broodmare, producing three top class racehorses before her premature death in 1862. Blink Bonny was one of only six fillies to win the Derby, and has been regarded by both contemporary and modern authorities as one of the best fillies in Thoroughbred racing history.
Background
Blink Bonny was a powerfully-built bay filly standing 15.2½ hands
A hand is a prehensile, multi-fingered appendage located at the end of the forearm or forelimb of primates such as humans, chimpanzees, monkeys, and lemurs. A few other vertebrates such as the koala (which has two opposable thumbs on each " ...
high with a narrow white blaze and one white fetlock
Fetlock is the common name in horses, large animals, and sometimes dogs for the metacarpophalangeal and metatarsophalangeal joints (MCPJ and MTPJ).
Although it somewhat resembles the human ankle in appearance, the joint is homologous to the ba ...
. According to some reports, she was a difficult horse who was unpopular with stable staff on account of her "nasty temper", while others described her as being "remarkably docile." She was bred at Spring Cottage, Malton, North Yorkshire
North Yorkshire is the largest ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county (lieutenancy area) in England, covering an area of . Around 40% of the county is covered by National parks of the United Kingdom, national parks, including most of ...
by her owner William I'Anson who also trained the filly at his Hungerford House stable. I'Anson, a Yorkshireman born at Middleham, named the filly after a turnpike-gate in Edinburgh, through which he regularly passed when traveling to England.
Blink Bonny was sired by Melbourne, a useful but unexceptional racehorse who became a hugely successful stallion, described by the ''Farmer's Magazine'' as "far away the best" of his time: apart from Blink Bonny, he sired the Classic
A classic is an outstanding example of a particular style; something of lasting worth or with a timeless quality; of the first or highest quality, class, or rank – something that exemplifies its class. The word can be an adjective (a ''c ...
winners West Australian, Sir Tatton Sykes, Canezou (1000 Guineas), Marchioness (Oaks), Mentmore Lass (1000 Guineas) and Cymba (Oaks). He was Champion sire in 1853 and 1857. Her dam, Queen Mary, was one of the most important broodmares of the nineteenth century. She was "a queer-tempered mare, very wild in the paddock, and blowing defiance to any stranger who approaches her or hers." Apart from producing many good winners, her influence has continued to the present day, with her direct descendants including the 2002 European Horse of the Year The Cartier Racing Awards are awards in European horse racing, founded in 1991, and sponsored by Cartier SA, Cartier. The award winners are decided by points earned in group races (40%) plus the votes cast by British racing journalists (30%) and rea ...
Rock of Gibraltar
The Rock of Gibraltar (from the Arabic name Jabel-al-Tariq) is a monolithic limestone promontory located in the British territory of Gibraltar, near the southwestern tip of Europe on the Iberian Peninsula, and near the entrance to the Mediterr ...
.
Racing career
1856: two-year-old season
As a two-year-old, I'Anson ran Blink Bonny eleven times. She made her first appearance at York
York is a cathedral city with Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. It is the historic county town of Yorkshire. The city has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a ...
on 22 April when she finished third in the Zetland Stakes and she was third again in the Mostyn Stakes at Chester
Chester is a cathedral city and the county town of Cheshire, England. It is located on the River Dee, close to the English–Welsh border. With a population of 79,645 in 2011,"2011 Census results: People and Population Profile: Chester Loca ...
in May. Two weeks later she recorded her first win in the Sapling Stakes at Manchester. Blink Bonny then won her next four races, taking the Bishop Burton Stakes at Beverley
Beverley is a market town, market and minster (church), minster town and a civil parishes in England, civil parish in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England, of which it is the county town. The town centre is located south-east of York's centre ...
, the Tyro Stakes at Newcastle Newcastle usually refers to:
*Newcastle upon Tyne, a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England
*Newcastle-under-Lyme, a town in Staffordshire, England
*Newcastle, New South Wales, a metropolitan area in Australia, named after Newcastle ...
, the Great Lancashire Produce Stakes at Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...
and the Bentinck Memorial Stakes at Goodwood. She was sent to York in August where she was beaten by Lady Hawthorn in the Convivial Stakes, but won the Gimcrack Stakes
The Gimcrack Stakes is a Group 2 flat horse race in Great Britain open to two-year-old colts and geldings.
