Cantelo (foaled 1956) 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 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 ...

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 which lasted from spring 1958 until September 1959 she ran eleven times and won eight races. Cantelo was unbeaten in five races as a two-year-old including the

Royal Lodge Stakes The Royal Lodge Stakes is a Group 2 flat horse race in Great Britain open to two-year-old colts and geldings. It is run on the Rowley Mile at Newmarket over a distance of 1 mile (1,609 metres), an ...

, in which she defeated colts. As a three-year-old in 1959 she won 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 ...

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 ...

, as well as the Cheshire Oaks and the

Ribblesdale Stakes The Ribblesdale Stakes is a Group 2 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old fillies. It is run at Ascot over a distance of 1 mile 3 furlongs and 211 yards (2,406 metres), and it is ...

. Her defeats came when finishing second in The Oaks (to

Petite Etoile Petite Etoile (foaled 1956) was a British Thoroughbred racehorse. In a career which lasted from June 1958 until September 1961 she won fourteen of her nineteen races and finished second in the other five. After showing promising, but unexceptiona ...

) 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 ...

and running fourth to Alcide in the

King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes The King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged three years or older. It is run at Ascot o ...

. She was retired from racing after her St Leger win and had some success as a broodmare.

Background

Cantelo was a bay filly bred by her owner, the

bookmaker 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 ...

William Hill. She was sired by the French-bred

Coronation Cup The Coronation Cup is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged four years or older. It is run at Epsom Downs over a distance of 1 mile, 4 furlongs and 6 yards (2, ...

winner

Chanteur Chanteur (also known as Chanteur II; 1942–1962) was a French Thoroughbred racehorse and sire who was one of a group of French horses, including Caracalla, Marsyas, Arbar and Souverain, which dominated long-distance racing in Europe in the ...

, out of an unsuccessful racemare named Rustic Bridge. As a descendant of the broodmare Footlight, Cantelo was a member of Thoroughbred family 1-m, which also produced

Ahonoora Ahonoora (1975–1989) was a British Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. In a career that lasted from 1977 to 1979 he ran sixteen times and won seven races. Ahonoora was a sprinter who specialised in races over five and six furlongs, with his most ...

and

Musidora Jeanne Roques (23 February 1889 – 11 December 1957), known professionally as Musidora, was a French actress, film director, and writer. She is best known for her acting in silent films, and rose to public attention for roles in the Louis ...

. Hill sent his filly into training with Captain Charles Elsey at his Highfield stables at Malton in

Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a Historic counties of England, historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other Eng ...

. Cantelo was ridden in her major races by

Edward Hide Edward Hide (born 12 April 1937) is a retired multiple classic winning British jockey. He was, for a time at his peak, the sixth most successful jockey in British racing history and remains the ninth most successful jockey over 30 years after h ...

Racing career

1958: two-year-old season

Cantelo won all five of her races in 1958. She won the six

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 ...

Fenwolf Stakes at

Ascot Racecourse 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 ...

. In September she returned to Ascot for the

over one mile, in which she was matched against a field of colts. Cantelo gave a lot of trouble before the start and delayed the race for some time. She won from Last Line and Pindari, a colt who went on to win the

King Edward VII Stakes The King Edward VII Stakes is a Group 2 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old colts and geldings. It is run at Ascot over a distance of 1 mile 3 furlongs and 211 yards (2,406 met ...

and the

Great Voltigeur Stakes The Great Voltigeur Stakes is a Group 2 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old colts and geldings. It is run at York over a distance of 1 mile 3 furlongs and 18 ...

in 1959. In the Free Handicap, a ranking of the season's best British two-year-olds, she was given a weight of 121 pounds, twelve pounds behind the top-weight Tudor Melody and seven pounds below the top fillies Rosalba and Lindsay.

