Cicero (1902–1923) 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 ...
racehorse and
sire. He was the best English two-year-old of 1904, winning all five of his races. In 1905 Cicero became one of the shortest priced successful favourites in the history of the
Derby
Derby ( ) is a city and unitary authority area in Derbyshire, England. It lies on the banks of the River Derwent in the south of Derbyshire, which is in the East Midlands Region. It was traditionally the county town of Derbyshire. Derby g ...
, winning at 4/11 to remain undefeated. He won only once from his remaining three races before retiring to a modestly successful career at
stud
Stud may refer to the following terms:
Animals
* Stud (animal), an animal retained for breeding
** Stud farm, a property where livestock are bred
Arts and entertainment
* Stud (band), a British progressive rock group
* The Stud (bar), a gay ba ...
.
Background
Cicero, a small chestnut colt, was bred by his owner
Lord Rosebery
Archibald Philip Primrose, 5th Earl of Rosebery, 1st Earl of Midlothian, (7 May 1847 – 21 May 1929) was a British Liberal Party politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from March 1894 to June 1895. Between the death of ...
, the former
Prime Minister
A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister i ...
, at his stud at The Durdans, near
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 ...
. He was sired by Cyllene, an
Ascot Gold Cup winner, who went on to become a highly successful stallion. In addition to Cicero, he sired three other winners of
The Derby and through his grandson,
Phalaris
Phalaris ( el, Φάλαρις) was the tyrant of Akragas (now Agrigento) in Sicily, from approximately 570 to 554 BC.
History
Phalaris was renowned for his excessive cruelty. Among his alleged atrocities is cannibalism: he was said to have e ...
, he is the direct male-line ancestor of most modern thoroughbreds. His dam, Gas, a filly also bred by Lord Rosebery, was a half-sister of the Derby winner
Ladas and proved to be an influential broodmare: her descendants included the classic winners
Vaucluse
Vaucluse (; oc, Vauclusa, label= Provençal or ) is a department in the southeastern French region of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur. It had a population of 561,469 as of 2019.[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 (1,60 ...]
),
Happy Laughter (
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 (1,60 ...
) and
Shirley Heights (1978
Epsom Derby).
Cicero was sent into training with
Percy Peck at Harraton Court,
Exning
Exning is a village and civil parish in the West Suffolk district of Suffolk in eastern England.
It lies just off the A14 trunk road, roughly east-northeast of Cambridge, and south-southeast of Ely. The nearest large town is Newmarket.
T ...
, near
Newmarket, Suffolk. In training, Cicero was a lively, high-spirited type who could be seen bucking and kicking at exercise. One writer commented that he "doubtless takes something out of himself with his vagaries, but then there is such a lot to take!"
Racing career
1904: two-year-old season
Cicero was unbeaten in five races as a two-year-old. At the Craven meeting at Newmarket in April he won the Fitzwilliam Stakes, beating
the King’s, horse Rosemarket who started favourite. Cicero beat Rosemarket again in the
Woodcote Stakes
The Woodcote Stakes is a conditions flat horse race in Great Britain open to two-year-old Thoroughbreds. It is run over a distance of 6 furlongs and 3 yards (1,210 metres) at Epsom Downs ...
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 ...
in June, this time as the even money favourite. He was then sent to
Royal Ascot where he won the
Coventry Stakes
The Coventry Stakes is a Group 2 flat horse race in Great Britain open to two-year-old horses. It is run at Ascot over a distance of 6 furlongs (1,207 metres), and it is scheduled to take place e ...
at
Royal Ascot beating
Vedas
upright=1.2, The Vedas are ancient Sanskrit texts of Hinduism. Above: A page from the '' Atharvaveda''.
The Vedas (, , ) are a large body of religious texts originating in ancient India. Composed in Vedic Sanskrit, the texts constitute th ...
by two lengths. He won the July Stakes at Newmarket at the unusual odds of
1/20 and then carried 135
lbs to victory in the valuable National Breeder's Produce Stakes at
Sandown
Sandown is a seaside resort and civil parish on the south-east coast of the Isle of Wight, United Kingdom with the resort of Shanklin to the south and the settlement of Lake in between. Together with Shanklin, Sandown forms a built-up area of ...
in mid July. He sustained an injury in the Sandown race and missed the rest of the season, but nevertheless went into the winter break as favourite for the Derby.
1905: three-year-old season
Cicero had not been entered in the
2000 Guineas
The 2000 Guineas Stakes is a Group 1 flat race in Great Britain open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run on the Rowley Mile at Newmarket over a distance of 1 mile (1,609 metres) and scheduled to take place each year ...