It is run at York over a distance of 6 furlongs (1,207 metres), and it is scheduled to t ...
two days later, beating the good colts M. D. and Skirmisher. She ran twice at the St Leger
The St Leger Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run at Doncaster over a d ...
meeting at Doncaster in September, winning the Filly Stakes and a Sweepstakes
A sweepstake is a type of contest where a prize or prizes may be awarded to a winner or winners. Sweepstakes began as a form of lottery that were tied to products sold. In response, the FCC and FTC refined U.S. broadcasting laws (creating the ...
in which she gave four pounds to colts including Adamas and Skirmisher.
Blink Bonny earned a total of £2,201 during her first season. I'Anson turned down several offers for the filly, who went into the winter break as the favourite for the following year's Derby.
1857: three-year-old season
During the winter of 1856–57, Blink Bonny developed severe problems with her teeth ("dentition fever") which left her unable to eat normally. Stable staff had to hand-feed the filly on clover and other green stuff but she lost a great deal of weight before she recovered. Her status as favourite for the Derby made her a potential target for gamblers and bookmakers
A bookmaker, bookie, or turf accountant is an organization or a person that accepts and pays off bets on sporting and other events at agreed-upon odds.
History
The first bookmaker, Ogden, stood at Newmarket in 1795.
Range of events
Bookma ...
who stood to lose money if she were to succeed, and I'Anson reportedly purchased a ferocious bloodhound
The bloodhound is a large scent hound, originally bred for hunting deer, wild boar and, since the Middle Ages, for tracking people. Believed to be descended from hounds once kept at the Abbey of Saint-Hubert, Belgium, in French it is called, ''l ...
to patrol and guard the stables. As a result of the filly's problems, I'Anson was unable to train her as thoroughly as he would have wished, but nevertheless entered her for the 1000 Guineas at Newmarket, believing that she could win without being fully fit. She started favourite, at odds of 4/5 in a field of eight fillies. Blink Bonny tracked the leaders in the early stages, but two furlong
A furlong is a measure of distance in imperial units and United States customary units equal to one eighth of a mile, equivalent to 660 feet, 220 yards, 40 rods, 10 chains or approximately 201 metres. It is now mostly confined to use in hors ...
s from the finish she began to show "symptoms of defeat" and faded to finish fifth behind Imperieuse.
Blink Bonny's defeat at Newmarket led to a loss in public confidence, and at Epsom
Epsom is the principal town of the Borough of Epsom and Ewell in Surrey, England, about south of central London. The town is first recorded as ''Ebesham'' in the 10th century and its name probably derives from that of a Saxon landowner. The ...
on 1 June she started at odds of 20/1 in a field of thirty for the Derby. After a number of false starts, the race got under way and Blink Bonny, ridden by John "Jack" Charlton, was among the leading group from the start and was one of nine horses disputing the lead early in the straight. The filly hit the front a furlong out and prevailed by a neck from the 200/1 outsider Black Tommy in a "blanket finish", with the first six horses crossing the line in a group. The winning time of 2:45.0 broke the race record by three seconds. Her victory was met with surprise and disappointment by the professional gamblers, many of whom had lost heavily on the result. Two days after winning the Derby, Blink Bonny reappeared in the Oaks, for which she started the 4/5 favourite against twelve other fillies including Imperieuse. She was towards the rear in the early stages but moved up to take the lead two furlongs from the finish and won, according to the ''Sporting Review'', with "ridiculous ease" by at least eight lengths from Sneeze, with the other runners, including Imperieuse, finishing "at long intervals."
Following her double at Epsom, Blink Bonny walked over to win a sweepstakes at Royal Ascot
Ascot Racecourse ("ascot" pronounced , often pronounced ) is a dual-purpose British racecourse, located in Ascot, Berkshire, England, which is used for thoroughbred horse racing. It hosts 13 of Britain's 36 annual Flat Group 1 horse races and ...
on Gold Cup day in June, when no other horses opposed her. On 15 July she started at odds of 1/5 for the Lancashire Oaks at Liverpool and won easily, giving weight to her three opponents. She also won another Bentinck Memorial Stakes at Goodwood later in July, beating her only rival, the colt Chevalier d'Industrie, by twenty lengths.