1959: three-year-old season

Cantelo began her three-year-old season in the Cheshire Oaks at

Chester Racecourse Chester Racecourse, also known as the Roodee, is a racecourse located in Chester, England. The horse racing venue is officially recognised by Guinness World Records as the "oldest racecourse still in operation". Horse racing in Chester dates ...

in May. She won the race, a recognised trial for The Oaks by six lengths from Anthelion. In the Oaks at

Epsom Downs Racecourse Epsom Downs is a Grade 1 racecourse on the hills associated with Epsom in Surrey, England which is used for thoroughbred horse racing. The "Downs" referred to in the name are part of the North Downs. The course, which has a crowd capacity of 13 ...

, Cantelo was matched against the

1000 Guineas The 1000 Guineas Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old fillies. It is run on the Rowley Mile at Newmarket over a distance of 1 mile (1,609 ...

winner Petite Etoile. Cantelo was made favourite ahead of Petite Etoile, whose pedigree had led to doubts regarding her stamina over one and a half miles. Cantelo led the race in the straight but was overtaken by Petite Etoile a furlong from the finish and was beaten three lengths into second place. Two weeks after her Oaks defeat, Cantelo was sent to

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 ...

for the

which she won comfortably from the Prix des Lilas winner La Coquenne. A month later, Cantelo returned to Ascot for Britain's most valuable and prestigious all-aged race, the

. She finished fourth of the eleven runners behind the 2/1 favourite Alcide, a four-year-old colt. Cantelo was then trained for the

St Leger Stakes 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 ...

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 September. The gallops at Malton were unusually hard that summer, and Elsey struggled to get the filly in top condition. He therefore decided to complete her preparation by running her in the

for fillies at Doncaster, two days before the St Leger. Cantelo appeared likely to win easily in the straight, but was caught in the closing stages and was beaten by the 33/1 outsider Collyria. In the St Leger, Cantelo started at odds of 100/7 in field of eleven, with The Derby winner

Parthia Parthia ( peo, 𐎱𐎼𐎰𐎺 ''Parθava''; xpr, 𐭐𐭓𐭕𐭅 ''Parθaw''; pal, 𐭯𐭫𐭮𐭥𐭡𐭥 ''Pahlaw'') is a historical region located in northeastern Greater Iran. It was conquered and subjugated by the empire of the Med ...

being made the odds-on favourite. Hide sent Cantelo into the lead in the straight and she won by one and a half lengths from the

Irish Derby The Irish Derby (Irish: Dearbaí na hÉireann) is a Group 1 flat horse race in Ireland open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run at the Curragh over a distance of 1 ...

winner

Fidalgo ''Fidalgo'' (, ), from Galician and Portuguese —equivalent to nobleman, but sometimes literally translated into English as "son of somebody" or "son of some (important family)"—is a traditional title of Portuguese nobility that refers to a m ...

, with Pindari taking third ahead of Parthia. She was the first Yorkshire-trained winner of the race since Apology in 1874, but was given a hostile reception by some racegoers who felt aggrieved by the abrupt improvement in the filly's form since the Park Hill Stakes.

Assessment

In their book ''A Century of Champions'', John Randall and Tony Morris rated Cantelo an "average" St Leger winner and the fiftieth best filly or mare of the 20th century trained in Britain or Ireland. Cantelo was given a rating of 129

Timeform Timeform is a sports data and content provider located in Halifax, West Yorkshire, England. Founded in 1948, it provides systematic information on form to punters and others involved in the horse racing industry. The company was purchased by ...

in 1959.

Stud career

Cantelo was retired to her owner's stud. She was not a great success as a broodmare but did produce one good horse in Cambridge (sired by Saint Crespin) who won the

Blue Riband Trial Stakes The Blue Riband Trial Stakes is a Listed flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old horses. It is run over a distance of 1 mile, 2 furlongs and 17 yards (2,027 metres) at ...

at Epsom in 1965 and later stood as a stallion in

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

Pedigree

References

{{St Leger Winners 1956 racehorse births Racehorses bred in the United Kingdom Racehorses trained in the United Kingdom Thoroughbred family 1-m St Leger winners