, which was won by Vedas and instead made his debut in the Newmarket Stakes. He won easily from Llangibby and was made favourite for the Derby. Vedas was ruled out of the Derby by injury and at Epsom Cicero was sent off at odds of 4/11, making him one of the shortest-priced favourites in the race’s history. The second favourite was the French-trained Jardy, who was also undefeated, but reportedly suffering from a respiratory infection which had affected many of the horses in the stables of his owner, Edmond Blanc. Ridden by
Danny Maher
Daniel Aloysius Maher (October 29, 1881 – November 9, 1916) was an American Hall of Fame jockey who also became a Champion jockey in Great Britain.
U.S. riding career
Danny Maher commenced his career at the age of 14, weighing 65 pounds. He ...
Cicero tracked the leaders in the early stages before making his challenge in the straight. Unable to find a run along the rails, Maher switched Cicero to the outside and took the lead only to be faced by the "strenuous challenges" of Jardy and Signorino. He ran on strongly under pressure to win after a "bitter struggle" by three quarters of a length from Jardy with Signorino a head further back in third. The winning time of 2:39.6 was a new race record.
Lord Rosebery celebrated the victory in extravagant style with a firework display at The Durdans, followed by a “lavish treat” for the four hundred inmates of the local
workhouse
In Britain, a workhouse () was an institution where those unable to support themselves financially were offered accommodation and employment. (In Scotland, they were usually known as poorhouses.) The earliest known use of the term ''workhouse' ...
and a garden party for three-thousand local "working men".
On his next start Cicero attempted to defend his unbeaten record in the
Eclipse Stakes at
Sandown
Sandown is a seaside resort and civil parish on the south-east coast of the Isle of Wight, United Kingdom with the resort of Shanklin to the south and the settlement of Lake in between. Together with Shanklin, Sandown forms a built-up area of ...
for which he started 8/13 favourite. His main rival was expected to be
Val d'Or, a stable companion of Jardy and the winner of the
Poule d'Essai des Poulains
Molof (Ampas, Poule, Powle-Ma) is a poorly documented Papuan language spoken by about 200 people in Molof village, Senggi District, Keerom Regency.
Classification
Wurm (1975) placed it as an independent branch of Trans–New Guinea, but Ros ...
. Cicero took up the lead in the straight and was immediately challenged by the French colt. Maher rode a vigorous finish, but Val d'Or, who was receiving three pounds from Cicero, pulled ahead in the closing stages to win by a half a length.
Cicero then developed leg problems and, although considered as a contender for 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 ...
he did not appear the racecourse for the rest of the year.
1906: four-year-old season
On his four-year-old debut on 20 April 1906, Cicero carried 140 lbs to beat Shilfa, his only opponent, in the one and a half mile Biennial Stakes at
Newmarket, recording a time of 2:32.8. He was then aimed at the
Ascot Gold Cup, for which he started second favourite, but after racing in second, he faded badly and finished unplaced behind
Bachelor's Button and
Pretty Polly Pretty Polly may refer to:
* "Pretty Polly" (ballad)
* ''Pretty Polly'' (film)
* ''Pretty Polly'' (opera)
* Pretty Polly (horse)
Pretty Polly (March 1901 – 17 August 1931) was an Irish-bred, British-trained Thoroughbred racehorse and bro ...
.
On the advice of his trainer, Cicero was then retired.
Assessment
During his racing career, there was some disagreement about Cicero's merits: some considered him a "really great horse", while others felt that he was merely "the best of a moderate lot" of English colts.
In their book ''A Century of Champions'', John Randall and Tony Morris rated Cicero an “average” Derby winner.
[Randall, J and Morris, T. Portway Press, 1999, p. 205]
Stud career
Cicero stood as a stallion at his owner’s studs at
Mentmore
Mentmore is a village and civil parish in the Aylesbury Vale district of Buckinghamshire, England. It is about three miles east of Wingrave, three miles south east of Wing.
The village toponym is derived from the Old English for "Menta's moor ...
,
Buckinghamshire . He was a modest success, with his best offspring being 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 ...
winner Friar Marcus. In 1921 his stud fee was 200 guineas. In 1923 he was retired from stud duties and moved back to his birthplace, The Durdans. Shortly after his arrival, however, Cicero had to be euthanized after suffering an intestinal rupture when cast in his box. He was buried at The Durdans.
Pedigree
See also
*
List of historical horses
This list includes actual horses that exist in the historical record. For fictional horses, see: List of fictional horses.
Racehorses
A
* Adios Butler: famous harness racer
* Affirmed: U.S. Triple Crown winner (1978)
* Ajax: 18 consecutive ra ...
References
{{Epsom Derby Winners
1902 racehorse births
1923 racehorse deaths
Epsom Derby winners
Thoroughbred family 1-l
Chefs-de-Race