In September, Blink Bonny attempted to win her third classic when she was sent to Doncaster
Doncaster (, ) is a city in South Yorkshire, England. Named after the River Don, it is the administrative centre of the larger City of Doncaster. It is the second largest settlement in South Yorkshire after Sheffield. Doncaster is situated in ...
in for the St Leger. Blink Bonny's presence was credited for attracting an enormous number of people, including the writers Charles Dickens
Charles John Huffam Dickens (; 7 February 1812 – 9 June 1870) was an English writer and social critic. He created some of the world's best-known fictional characters and is regarded by many as the greatest novelist of the Victorian e ...
and Wilkie Collins
William Wilkie Collins (8 January 1824 – 23 September 1889) was an English novelist and playwright known especially for ''The Woman in White (novel), The Woman in White'' (1859), a mystery novel and early "sensation novel", and for ''The Moons ...
, to Doncaster, all of them reportedly anxious to see "so extraordinary an animal." She started 5/4 favourite but after leading briefly in the straight she finished only fourth of the eleven runners behind Imperieuse, having been given a poor ride by Charlton. It was widely believed that Charlton had deliberately "pulled" the filly (prevented her from winning) on the orders of the bookmaker John Jackson. The ill-feeling came to a head when Blink Bonny, carrying a ten pounds higher weight, ran in the Park Hill Stakes
The Park Hill Stakes is a Group 2 flat horse race in Great Britain open to fillies and mares aged three years or older. It is run at Doncaster over a distance of 1 mile, 6 furlongs and 115 yards (2,9 ...
a day later over the same course and distance. She won easily by six lengths in a time that was two seconds faster than that set by Imperieuse in winning the St Leger. The crowd, believing that the result proved that Blink Bonny had been pulled in the classic attacked the horse's connections. Only the intervention of the former prize-fighters John Gully
John Gully (21 August 1783 – 9 March 1863) was an English champion prizefighter who became a racehorse owner and, from 1832 to 1837, a Member of Parliament.
Early life
Gully was born at Wick, near Bath, the son of an innkeeper who became ...
and Tom Sayers
Tom Sayers (15 or 25 May 18268 November 1865) was an English Bare-knuckle boxing, bare-knuckle prize fighter. There were no formal weight divisions at the time, and although Sayers was only five feet eight inches tall and never weighed much mo ...
. prevented "Little Jack" Charlton from being "torn to pieces" by angry spectators. An estimated two thousand people became involved in the disturbances and Blink Bonny herself had to be escorted from the scene by an impromptu bodyguard formed by former police officers. The incident came to be known as the "Blink Bonny riot".
1858: four-year-old season
Blink Bonny's first run as a four-year-old in the Bentinck Memorial at Goodwood was much-anticipated, but she looked unimpressive before the start and ran so poorly in the race that she was pulled up shortly after half way.
Rumours that she had died of "inflammation of the lungs", which appeared in some newspapers after a report in the ''Edinburgh Courant
The ''Edinburgh Courant'' was a Broadsheet, broadsheet newspaper from the 18th century. It was published out of Edinburgh, Midlothian, Scotland. Its first issue was dated February 14–19, 1705 and was sold for a penny. It was Scotland's first re ...
'' proved to be incorrect and she was retired to stud in good health.
Assessment
In May 1886 ''The Sporting Times
''The Sporting Times'' (founded 1865, ceased publication 1932) was a weekly British newspaper devoted chiefly to sport, and in particular to horse racing. It was informally known as ''The Pink 'Un'', as it was printed on salmon-coloured paper ...
'' carried out a poll of one hundred racing experts to create a ranking of the best British racehorses of the 19th century. Blink Bonny was ranked twenty-second, having been placed in the top ten by twelve of the contributors. She was rated the fourth best filly, behind Virago
A virago is a woman who demonstrates abundant masculine virtues. The word comes from the Latin word ''virāgō'' ( genitive virāginis) meaning vigorous' from ''vir'' meaning "man" or "man-like" (cf. virile and virtue) to which the suffix ''-ā ...
