The Colt by Fidget (1794 – after 1799) is a name used to refer to an otherwise nameless 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. In a career that lasted from June 1797 to April 1798 he ran at least twice and won once. On his racecourse debut in the summer of 1797 he won The Derby. He was unplaced on his only other confirmed race.

Background

The Fidget Colt was a brown horse bred by his owner the 5th Duke of Bedford. Until 1913 there was no requirement for British racehorses to be named, and in the late eighteenth century it was common for horses to be known by their owner, colour, sex and pedigree rather than by an official name. The Duke of Bedford's previous Derby winner had been known as "the Florizel colt" or "the Brother to Fidget" during his three-year-old season, but was later given the name

Eager Eager may refer to: * Eager (band) * Eager (horse), (1788 – after 1795), a British Thoroughbred racehorse * ''Eager'' (novel), a children's science-fiction novel written by Helen Fox * Eager (surname) *, an Admirable-class minesweeper built for ...

. The Fidget Colt, however, was never given an official name: he was known only as "the Fidget colt" or "the colt by Fidget". The colt's dam, an unnamed mare by Highflyer was a half-sister to the notable broodmare

Young Giantess Young Giantess (1790–1811) was a British Thoroughbred racehorse and broodmare. She failed to win any of the five races she contested, but became a successful broodmare for Sir Charles Bunbury. She foaled the successful sire Sorcerer and ...

, who produced the Derby winner

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 ...

and was the grand-dam of two others in

Phantom Phantom may refer to: * Spirit (animating force), the vital principle or animating force within all living things ** Ghost, the soul or spirit of a dead person or animal that can appear to the living Aircraft * Boeing Phantom Ray, a stealthy un ...

and Priam. Fidget was not a particularly important stallion: in the year of the Derby winner's birth Fidget was standing at Woburn in

Bedfordshire Bedfordshire (; abbreviated Beds) is a ceremonial county in the East of England. The county has been administered by three unitary authorities, Borough of Bedford, Central Bedfordshire and Borough of Luton, since Bedfordshire County Council ...

at a fee of three

guineas The guinea (; commonly abbreviated gn., or gns. in plural) was a coin, minted in Great Britain between 1663 and 1814, that contained approximately one-quarter of an ounce of gold. The name came from the Guinea region in West Africa, from where m ...

, making him the cheapest of the four stallions at the stud.

Racing career

1797: three-year-old season

On 2 June 1797 The Fidget Colt made his racecourse debut in the Derby 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 ...

. Running as "D. of Bedford's br c by Fidget out of a sister to Pharamond" he started at odds of 10/1 in a field of seven runners, with Sir Frank Standish's Sir Peter colt (later named Stamford) sent off the 11/8 favourite. Ridden by John Singleton, Jr., he won from the 20/1 outsider Escalus with Plaistow third and the favourite fourth.

1798: four-year-old season

On 11 April "D. of Bedford's c. by Fidget out of Caelia's dam" reappeared after a break of ten months at

Newmarket Racecourse Newmarket Racecourse is a British Thoroughbred horse racing venue in Newmarket, Suffolk, comprising two individual racecourses: the Rowley Mile and the July Course. Newmarket is often referred to as the headquarters of British horserac ...

in the third class of the Oatlands Stakes. He carried a weight of 102 pounds in the handicap race over the two mile "Ditch In" course and finished seventh behind the 1796

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 ...

winner Ambrosio.

Pedigree

*The Fidget Colt 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 ...

3 x 3 to Herod and Matchem, meaning that both of these stallions appear twice in the third generation of his pedigree. The Fidget Colt therefore had only two great-grandfathers, instead of the usual four. Also, he was inbred 4 x 4 to Tartar and Cade due to them being the sires of the 3 x 3 inbreeding scenario.

References

{{Epsom Derby Winners 1794 racehorse births Epsom Derby winners Racehorses bred in the Kingdom of Great Britain Racehorses trained in the Kingdom of Great Britain Thoroughbred family 6-a Byerley Turk sire line