, Plaisanterie and Crucifix
A crucifix (from Latin ''cruci fixus'' meaning "(one) fixed to a cross") is a cross with an image of Jesus on it, as distinct from a bare cross. The representation of Jesus himself on the cross is referred to in English as the ''corpus'' (Lati ...
.
Blink Bonny has been described by Thoroughbred Heritage
The National Sporting Library & Museum or NSLM (formerly the National Sporting Library) is a research library and art museum in Middleburg, Virginia in the United States.
History
The National Sporting Library was founded in 1954 in the personal ...
as "one of the greatest 3-year-old fillies of all time." ''The Irish Metropolitan Magazine'' called her "the most wonderful filly ever seen on our turf."
Stud career
Blink Bonny was retired to her owner's stud where she produced only three foals, all of whom showed top class form. Her first foal, Borealis, a filly by Newminster, finished third in the Oaks. She went on to become an important broodmare, being the direct female ancestor of Bayardo and Lemberg
Lviv ( uk, Львів) is the largest city in Western Ukraine, western Ukraine, and the List of cities in Ukraine, seventh-largest in Ukraine, with a population of . It serves as the administrative centre of Lviv Oblast and Lviv Raion, and is o ...
. Blink Bonny's second foal, Blair Athol, was one of the outstanding racehorses of his era, winning the Derby and the St Leger in 1864. Her third and final foal, Breadalbane, by Stockwell
Stockwell is a district in south west London, part of the London Borough of Lambeth, England. It is situated south of Charing Cross. Battersea, Brixton, Clapham, South Lambeth, Oval and Kennington all border Stockwell.
History
The na ...
, won the Prince of Wales's Stakes
The Prince of Wales's Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged four years or older. It is run at Ascot over a distance of 1 mile 1 furlong and 212 yards (2,004 met ...
and finished third in the Ascot Gold Cup
The Gold Cup is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged four years or older. It is run at Ascot over a distance of 2 miles 3 furlongs and 210 yards (4,014 ...
.
Blink Bonny died as an eight-year-old in 1862, shortly after giving birth to Breadalbane, who was raised by a foster-mare. Her jockey, John Charlton, died of consumption
Consumption may refer to:
*Resource consumption
*Tuberculosis, an infectious disease, historically
* Consumption (ecology), receipt of energy by consuming other organisms
* Consumption (economics), the purchasing of newly produced goods for curren ...
a few months after Blink Bonny on 31 July. I'Anson donated her skeleton to York Museum where it was mounted and displayed. Two of her hooves are displayed in a glass cabinet at the Blink Bonny pub
A pub (short for public house) is a kind of drinking establishment which is licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term ''public house'' first appeared in the United Kingdom in late 17th century, and was ...
at Christon Bank
Christon Bank is a small village in Northumberland, England, 9 miles north of the town of Alnwick. Prior to 1847 it was a small farming hamlet, which was transformed by the building of the East Coast Main Line railway.
History
The village is na ...
, near Embleton, Northumberland
Embleton is a village and civil parishes in England, civil parish in the England, English county of Northumberland. Besides the village of Embleton itself, the civil parish includes the settlement of Christon Bank, situated about a mile to the w ...
.
Pedigree
As a museum object
After her death, Blink Bonny's skeleton was donated to the Yorkshire Museum
The Yorkshire Museum is a museum in York, England. It was opened in 1830, and has five permanent collections, covering biology, geology, archaeology, numismatics and astronomy.
History
The museum was founded by the Yorkshire Philosophical Soci ...
and was on display until the 1950s. She was on display with the skeleton of another racehorse – Tracery
Tracery is an architecture, architectural device by which windows (or screens, panels, and vaults) are divided into sections of various proportions by stone ''bars'' or ''ribs'' of Molding (decorative), moulding. Most commonly, it refers to the s ...
. In 1979 it was reported that one of these skeletons was reburied in an 'archaeological trench' by then Keeper of the museum George Willmot and the location of the other was a mystery.
References
{{Epsom Oaks Winners
1854 racehorse births
1862 racehorse deaths
Epsom Derby winners
Epsom Oaks winners
Racehorses bred in the United Kingdom
Racehorses trained in the United Kingdom
Thoroughbred family 10-a
Godolphin Arabian sire line